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NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM login

  • May 11, 2007 at 1:23 pm

    #117141

    In SQL Server 2005, what is using or what is the purpose of the 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM' login?

    Thanks

  • May 14, 2007 at 2:19 am

    #706131

    I presume SQL service is running under local system account? NT Authority\system is this account. various sql background services will run under this account (inc. SQLAgent)

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  • May 14, 2007 at 3:18 am

    #706148

    NT Authority\System and local system account are not the same. Local system account has high privileges on the machine. Avoid to use it. For more information and racommandation Have a look in 'Setting Up Windows Service Accounts' in BOL.

  • May 14, 2007 at 8:52 am

    #706243

    I have all SQL Services running under a dedicated Active Directory user.  I would like to either remove the NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM login or at least remove it from the sysadmin server role.  What would be the impact if I do either one?  I have already removed the Builtin\Administrator login from the server.  I do this to remove unauthorized access to the server.  I would like to do the same with NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM  login for the same reason. 

    Again, what would be the impact of deleting the NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM login if all SQL Services are running under a dedicated Active Directory user?

  • May 14, 2007 at 8:58 am

    #706250

    Difficult to say. But I would not remove this account . The Builtin\Administrator is not a user, but a group. This is different.

  • May 15, 2007 at 12:30 am

    #706406

    The same question has come up in a previous post, http://qa.sqlservercentral.com/forums/shwmessage.aspx?forumid=359&messageid=339254.

     

    The short answer is that if none of your SQL Services are using this account it should be safe to remove it from SQL Server.

     

    Regards

    Stevo

     

    PS. I have removed it from all my production SQL Servers and so far have not had any problems.

     

  • February 12, 2008 at 9:06 am

    #777386

    We have removed both account from our systems and the only error we seem to get was from VSS, Volume Shadow Copy Service, not having access to perform its tasks using NT Authority\System. The servers appear to be running normally though.

  • February 22, 2008 at 4:40 am

    #781042

    If you are going to use Full Text Catalogues you will need NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM

  • April 17, 2008 at 6:02 pm

    #804063

    North Essex Guy (2/22/2008)

    If you are going to use Full Text Catalogues you will need NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM

    I would have thought that that was only the case when the "SQL Server FullText Search" service was running as Local System. Further, that if it was running as a domain user account that the user account only was required as a sysadmin and not local system. I could however be wrong as I am only new to SQL Server and there is a lot to get my head around in a very short time

  • July 28, 2008 at 4:57 am

    #849069

    Do not delete this account or remove it from the SYSADMIN fixed server role. The NTAUTHORITY\SYSTEM account is used by Microsoft Update and by Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) to apply service packs and hotfixes to a SQL Server 2005 installation. The NTAUTHORITY\SYSTEM account is also used by the SQL Writer Service. 🙂

    Please refer: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932881

  • December 17, 2008 at 3:23 pm

    #914206

    If you install SQL Server with Local System Account, the NT Authority\System Login is used for you SQL Server services. If not, you can remove it just like deleting BUILTIN\Administrators Login.

  • March 2, 2011 at 11:26 am

    #1293652

    And why on earth would I want to allow microsoft to update my production SQL Server for me. This sounds like an argument in favor of deleting this.

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