Use PSCONFIG to set SharePoint's Config and AdminContent database names

Just came across Kit Kai's Tech blog where he talks about how to specify the name of the central admin content database before running the SharePoint Config Wizard. It is an excellent idea to set the names of AdminContent and Config databases as desired instead of changing the db names manually after having the Config Wizard automatically create the databases (my previous article talks about how to change the existing Config and AdminContent's database names).

In short, Kit Kai's article says the following.

Assuming the following,
{
Database Server Name = "myDatabaseServer"
AdminContent DB Name = "SP_AdminContent"
Config DB Name = "SP_Config"
Service Account = "myDomain\svcAccount"
}
1. Install SharePoint on the server. Do not run the Config Wizard just yet.

2. Go to the path "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\bin".

3. Run psconfig.exe -cmd configdb -create -server "myDatabaseServer"
-database "SP_Config" -user "myDomain\svcAccount" -password ""
-admincontentdatabase "SP_AdminContent"
(if you encounter an error at this point, I suggest that you assign local admin rights to the service account and use "runas" to run the psconfig under the service account's credential)

4. Make sure the collation of the newly created databases is "Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS".

5. Run SharePoint Config Wizard. Choose "Do not disconnect from the server farm".



Thank you Kit Kai!