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Can I use my Windows user account to access SQL Server from Linux and UNIX?

Yes. The SQL Server ODBC driver supports Windows Authentication, a SQL Server authentication mode that allows you to log into SQL Server with your Windows account.

Windows authentication is Microsoft's recommended authentication mode because it centralises authentication (password checking happens in one place; one system to define password strength, expiration, and account lockout policy) and no passwords are sent across the network during the authentication process.

The SQL Server ODBC driver supports NTLMv2 and its predecessor NTLM, which are challenge-response authentication protocols that enable a Windows user name to be securely authenticated without the transmission of passwords across the network. NTLMv2 is more secure than older versions of the protocol and provides a greater defence against attempts to crack passwords by capturing the challenge-response.

If your user account belongs to a Windows domain, the SQL Server ODBC driver attempts to detect the domain automatically, which simplifies data source configuration and reduces the impact of changes you make to your domain structure.

The SQL Server ODBC driver also supports SQL Server Authentication, which requires users to specify a SQL Server login ID and password when they connect.

Windows Authentication examples

[MSSQL_WINDOWS_AUTHENTICATION_DSN]
Driver		        = Easysoft ODBC-SQL Server
Server                  = my_machine\my_instance
User                    = my_windows_user_name
Password                = my_windows_password
Trusted_Connection	= Yes
NTLMv2                  = Yes

–Or–

[MSSQL_WINDOWS_AUTHENTICATION_DSN]
Driver		         = Easysoft ODBC-SQL Server
Server                   = my_machine\my_instance
User                     = my_domain\my_windows_user_name
Password                 = my_windows_password
NTLMv2                   = Yes

Further information