A client recently requested that we add Reporting Services to his existing install of SQL Server 2005. I didn’t think much of this task until I ran the setup and found that the checkbox for Reporting Services was greyed out. After some amount of digging I found the answer.

IIS is a prerequisite for installing SSRS 2005. SSRS 2008 has the same prerequisite.

To install IIS 6.0 in Windows Server 2003:

1. Go to Add or Remove Programs, under Control Panel
2. Select Add/Remove Windows Components
3. Check the Application Server checkbox, and click Details…
4. Check the Internet Information Services (IIS) checkbox and click OK
5. Click Next. The install now will determine what files it needs
6. Point the wizard at a location containing the operating system media. Be sure you have the correct version and correct architecture (x86 = i368, x64 = amd64).

If you’re adding Reporting Services to an existing SQL Server install you’ll want to be sure to update it to the same version as the other components. Installing any necessary service packs, or hotfixes will allow you to upgrade SSRS without affecting the database engine.

Installing on Windows Server 2008 can be a bit more difficult, because you’ll have to configure the IIS 6.0 Compatibility Mode options. For more information on installing SSRS on Windows Server 2008 see this link: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb839480%28SQL.90%29.aspx?ppud=4