Add support for the new Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Driver for PHP that Microsoft recently released so that we can use this driver with Moodle and MSSQL.

It seems that we can't use this new Microsoft SQL Server 2005 PHP Driver (php_sqlsrv.dll) with Moodle 1.9.2. If you load the php_sqlsrv.dll extension in the php.ini file and then select the mssql_n driver ($CFG->dbtype = 'mssql_n' when you run the Moodle setup Moodle displays the following error:

"PHP has not been properly configured with the MSSQL extension so that it can communicate with SQL*Server. Please check your php.ini file or recompile PHP."

Being able to use this new driver will make it much easier for those of us who work in "Microsoft only" IT institutions to get management approval for rolling out Moodle installations.

And it will be interesting to compare how large Moodle/MSSQL sites perform with this new driver versus sites using ODBTP and FreeTDS drivers.

The SQL Server 2005 Driver for PHP release announcement is on:
http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=3676216&SiteID=17

And the download address is:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=61BF87E0-D031-466B-B09A-6597C21A2E2A&displaylang=en