I personally prefer Norton Antivirus, and I have never had it throw a
warning when manipulating .sql files or automating osql with .bat or .vbs or
other strange auto-blocking behavior when I try to deliberately do
something.

Although, since I am a developer, my primary use of A/V on SQL Server is
local on my laptop running XP Pro SP2. So this is like the "workstation
edition" of Norton AV 2006. The "server edition" that runs on Windows
Server 2003 probably behaves differently, but I wouldn't know.

One question that comes to my mind is how to update AV software. On my XP
Pro box, I can run Norton LiveUpdate to get new virus definitions and
patches, or if I have it set to auto, it pops up and asks me. But at a
production server, there is no one logged into the desktop looking at the
screen, so it doesn't make sense for the AV software to throw a "Do you want
to update this" message box. This is the first thing I would want to know
if I were shopping for AV software for a server.

One thing you will want to fine tune though, is your AV software's scheduled
periodic "full system scan". I cannot speak for other AV software, but
when Norton AV pops up for a scheduled "Full System Scan", it takes bloody
ages to scan every single thing on the system, and it eats MASSIVE CPU.
Although, to be fair, this machine has an IDE drive, so all the disk
thrashing it is doing, is also occupying CPU time, in addition to the CPU
cycles required to do the scanning. In a server implementation, you're most
likely using a SCSI controller that offloads some of that bandwidth. You
will want to fine-tune your auto-scheduled full system scans based on what
to scan, and how deeply to scan (such as heuristics analysis in binaries)
and how often, and what time of day to launch the scan. For example, one
thing you DON'T want is a full system scan of every single file on your
whole server with extra deep analysis that begins on your big momma OLTP
database server right in the middle of the work day.
--


Peace & happy computing,

Mike Labosh, MCSD MCT
Owner, vbSensei.Com

"Veritas e aequitas; in nominae Patri, et Fili, et Spiritus Sancti."
-- The Boondock Saints