Hi All,
I am using SQL Server Express to connect to the network using VPN on a local machine. I have done the following..
a.) Enabled the remote connections for the Express Instance and rebooted the machine.
b.) Connected to the machine with Express Edition locally and can also connect other SQL Server instances from it to verify connectivity.
c.) Yes, SQL Browser Service is running.
d.) Firewall is not turned on, so I do not have to configure any exceptions.
Now here is the big problem: When I browse for SQL Servers on the network the machine does not show up on the list, i.e "macinename\SQLExpress". I had uninstalled and reinstalled the Express edition and rebooted the machine several times with no luck on the SQL Express Instance showing up on the browser list. I even changed the default instance name to "machinename\MACHINE1" on one of the reinstalls. However, I can connect to other SQL Instances from it. But, I cannot connect to it from other machines since its not registered on the network. I have been working on this for the past few days by looking for a solution via this and other forumns. Is there some setting somewhere that I am missing that prevents this instance from not showing up on the browser list. This issue with SQL Express Edition is baffling as well as frustrating and any ideas that can resolve this issue is very much appreciated.
when you say you cant see it on the list, do you mean in the ODBC dialog list? or some other list? if its involves the ODBC dialog, ive had to actually type in the whole machinename \SQLExpress since it didnt show up initially for it to work.|||I am talking about the SQL Server Browser list, that one can see all of the live SQL Server database Instances. Not the dialog list...|||I have several of them that refuse to show up in any browser list. But, I can connect to just about all of them even though they don't show up in the browser list by just typing in the instance name. Is there a particular error that you are getting? Can you give us more detail on your configuration and exactly what steps you are doing?|||After installing SQL Server Express Edition on a new HP laptop with WIN 2K sp2, I went to see if it was registered on the Network as "machinename/SQLEXPRESS", and what I can see on the Network is just the "machinename", with the instance name missing. So I reinstalled it with a new instance name "machinename/Machine1", and again it was missing the instance name "Machine1", but I can see the machinename. I tried to connect with the instance name only "Machine1" and believe me I have tried it every which way but I always get the infamous error:
"An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified) (Microsoft SQL Server)"
Now here is the odd part, I had installed SQL Server Express Edition on a older (1 year) IBM laptop with WIN 2K sp2, about 1 month back and was able to see the complete instance name on the network and can connect just fine. The only difference in these two machines is the age, but they both have the same OS Software installed. I have been pulling my hair in trying to figure out what is going on with SQL Server Express Edition on this new HP laptop with WIN 2K sp2 installed. It just refuses to register itself correctly on the network.
|||I have several that the browser only sees the machine name. That still doesn't mean that is what you use for the connection string. If you are using a default instance of Express Edition, then you still need to connect to machinename\SQLExpress even if browsing only shows you just the machine name. Now, that doesn't mean that you aren't having issues similar to mine on one of my clients which refuses to allow me to connect, we just need to make sure there isn't something else wrong first.|||As I have mentioned before, I tried using "machinename\MACHINE1" as the complete instance name and it throws out the error as I posted before. I can connect other instances from this HP Laptop but cannot connect to it from other machines. Perhaps we are having the same issue. I have been asking our Network Admin, System Admin and Security Admin and they are all puzzled by this SQL Express behavior on this HP laptop. I am wondering if it has anything to do with particular PC machines as the IBM pc works fine, but not the HP, this is just a guess. But I am running out of ideas and my users are running out of patience as I try to find a solution to this big problem....|||Not sure if this has anything to do with your issue, but you mentioned that you were using Win2000 SP2, that is not a supported platform for SQL 2005, you need to be running SP4. I'm surprised that install didn't block.
Mike
|||Yes, it looks like you are having exactly the same issue as I'm having on one of my machines. I have everything configured correctly with all of the access configured the way it needs to be. I can quite literally do anything I want to on the client when I'm RDPed into the server including remotely launching applications, remotely stopping start services, etc. The only that that it refuses to do is recognize and connect to the SQL Server Express Edition instance. I'm having problem doing further troubleshooting and opening a support case is rather difficult since the problem machine is in CA and I'm in TX without any direct ability to get hands on with the machine. I thought I had another one exhibiting this behavior, but when I plugged the laptop into my network, it magically started working and it hasn't thrown the error since. Yes, I'm rather baffled. My only saving grace is that I don't have any more hair to pull out at this point. :)
I have several more machines to work through and I'm hoping that I can get at least one of them to exhibit this behavior.
|||I'm getting a bit closer on my side and now have 2 machines that are having issues. So, I want to try something and see if your results duplicate mine.
Log on to the machine that is having problems using your accouunt. Once it is up and running, go over to another instance and login to the Express instance from the other machine using your Windows credentials. Let me know if that magically makes it work.
|||Hi Michael,
Nope, I tried as you suggested and I keep getting that same error, from the other machine when I try to connect to the problem machine. However, I can connect from the problem machine to any other SQL Server 2005 instance...Do not know what to do at this point. Perhaps Microsoft needs to help out...I hope they are reading this Message.
|||I am wondering if this issue has anything to do with having 2 NIC cards in a Laptop machine, one for the Local Network and the other for the Wireless Network...That is the only difference I see with the 2 different Laptops I am working with. The IBM machine does not have a Wireless Network NIC and it works...The other newer HP has a Wireless NIC and it does not work..Is Microsoft listening.....|||I can rule that one out. I have machines that connect just fine with multiple NICs and a couple that don't that also have multiple NICs.|||Have you tried opening a support case with Microsoft. I am not sure how this particular Software is supported since it is freely distributed..|||SQL Server Express Edition is fully supported. Just like you can call in and get support on Internet Explorer.
I found a couple of other things when I was doing additional configuration. Verify that your WINS scopes are set properly. Also verify that the machine is actually getting its IP address correctly registered into DNS. These two items fixed 100% of the connectivity issues that I was having within SQL Server.
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