Troubleshooting a Network Configuration

Previous Topic: Connecting the Client to a Local Database

Test #1 - Basic Network Connectivity
Test #2 - Advanced Network Connectivity
Test #3 - Is SQL Server Running?
The SQL Browsing Server
Still Can't Connect?

If, after following the steps detailed in the Connecting the Client to a Local Database section, you are still unable to connect your client Any computer running ServiceCEO that is not hosting the ServiceCEO database. All client computers must connect, via a network, to the server in order to see the ServiceCEO database. to the server computer The computer hosting the ServiceCEO database. As opposed to a "client" computer, which is a user computer connecting to the ServiceCEO database on the server computer., there may be a general networking issue between the two computers. For example, a defective network cable or a firewall may be blocking your access. To help determine the problem, run the following two tests:

Test #1 - Basic Network Connectivity (the "ping" test)

Select Start > Run. A Run dialog box appears.
Type cmd or command in the Open field.
Click OK. A DOS window appears.
Type ping SERVER at the command prompt, replacing "SERVER" with the name or IP address A numeric identifier given to each computer on a network (such as the Internet) that enables the transfer of data from one computer to another. IP addresses are displayed as four numbers separated by periods; for example, 7.155.23.211 is a valid IP address. of your server.
Press Enter.

If you see a series of "Reply from..." messages, this indicates that network traffic is successfully moving between your client and your server. This test has succeeded and you can continue to test #2.

If you receive a "Could not find host" message, you may have entered a server name which is not recognized on the local computer. Repeat test #1's step 4 but replace the server's computer name with its IP address. If pinging the IP address succeeds, use this IP address to connect (in step 2 of the Connecting the Client to a Local Database section).

Test #2 - Advanced Network Connectivity (the "telnet" test)

Select Start > Run. A Run dialog box appears.
Type cmd or command in the Open field.
Click OK. A DOS window appears.
Type telnet SERVER PORT at the command prompt, replacing "SERVER" with the name or IP address A numeric identifier given to each computer on a network (such as the Internet) that enables the transfer of data from one computer to another. IP addresses are displayed as four numbers separated by periods; for example, 7.155.23.211 is a valid IP address. of your server, and PORT with the port number you are using.
Press Enter.

If your DOS window goes blank and the cursor resets to the top left corner, this test has succeeded and you can close the DOS window by clicking the X in the top right corner. Your server appears to be running and no network obstructions are preventing your client from connecting.

If you see either a "Could not open connection to the host" message or a "Connection failed" message, something preventing the client from connecting to the server port on the server. To fix this, verify that SQL Server is running.

Test #3 - Is SQL Server Running?

The next step is to verify that SQL Server is running. Since SQL Server is the means by which ServiceCEO communicates with its database, if it is not running, ServiceCEO will not be able to open.

Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools.

Double-click Services. The Services dialog box appears.

In the list of the services, locate the service named SQL Server (InstanceName) and verify that its status is Started. The InstanceName will be whatever you named your SQL Server instance when you installed SQL Server. Typically, this is SQL Server (ServiceCEO).

If the SQL Server (InstanceName) service is not started, right-click it and select Start from the pop-up menu.

Tip!

Tip:
Many connection issues can be resolved by simply restarting SQL Server. If you are experiencing any connection issues, restart SQL Server by right-clicking SQL Server (ServiceCEO) and selecting Restart from the pop-up menu.

The SQL Browsing Server

If you are running SQL Server 2005 and are experiencing connection issues between your client and server computers, check to see that the SQL Browsing Server is turned on. This will enable ODBC to dynamically detect the port number.

To enable the SQL Server Browser service:

Select Start > Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2005 > Configuration Tools > SQL Server Surface Area Configuration. The SQL Server 2005 Surface Area Configuration dialog box appears.
Click the Surface Area Configuration for Services and Connections link. The Surface Area Configuration for Services and Connections dialog box appears.

Select SQL Server Browser from the tree on the left side of the dialog box.
Select Automatic from the Startup type drop-down list. (Note that the Automatic option will automatically start the SQL Server Browser service every time that you start Microsoft Windows.)
Click Apply.
Click Start.
Click OK.

Still Can't Connect?

If, after running all of the above tests, you continue to experience connection issues, contact Insight Direct Technical Support. Be sure to tell the results of both the ping test and the telnet test to the Technical Support Representative.

Next Topic: Connecting to ServiceCEO from a Remote Location