Not logging in to Network Server

[deepsheep]

Sorry if this is answered somewhere, the search tool doesn't seem to work today.

I have 4 networked SQL 2005 SP2 servers. I can't seem to connect to one of them (Server A) from another one (server B).
I get the "connection string is not valid" then "Login timeout expired" and then "Server does not exisit or access denied. Blah, Blah, 2005 does not default to accecpt remote connedtions" error.
I've tried the mangement console, linked servers and ODBC manager. I've tried named pipes and tcp/ip. However, I can connect to both servers from a third machine. I've also reset Server B, just incase it was holding onto some junk. Server A has not been reset, but it is critical to have running all the time and is working with this one exception.

Server A is in my browse network servers list in the management console of Server B. I can also access the shared folder over the network so I'm pretty sure there isn't a hardware problem.

The only thing I can think of is that Server A has recently been updated to 2005 from 2000 and perhaps this has made server B cranky. I've also noticed that the browse list on server B doesn't list all the 2005 servers with the (9.0) appeneded to the name and the other servers do.

What can I do to solve the connection problem?
Also, is there a way to force the browse network servers list to refresh?

 

[ptheriault]

Have you opened SQL Server configuration manager on Server A and checked to see if it allows remote connections?

- Paul

- If at first you don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.

 

[deepsheep]

Server A is accepting remote connections from a web server, 2 servers collecting data and 1 other SQL server. Just not Server B.
Server A can connect to server B (just not the other way). The other SQL servers on the network can connect to both. I can use sql or windows authenticaton. I've also looked at netstat -a and didn't see anything odd.

One other thing I just thought of (don't think it will make a difference). Server A is the only 2000->2005 upgrade running. The others were fresh installs. Any thoughts?

I'm going to try Query Analyser from some of my other machines next I don't expect it will tell me anything new.

Thanks for your help!

 

[ptheriault]

Sounds a bit like a firewall issue on Server B.

- Paul

- If at first you don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.

 

[deepsheep]

No firewalls on any of the machines. Our network is behind a cisco firewall.

We're running windows 2000 advanced server SP4, so no default windows firewall either.

We do have Norton Corporate Anti-Virus (it doesn't have a firewall, I double checked), but it is on all the machines. If it was causing grief, I'd expect either no connections out or no connections in from any location.

I rather dislike random connectivity issues

 

[ptheriault]

Can you connect to server b from server a?

Have you tried a link server to server a from server b?

- Paul

- If at first you don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.

 

[deepsheep]

Found the problem. I went poking through the ODBC manager on Server B and found in the client configuration (for sql server driver - not the SQL Native Client) that Server A had a strange entry for the pipe name. I changed it to be the same as one of the servers that I could connect to and I now have a connection.

I would like to know how that value may have been set to something wrong. I'm 99% sure no one in the office would have (or even could have) done it.

Thanks!