Start the Server Manually

Make certain that the database service is running by using the Microsoft SQL Server Service Manager. If the database service in running, you will see a green arrow in the Service Manager window. Check the "Auto-start service when OS starts" box to ensure that the database server will start each time you start up your computer.

Test the Named Pipes Connection

If your client station is connecting to the server using Named Pipes, you can test this connection using the "net" command. At the operating system command prompt on the client workstation, type:

net view \\server name

For instance, if your server is named BOSTON1, type:

net view \\BOSTON1

If the service was not found, you will receive an error. If the server was present, you will receive information about the server. To verify connection to the server's named pipe, type:

net use \\BOSTON1\IPC$

Test the TCP/IP Sockets Client Connections

While the particular connection details of each site's network are beyond the scope of this document, it is worthwhile to point out one or two common diagnostic strategies for TCP/IP networks.

If you are using TCP/IP protocol, you can use the "ping" utility to determine whether the client workstation can communicate with the database server computer using the same low-level protocol that the database client and server use.

For instance, if the IP Address of the database computer is 193.182.9.2, you might enter the following command line to see if you could get a response:

Ping 193.182.9.2

You can also use the Ping utility by entering the server name to which you are trying to connect. For example if the server name is BOSTON1, enter the following:

@Ping BOSTON1

If these tests show no response on a TCP/IP network, there is an underlying network issue, not a database server issue.

Test the Connection to the Server with the OSQL Utility

If the basic protocols are working, you can verify that SQL Server's osql utility can connect to the database server.

For instance if your SQL Server database server name is BOSTON1, you can type the following at the command prompt:

osql -S BOSTON1 -U sa -P

If the connection succeeds, you will see a prompt in the form: 1> .

If the connection fails, you will see an ODBC entry.

To see which server you are connected to, type:

SELECT @@SERVERNAME
GO

Type "Exit" to leave the SQL Server's osql utility.