"The SQL Server 2008 was not found or was not accessible"?

Question

The SQL Server was not found or was not accessible

I got this error while setting up a system that requires a remote computer to access SQL 2008 stored on another computer in the same domain:

The server was not found r was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections.

When I installed SQL Server, I was sure I set up the system just so. How can I troubleshoot this?

Answer 1

Look at the name of the SQL server instance and make sure it is what you are using to connect to it. Also, look at the SQL Server Network Configuration under Configuration Tools. I worte an article about a very similar problem (if not the same) here:

Answer 2

Hi

A couple of things to try...

• check the Configuration settings to ensure that the TCP protocol is enabled.
• try accessing the remote server via IP instead of the server name, this has worked for me in the past (oddly).

I'm assuming its running on the default port, if it isnt then you will need to specify the port number after the server-name / ip separated by a comma:

sql-server-name,{port}

Answer 3

The program you are running needs to be running under an account which has access to the network (and depending on protocol chosen, may need access to the SQL Server by role or whatever). This error indicates that it is not finding the server on the network by name or IP.

The most common case I have seen this is when you have a web app running under a local account which does not have network access attempting to access SQL Server on another machine.