Question

Error connecting to SQL Server Express from website

Asked by: jimbo_scotland

Hi,
I'm in the process of creating a website that links to two databases, one for user authentication (microsofts default one), and a seperate database for storing the data to be used on the website. When I setup the second database, I created on the server, which I can only seem to connect to when I've got my instance of SQL Server Express edition running on my laptop, even though the connection string points to the server. I have also put the default membership provider database on the server, which appears to be accessesable, however when I try use it, it detects that a password is incorrect or that a user doesn't exist, but when I enter in a correct user account the page reloads, and the group specific content, i.e. menus doesn't appear.

I've tried accessing the pages via url, with everything running, but it just says I'm not autherised to view those pages.

When I do try to access the files I get an error page:
"
Server Error in '/' Application.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified)
Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified)

Source Error:

An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.  

Stack Trace:


[SqlException (0x80131904): A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified)]
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection) +4846887
   System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObject stateObj) +194
   System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.Connect(ServerInfo serverInfo, SqlInternalConnectionTds connHandler, Boolean ignoreSniOpenTimeout, Int64 timerExpire, Boolean encrypt, Boolean trustServerCert, Boolean integratedSecurity, SqlConnection owningObject) +4860189
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnectionTds.AttemptOneLogin(ServerInfo serverInfo, String newPassword, Boolean ignoreSniOpenTimeout, Int64 timerExpire, SqlConnection owningObject) +90
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnectionTds.LoginNoFailover(String host, String newPassword, Boolean redirectedUserInstance, SqlConnection owningObject, SqlConnectionString connectionOptions, Int64 timerStart) +376
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnectionTds.OpenLoginEnlist(SqlConnection owningObject, SqlConnectionString connectionOptions, String newPassword, Boolean redirectedUserInstance) +221
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnectionTds..ctor(DbConnectionPoolIdentity identity, SqlConnectionString connectionOptions, Object providerInfo, String newPassword, SqlConnection owningObject, Boolean redirectedUserInstance) +189
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionFactory.CreateConnection(DbConnectionOptions options, Object poolGroupProviderInfo, DbConnectionPool pool, DbConnection owningConnection) +4861315
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionFactory.CreatePooledConnection(DbConnection owningConnection, DbConnectionPool pool, DbConnectionOptions options) +31
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionPool.CreateObject(DbConnection owningObject) +433
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionPool.UserCreateRequest(DbConnection owningObject) +66
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionPool.GetConnection(DbConnection owningObject) +499
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionFactory.GetConnection(DbConnection owningConnection) +65
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionClosed.OpenConnection(DbConnection outerConnection, DbConnectionFactory connectionFactory) +117
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.Open() +122
   System.Web.DataAccess.SqlConnectionHolder.Open(HttpContext context, Boolean revertImpersonate) +87
   System.Web.DataAccess.SqlConnectionHelper.GetConnection(String connectionString, Boolean revertImpersonation) +221
   System.Web.Security.SqlRoleProvider.GetRolesForUser(String username) +760
   System.Web.Security.RolePrincipal.IsInRole(String role) +164
   System.Web.UI.WebControls.RoleGroup.ContainsUser(IPrincipal user) +51
   System.Web.UI.WebControls.RoleGroupCollection.GetMatchingRoleGroupInternal(IPrincipal user) +122
   System.Web.UI.WebControls.LoginView.GetTemplateIndex() +98
   System.Web.UI.WebControls.LoginView.CreateChildControls() +65
   System.Web.UI.Control.EnsureChildControls() +87
   System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() +44
   System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() +171
   System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() +171
   System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() +171
   System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint) +842

 


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:2.0.50727.3082; ASP.NET Version:2.0.50727.3082
"

I've looked this up and I have setup the server for remote connection, but it doesn't seem to make any difference on the website side of things.

I've attached my web.config file, hopefully that might help shed some light on this.

Any help at this would be really appreciated!!

Cheers

James

<connectionStrings>
        <add name="InternalConnectionString" connectionString="Data Source=WEBSERVER;Initial Catalog=Internal;Persist Security Info=True;User ID=james.admin;Password=#########"
            providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />
        <add name="WebserverASPNETDB.MDFConnectionString" connectionString="Data Source=webserver;Initial Catalog=&quot;C:\USERS\JAMES\DOCUMENTS\DUNBLANE CENTRE\INTERNAL WEBSITE\APP_DATA\ASPNETDB.MDF&quot;;Persist Security Info=True;User ID=james.admin;Password=########;Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=True;User Instance=False"
            providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />
    </connectionStrings>
    <system.web>
        <!-- 
            Set compilation debug="true" to insert debugging 
            symbols into the compiled page. Because this 
            affects performance, set this value to true only 
            during development.
 
            Visual Basic options:
            Set strict="true" to disallow all data type conversions 
            where data loss can occur. 
            Set explicit="true" to force declaration of all variables.
        -->
      <customErrors mode="Off" />
      <membership>
            <providers>
                <remove name="AspNetSqlMembershipProvider" />
                <add connectionStringName="WebserverASPNETDB.MDFConnectionString" enablePasswordRetrieval="false"
                    enablePasswordReset="true" requiresQuestionAndAnswer="true"
                    applicationName="/" requiresUniqueEmail="true" passwordFormat="Hashed"
                    maxInvalidPasswordAttempts="5" minRequiredPasswordLength="4"
                    minRequiredNonalphanumericCharacters="0" passwordAttemptWindow="10"
                    passwordStrengthRegularExpression="" name="AspNetSqlMembershipProvider"
                    type="System.Web.Security.SqlMembershipProvider, System.Web, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a" />
            </providers>
        </membership>
        <roleManager enabled="true" />
        <compilation debug="true" strict="false" explicit="true">
        <!-- Compilation debug set to true for debugging pruposes-->
        </compilation>
        <pages>
          <namespaces>
            <clear />
            <add namespace="System" />
            <add namespace="System.Collections" />
            <add namespace="System.Collections.Generic" />
            <add namespace="System.Collections.Specialized" />
            <add namespace="System.Configuration" />
            <add namespace="System.Text" />
            <add namespace="System.Text.RegularExpressions" />
            <add namespace="System.Web" />
            <add namespace="System.Web.Caching" />
            <add namespace="System.Web.SessionState" />
            <add namespace="System.Web.Security" />
            <add namespace="System.Web.Profile" />
            <add namespace="System.Web.UI" />
            <add namespace="System.Web.UI.WebControls" />
            <add namespace="System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts" />
            <add namespace="System.Web.UI.HtmlControls" />
            <add namespace="System.Net.Mail"/>
            <add namespace="System.Data"/>
            
          </namespaces>
 
        </pages>
        <!--
            The <authentication> section enables configuration 
            of the security authentication mode used by 
            ASP.NET to identify an incoming user. 
        -->
        <!--
            The <customErrors> section enables configuration 
            of what to do if/when an unhandled error occurs 
            during the execution of a request. Specifically, 
            it enables developers to configure html error pages 
            to be displayed in place of a error stack trace.
 
        <customErrors mode="RemoteOnly" defaultRedirect="GenericErrorPage.htm">
            <error statusCode="403" redirect="NoAccess.htm" />
            <error statusCode="404" redirect="FileNotFound.htm" />
        </customErrors>
        -->
 
 
        
    </system.web>

                                  
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Asked On
2009-02-25 at 05:06:05ID24175745
Tags

ASP.NET

,

SQL Server Express Edition

,

connection strings

Topics

Programming for ASP.NET

,

SQL Server 2005

,

Microsoft IIS Web Server

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
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Answers

 

by: wolfman007Posted on 2009-02-25 at 06:04:36ID: 23733615

Are you sure you have configured your SQL Server 2005 Express to accept remote connections?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914277

Have you enabled the network protocols for local and remote connections?

Enable Protocols

     a. Launch SQL Computer Manager

     b. Expand "Server Network Configuration"

     c. Expand Protocols for "SQLEXPRESS"

     d. Enable Np (for local and remote access)

     e. Enable TCP (for local and remote access)

Restart SQL Express

     a. can be done from either SQL Computer Manager, Services applet, or command line( net start mssql$sqlexpress)

http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlexpress/archive/2004/07/23/192044.aspx

 

by: davrob60Posted on 2009-02-25 at 06:12:29ID: 23733683

specifying the catalog this way will "mount" the database.

 Catalog=&quot;C:\USERS\JAMES\DOCUMENTS\DUNBLANE CENTRE\INTERNAL WEBSITE\APP_DATA\ASPNETDB.MDF&quot

You should install the database "permanently" on the target server and then access it using the name you gave it on the server.

But another solution could be to "merge" both database together:

http://aspnet.4guysfromrolla.com/articles/040506-1.aspx

 

by: davrob60Posted on 2009-02-25 at 06:14:37ID: 23733706

wolfman007 is right, make sure to enable TCP

 

by: wolfman007Posted on 2009-02-25 at 06:23:17ID: 23733824

Also in your AspNetSqlMembershipProvider you are connecting to

C:\USERS\JAMES\DOCUMENTS\DUNBLANE CENTRE\INTERNAL WEBSITE\APP_DATA\ASPNETDB.MDF

Has the ASPNETDB.MDF been copied to the web server in this location. If not then SQL Server 2005 Express will not be able to find it.

You should publish the database in you App_Data folder and update you connection string to use the version on the remote server.

 

by: jimbo_scotlandPosted on 2009-02-26 at 04:17:48ID: 23743792

Thanks for the quick replies.

Ye I've enabled TCP, I can communicate with the server remotely, however it's accesssing the databases that's causing me the problems. I was origonaly, publishing both databases to App_Data folder but that didn't seem to work so I was trying to install them them on the server, which appears to have worked with my other database which I built from scratch on the server.

Yes ASPNETDB.MDF was copied to the webserver from that location, I was trying to install it on the server but in all honesty I'm not too sure I know how to know!

 

by: davrob60Posted on 2009-02-26 at 05:37:42ID: 23744403

Well you have to mount the ASPNETDB.MDF on the Target server and then gives appropriates rights to the databases users, and then update you connection string.

But, I think the easiest way is to merge the databases. that way you will keep only one database connection string.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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