Setting Up Client Configuration Entries

By default, clients running Microsoft® Windows NT® or Microsoft Windows® 95/98 default to using the client Named Pipes Net-Library. You may need to connect using an alternate Net-Library if:

• You are connecting from a client using the default Net-Library to a server running Microsoft SQL Server™ and Windows 95/98.
• You need to add a specific client configuration for communicating with a specific server.
• The server with which you want to communicate is configured to listen on another port.

For any of the above cases, you need to create a configuration entry on the client.

The SQL Server Client Network Utility lets you configure any of the following network protocols to communicate with a specific server:

• Named Pipes
• TCP/IP Sockets
• Multiprotocol
• NWLink IPX/SPX
• AppleTalk
• Banyan VINES
• Other (for network protocols supplied by a third party)

The Net-Libraries for a protocol must be installed before you can set up a configuration. If the client Net-Library for a network protocol is not installed, it will not be listed on the Network Libraries tab. You can also set up configurations for network protocols supplied by a third party, using the Others option in the Add New Network Library Configuration dialog box.

Important For a client to connect to SQL Server, it must use a Net-Library that matches one of the Net-Libraries listening on the server. For example, if the client tries to connect to SQL Server using TCP/IP, and the server has only the NWLink IPX/SPX Net-Library installed, the client will not be able to establish a connection. In that case, you would need to use the SQL Server Network Utility on the server to activate the server NWLink IPX/SPX Net-Library (alternatively, you could have activated the server Net-Library during SQL Server Setup), and SQL Server Network Utility on the client to configure the client NWLink IPX/SPX Net-Library to connect to that server. Both the client and the server must be using the same Net-Library and running the same network protocol.

Client configuration information is used by SQL Server in the following manner:

• If the server name matches a server specified in the Server alias configurations list, then the client connects using the protocol and associated parameters of that configuration.
• If the server name does not match a server specified in the Server alias configurations list, then the default Net-Library is used.
• If no default Net-Library has been defined, then Named Pipes is used.

To add a network library configuration

To edit a network library configuration

To delete a network library configuration