Network Protocols

Microsoft® SQL Server™ uses network libraries to pass network packets back and forth between clients and a server running SQL Server. The network libraries, implemented as dynamic-link libraries (DLLs), perform the network operations required to communicate by using specific interprocess communication (IPC) mechanisms.

A server can listen on multiple network libraries at one time. During installation, SQL Server Setup installs all of the Net-Libraries onto the computer and allows you to configure some or all of the Net-Libraries. If a particular Net-Library is not configured, the server cannot listen on that Net-Library. After installation, you can change these configurations using the Server Network utility.

Named Pipes

Named Pipes support is required on Microsoft Windows NT® installations of SQL Server. Server-side Named Pipes is not supported on Microsoft Windows® 95/98. By default, SQL Server listens on the standard pipe, \\.\pipe\sql\query, for Named Pipes Net-Library connections. After SQL Server is installed, you can change the pipe name. You can also drop named pipe support and set SQL Server to listen only on other Net-Libraries.

TCP/IP Sockets

This Net-Library allows SQL Server to communicate by using standard Windows Sockets as the IPC method across the TCP/IP protocol. By default, Windows 95/98 uses the TCP/IP Sockets Net-Library.

If you set SQL Server to listen on TCP/IP, type the TCP/IP port number in the Port number box. This is the port that SQL Server listens on when accepting connections from TCP/IP Sockets clients. The default is 1433, the official Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA) socket number for SQL Server.

If you set SQL Server to listen on a proxy server using Microsoft Proxy Server over TCP/IP Sockets, type the proxy server address in the Remote WinSock proxy address box when you set up the TCP/IP Sockets Net-Library.

Multiprotocol

The Multiprotocol Net-Library uses the Windows remote procedure call (RPC) facility. With the Multiprotocol Net-Library, unlike other Net-Libraries, configuration parameters are not required.

The Multiprotocol Net-Library:

• Communicates over most IPC mechanisms supported by Windows NT. (Only TCP/IP Sockets, NWLink IPX/SPX, and Named Pipes are considered tested and supported.)
• Allows the use of Windows NT Authentication over all protocols that RPC supports.
• Supports encryption for user password authentication as well as data.
• Offers performance comparable to native IPC Net-Libraries for most applications.

To use Multiprotocol encryption for password authentication and data, select Enable Multiprotocol encryption. Multiprotocol encryption is not supported on Windows 95/98.

NWLink IPX/SPX

This Net-Library allows SQL Server to communicate using the NWLink IPX/SPX protocol.

If you set up SQL Server to listen on NWLink IPX/SPX, the Setup program prompts you for the Novell Bindery service name in which to register SQL Server on the Novell network. The default service name is the computer name of the server computer. The Net-Library allows Novell SPX clients to connect.

AppleTalk ADSP

The server AppleTalk (ADSP) Net-Library allows Apple Macintosh® clients to connect to SQL Server by using native AppleTalk (as opposed to TCP/IP Sockets).

If you set up SQL Server to listen on AppleTalk, the Setup program prompts you for the AppleTalk service object name. The AppleTalk service object name is assigned by your system administrator, who might want to use the computer name of the server for consistency; for example, ACCOUNTING1.

It is not necessary to enter an AppleTalk zone because the local zone is used when registering the service.

The AppleTalk Net-Library is not supported on Windows 95/98.

Banyan VINES

SQL Server supports Banyan VINES Sequenced Packet Protocol (SPP) as the IPC method across the Banyan VINES IP network protocol. Banyan VINES support for clients and servers running Windows NT is available for SQL Server on the Intel platform only; it is not currently available on Windows 95/98 or the Alpha AXP platform.

If you set up SQL Server to listen on Banyan VINES, the Setup program prompts you for a StreetTalk service name. This has the form servicename@group@org, where servicename is the StreetTalk computer-based service name used by SQL Server, group is the group, and org is the organization. The computer-based service name used by SQL Server must first be created by using the MSERVICE program included with your VINES software. Also, to start SQL Server, you must be logged in with administrative permissions.

All Net-Libraries are installed by the Setup program. These are the default server Net-Library settings by platform.

Here are the default client Net-Library settings by platform.