BCM 2010 - New user cannot connect to remote DB

[Jay Cartay]

Hi all, first post here. Needing a bit of help, as I have just created a new user via the BCM for Outlook 2010 tool on the customer's SBS 2011, but when I go to install it on the user's machine and connect to the remote DB, it tells me that there's no SQL DB on the server I am specifying.

I have tried typing in the name of the server, tried the IP, tried both with \MSSMLBIZ on the end, tried to check permissions on SQL, all with no luck. I don't know much about BCM, but have followed all the logical steps I can think of.

I also tried removing and reinstalling BCM and SQLEXPRESS on the client machine.

As this works for a bunch of existing users, I can rule out the DB itself being an issue. Windows Firewall is turned off on the client machine also.

Does anybody have any ideas? I've done a lot of Googling for this, and don't seem to be getting anywhere fast....

 

[Diane Poremsky]

If other computers can use it, then it's not the DB server - it's the client computer. The most common cause is the firewall, second most is the log on account. Is the username and password the user uses to log into the computer configured on the SQL computer? I can't recall if not having the account causes the 'no db' error or a more general 'can't connect' error.

Check in Administrative Tools > Computer Managements > Local users and Groups.

 

[Jay Cartay]

If other computers can use it, then it's not the DB server - it's the client computer. The most common cause is the firewall, second most is the log on account. Is the username and password the user uses to log into the computer configured on the SQL computer? I can't recall if not having the account causes the 'no db' error or a more general 'can't connect' error.

Check in Administrative Tools > Computer Managements > Local users and Groups.

Hi Diane,

Thanks for your help and sorry for the delay in me coming back to this. Things have been a little hectic!

Basically the Server that hosts the SQL DB is an SBS, so users don't have local accounts on that server. We use the BCM for Outlook 2010 Database Tool. I tell it to Share a Database, then go through and select the MSSMLBIZ instance and then the MSSmallBusiness DB. I click add new user, browse for their AD account and select it, then click next a couple of times and close. These are the instructions that colleagues have used in the past successfully.

Once I go in and look at the existing user accounts on the Tool, it does show the new user in there, so it does seem to have done what it should have.

I'm very confused about this!

 

[Diane Poremsky]

They are logging into the computer using that account? It should work. The computer passes it's authentication to the database.

Also, the account name needs to be the same as the path in C:\users\username.

 

[Jay Cartay]

Yeah they log in with the same account that I have registered via the Outlook DB Tool.

Here's where the plot thickens: I have now set up another new user the exact same way and it works fine. That makes me think there's an issue with the machine itself in this case....

 

[Diane Poremsky]

It sure sounds like its the machine - the firewall is the first place I'd triple check.