Setting Up Client Configuration Entries

By default, clients running on the Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0, Microsoft Windows® 2000, Windows 95, or Windows 98 operating system use the client TCP/IP protocol. You may need to connect using an alternate Net-Library if:

• 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.

In either case, you must create a configuration entry on the client.

The 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 Network Library Configuration dialog box.

Important  For a client to connect to an instance of Microsoft SQL Server™, it must use a protocol that matches one of the protocols listening on the server. For example, if the client tries to connect to an instance of SQL Server using TCP/IP, and the server has only the NWLink IPX/SPX protocol installed, the client will not be able to establish a connection. In that case, you must use the SQL Server Network Utility on the server to activate the server NWLink IPX/SPX protocol, and SQL Server Network Utility on the client to configure the client NWLink IPX/SPX protocol to connect to that server. Both the client and the server must be 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 protocol is used.
  
  
• If no default protocol has been defined, then TCP/IP is used.

To add a network library configuration