Unable to connect Native Error: 17
Windows Server 2008 has been out for a while and it’s easier to move your Blackbaud product(s) to a new server than to continue maintaining the old server. After moving to a new server some of you may have trouble connecting your Blackbaud application to the new SQL Server. Workstations may get the error, “SQL Server does not exist or access denied. Native error: 17.” This is much more common with the release of Windows Server 2008.
The single most common reason can be summed up in one word – “Firewall.” Windows Server 2008 comes with the Firewall enabled by default and Windows Update has a habit of turning on Firewalls that have been turned off.
When moving servers, check the Firewall settings and the ports being used by SQL Server on the new server, sometimes they match up fine, other times they will be different. To determine if the Firewall is your issue, disable the firewall on your server and try to connect through your Blackbaud application on the workstation. If you can log in then the Firewall is your issue and you need to add an exception for the SQL Server port. If you still can’t log in then you have another issue.
The second most common issue is with DNS. The DNS server may not yet reflect the new server Name and IP Address. Try to PING the server by Name to see if it resolves to the correct IP Address. For example, when you open a command prompt and type PING Servername, it should result in a response of “Pinging Servername [192.168.0.1] (where Servername is the name of your server and 192.168.0.1 is the IP Address of your Server). If the results return a different IP address then you need to check your DNS settings. If you receive the correct IP address but failed ping results then you need to check Network Connectivity to the server.
How to Troubleshoot login issues is a useful solution if we are still having trouble logging in after moving to a new server. If you are familiar with working in the registry check the InstallSource (The Raiser’s Edge or Financial Edge/Education Edge/Student Information System) for your product to see if it has updated to point to the new Deploy kit on the new server. A simple repair by running the Setup.exe located in the Deploy folder will typically point the workstation to the new server.
Problems connecting to the database can be a common issue when working with SQL Server applications such as Blackbaud Products. Many of these issues are caused by Firewalls or incorrect DNS settings. Checking these two areas first will help resolve a majority of database connectivity issues related to the error “SQL Server does not exist or access denied. Native error: 17.”