Question

I created an SQL Alias:

Name: CIHDB
Server: SQLSRV
Protocol: tcp
Port no: (empty)

My connection string within Visual Studio says:

Data Source=CIHDB;Initial Catalog=CIH;Integrated Security=SSPI;MultipleActiveResultSets=True;Application Name=EntityFramework

But that fails with the error: TCP Provider, error: 0 - No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.

When I change the “Data Source” in the connection string to “localhost,” I connect with no problem.

I am thinking that I am using the wrong protocol in the Alias.

Can anybody shed some light on this?

Thanks
Eric

Answer 1

When I used both

cliconfg.exe

and

c:\windows\syswow64\cliconfg.exe

(64 and 32 bit versions of cliconfg.exe)

I saw that tcp/ip was not enabled and so once I fixed that, all fell into place.