Failure to access the DBMS server

[AndrewPericak]

I have ArcGIS Server 10.1 running on a SQL 2008 R2 database server. I also have an enterprise client system where all client computers are running ArcGIS Desktop 10.1. On one specific client computer only, when I try to make a new Database Connection in the Catalog, I get a "Failure to access the DBMS server" message as I try to select the database from the Database Connection window (using Database authentication, although I get the error too with Operating system authentication).

All the other computers in my enterprise can connect fine to the database, so I'm pretty sure there is something wrong with the one computer that is throwing the error message. Other people have posted to the forums about receiving this error message, but those threads seem to describe cases where no client machines can make the connection. Regardless, I've tried some of the recommendations in those threads (firewall settings, configuration settings in the server, etc.), but I'm still having problems. The Native Client is correct and installed, so it's not that either.

The only difference I can find is that the machine throwing the error is on Windows 7, whereas the other enterprise machines are on Windows 7 SP1. Does anybody know if that could be the cause of the error, or could there be some other factor at play? Thanks in advance.

[NidhinKarthikeyan]

Andrew,


Verify that you can successfully ping test the ArcSDE machine. (Ping from Server to Client, and Client to Server).

Also try to connect to the database using another user. You can try with the user of Enterprise machines (Windows 7 SP1).


Regards,

[AndrewPericak]

Thanks for your response. The ping tests work fine in both directions. I've also used different users (we're generally using Database authentication, actually, but we also have some users established that would allow OS authentication to work as well), but that doesn't make it better. And as a clarification, all the copies of ArcGIS we have at our organization are enterprise; it's just this one client (the one without Windows 7 SP1) that is giving me this error.

In addition, I've followed through the article here and everything was successful, until I tried installing SQL Server Management Studio on the client computer and connecting to the database from there (step 1 under Testing the Connection). When I do that, it throws Microsoft SQL Server Error 10060. The article recommends some fixes, but again I've verified all those and they are correct.

[JenniferMcFarland]

Hello.  Have you tried just downloading and installing the DBMS client.  I had this error last week and went to my customercare portal and downloaded the sql drivers and installed them on the client machine that couldnt access the rdms and then it was able to connect just fine..

[AndrewPericak]

Thank you for your response as well, but yes, I've ensured we have the correct client. And as a test, when I purposefully uninstalled the client from the problem machine, I got a different error message (the one that should appear when there's a missing DBMS client) than the one I'm getting now, so I'm positive that isn't the problem.

[NidhinKarthikeyan]

Andrew,

I understand that the issue is specific to OS (SP). You need to contact Microsoft Support.