Really confusing server problem!

Ok, i have been trying to restore the company helpdesk server since our move at the start of the year and after it was sitting doing nothing for a good six months or so.

I finally got the server going (after extensive messing about on our test box), but i'll set out the scenario for you:

Test Server: XW4000 (win2k Advanced Server + SQL Server 2k)
Main Helpdesk Server :BK_MAN5_INV (NT4 SP6 + SQL Server 2k)
Client Machines: BK_CI_03006 and BK_CI_03010

Now for the problem. Both the test server and the main helpdesk server have been configured in the exact same way, and BK_CI_03006 has no problems connecting to either server. However, BK_CI_03010 can only connect to the test server and not the main helpdesk server.

We are planning on removing the test server as soon as this is sorted, but i have no idea why there is this problem with the machine.

If anyone can provide any input on this at all, i would be really grateful.

Cheers

Alantry making an alias for the server ...|||Could you be more specific about 'connect', like, an application tries to connect or do you browse your network. Is there an errormessage and what's it like? Can you ping both boxes? Is it possible for a router/switch to be configured such that it only allows those with, say, a certain ip-address?|||sorry Kaiowas, i was rushing things a bit. It's quite a strange problem. Both clients can see both servers over the network, and ping it, but the helpdesk software (CA's ServiceIT Enterprise Edition 5) on BK_CI_03010 can only access the test server. The only difference in the client setup's is that BK_CI_03006 has windows 2000 installed and BK_CI_03010 has windows 98. But both installation processes of the helpdesk software were identical.|||Are you connecting through windows authentication or SQL authentication? Also are you within a domain environment?|||We do have a domain environment here, and the connection authentication is just SQL server authentication.|||Are you able to connect to the prod from BK_CI_03010 using some other tool suchs as EM/Query Analyzer/isql/osql/whatever? If you can it's likely it's the Helpdesk Software is at a loss. Otherwise, I'm really curious for the errormessage.|||ok, bk_ci_03006 and 03010 are setup the same, but 03006 can connect fine via odbc and through the software. 03010 can only manage to connect to the server via odbc, and not through the software. the error message that comes up is:

Couldn't connect to the server. Please check the network and that the server daemons are running. (Socket Error 10060)

The daemons part is wrong because they have to be running before any client connections can be made to the server (through the software), and as 03006 can connect through both software and odbc, this proves that the daemons are running.|||Another bit of an update that will probably help out.

I tried pinging both xw4000 and bk_man5_inv from my machine (bk_ci_03006), and both replied. However when i tried the same thing from bk_ci_03010 i only got a reply from xw4000 and not bk_man5_inv.

I think that's where the problem is lying.|||Both clients can see both servers over the network, and ping it, but the helpdesk software (...)
03010 can only manage to connect to the server via odbc (...)
I tried pinging both xw4000 and bk_man5_inv from my machine (bk_ci_03006), and both replied. However when i tried the same thing from bk_ci_03010 i only got a reply from xw4000 and not bk_man5_inv.

Could this suggest that you can ping the IP but not their names?|||It's ok. I got it sorted.

What i did was change the name of the server in the software configuration gui to the ip address that was showing up on my computer when i pinged bk_man5_inv (03010 got a totally different ip address returned).

So for now the computer appears to connect and log in to bk_man5_inv fine.

Thanks for the IP address advice Kaiowas, as soon as i read it i knew what was wrong. I'll get the naming problem sorted out when the IT guy's back from newcastle.