conecting to BCM 2007 database on remote computer issues

[scottg]

We have 2 XP pro sp2 computers that we are trying to share the database.

both have fully patched office 2007 with business contact manager.

user 1 has shared the database over WORKGROUP with user 2. who has an admin
account on user1's computer. Can happly share and edit files printers etc...
using the same user/pass that they use to logon to their own computer 2.

Going through the sharing problems word doc we can confirm that the SQL
service is listening on port 5356 on user1's machine.

On user2's machine using the command prompt with the osql command -
C:\>osql -E -S computer1\microsoftsmlbiz,5356
we get the "1>" prompt back indicating that machine 2 can see the database
on machine 1.

BUT when you use the select database menu item on machine 2 and try to
connect to machine 1 it still comes up with the error "Cannot find any
Business Contact Manager databases on computer 1. For more information about
possible causes, click Help"

If we disable either or both firewalls alltogether it comes up with the same
message.

If we disable the account it says a different message to say "account cannot
be found."

we uninstalled and reinstalled office with instructions given to us by
microsoft help desk. spent 4 hours on the phone to helpdesk.

has anyone come across such a problem ? or has any idea of where to start
looking?

thanks in advance

 

[Lon Orenstein]

Sounds like you've done everything right. One question: when you say that
"User 2 has an admin account on user 1's computer", is it the exact same
username and password as on user 2's PC? The accounts have to be the same
name and password, not just have admin rights.

That's the only thing that looked askew in your posting to me...

HTH,
Lon

___________________________________________________________
Lon Orenstein
pinpointtools, llc
(e-mail address removed)
Author of Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager For Dummies
Author of the eBook: Moving from ACT! to Business Contact Manager
800.238.0560 x6104 Toll Free (U.S. only) +1 214.905.0401 x6104
www.pinpointtools.com

 

[scottg]

sorry Lon it's the same user pass.

new step in our investigations. We installed sql express on another computer
we had in the office and using the BCM tool on the BCM blog created a new
database on this new machine.(computer 3)

Both computer 1 and 2 can connect to this new database and use it.

So it's a solution but I still dont have an answer to the initial question
is why comp1 and 2 cannot share the database on their own harddrives.?

cheers
scott

 

[scottg]

update
computer 2 (laptop) after being disconnected/offline over the weekend cam
back to the office on monday and the connection to the new database on
computer3 just crashes.
After a couple of atemps we droped the computer2's database and tryed to
reconnect to the database on computer 3. BCM just hangs.

we have given up on BCM... it should just work and we have spent days
altering settings and trouble shooting by trial and error. oh well.

in theory it was what we wanted. but we are will look for another solution
once we catch up on the work we should have been doing.

To those it works for, good luck.

 

[mrtimpeterson via OfficeKB.com]

Another reasonable "real-world" business user moves on! Shame on you MS for
your needless complexity. Take a cue from some of the stuff that Apple is
doing...this kind of stuff should "just work."

-THP

update
computer 2 (laptop) after being disconnected/offline over the weekend cam
back to the office on monday and the connection to the new database on
computer3 just crashes.
After a couple of atemps we droped the computer2's database and tryed to
reconnect to the database on computer 3. BCM just hangs.

we have given up on BCM... it should just work and we have spent days
altering settings and trouble shooting by trial and error. oh well.

in theory it was what we wanted. but we are will look for another solution
once we catch up on the work we should have been doing.

To those it works for, good luck.

sorry Lon it's the same user pass.

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