Connecting to remote SQL Server 2008 from Windows Azure

Question

I am trying to connect to a SQL Server 2008 instance from a Windows Azure worker role (it\'s not SQL Azure, but a remotely hosted SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition), but I ge

Answer 1

I've noticed some issues with the SQL Server Resolution Protocol (or the SQL Server Browser) from Azure worker roles when connecting to external non-Azure SQL Server instances running on ports other than 1433. In these cases it can help to explicitly specify the TCP port of the instance in the connection string:

Data Source={domain/ip},{port};
Network Library=DBMSSOCN;
Initial Catalog={dbname};
User ID={user};
Password={pw}

See also Connect from Azure to an SQL Server Named Instance

Answer 2

Can you control your Azure instance through Remote Desktop?

If you can, log on, and try:

telnet yoursqlserverhostname 1433

If this blocks, you know that the network is not configured correctly. Usually a firewall issue, on either host or the network in between.