Unable to connect to Remote (LAN) SQL Server Instance where both SQL Express and SQL Developer Edition are installed (1 Viewer)

[spaLOGICng]

Hey Guy,

Hope you all are doing well and possibly help me with this conundrum. This may not be the best place to ask this question but thought I would start here.

I have SQL Server Express and Developer Edition installed on my Machine. I do not have any problem connecting to either Server using SSMS or in any Connection String (ODBC) or otherwise. However, when I try to connect to the Dev Server using SSMS from any of my other machines on the Network, it connects to the Express Instance. It will not connect if I omit the Port. When I include the Port, it connects to Express rather than Dev.

Backdrop: The current Machine is a Dell XPS8950 Windows 11 Pro. I migrated the Servers from my old Machine. I used the Tools that Windows sponsors to migrate app Programs, and it did cause some naming issues with a lot of my apps, but I got all of them worked out. This is likely a remnant of the same issue.

I did read earlier elsewhere that the port is likely looking to the default server which would be the express server. I do not know how to overcome this and the forums that I am visiting are not shedding enough light.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


Update: I changed the Listening Port and able to connect to the Dev Server. What is weird though is the Connection Properties shows SQLExpress, not the Dev.

 

[arnelgp]

maybe the link on post#8 can help:
Cannot connect to SQL Server on a network | Access World Forums (access-programmers.co.uk)

 

[GPGeorge]

Can you share the Connection String showing this? Don't forget to mask your UID and PWD, if you do.

 

[spaLOGICng]

Can you share the Connection String showing this? Don't forget to mask your UID and PWD, if you do.

Hi George, Thanks for the concern. The issue is not related to a connection string, although it was the connection string that let me know I had a problem.

 

[spaLOGICng]

maybe the link on post#8 can help:

Hi Arnel, Thanks for the insight, but unrelated.

 

[spaLOGICng]

I had updated the OP with this information....

That said, the issue is 97% resolved.

There are two Servers. The Express was using 1433 and is the default server. If a second Server is installed, if the Port is omitted, as was in this case, it defaults to 1433 and therefore connects to the default server. The corrective action is to add or change the listening port in the configuration manager to a different port, one that is acceptable to SQL Server.

MY only issue now is that even though it is connecting to the correct server, the Name being returned in SSMS is the SQLExpress and not MSSQLServer_dev. I think this can be handled in the aliases section.

 

[cheekybuddha]

If you have two different versions of SQLServer being served from the same machine then surely you need to assign one to serve on a different port from the other?

 

[GPGeorge]

Hi George, Thanks for the concern. The issue is not related to a connection string, although it was the connection string that let me know I had a problem.

I really want to see how it works, though. It's context for the solution. Let me judge if it helped me understand. Thanks.