How to: Create a Server Alias for Use by a Client (SQL Server Configuration Manager)
Aliases created with SQL Server Configuration Manager can be used with any client application. The connection strings described in SQL Server Configuration Manager Help can be useful for programmers who create their own connection strings.
SQL Server aliasing is something to do on the "client" computer not on sql server computer.
Terminology gets slightly confusing. For client to use alias you don’t create alias on the SQL Server – you create it on the client (e.g. your web server that connects to the SQL Server as its client).
On the client usually you don’t have SQL Server Configuration Manager unless you installed it from SQL Server media. Here again, the name of the utility SQL **Server** Configuration Manager can throw you off (thinking you need to do it on the SQL Server).
On Windows Operating System (Windows 2000 and onwards??) there is a graphical utility that you can start by typing clicong.exe on command prompt. Watch out!! Utility is build specific (32 bit and 64 bit), that is, depending upon the cliconfg build it will set 32 bit or 64 bit alias. Obviously, on 32 bit computers you cannot run a 64 client app that use 64 bit or 32 SQL client but on 64 bit computers you can have either 32 or 64 bit app using 32 bit or 64 bit SQL client. Depending upon what SQL client library version (32 or 64 bit) you using you will need to use the appropriate cliconfg.exe. For example, SharePoint 2010 uses 64 bit SQL client and SQL Server 2008/R2 Management Studio itself is a 32 bit app and uses 32 bit client to connect to SQL.
For 64 bit client aliasing use cliconfg.exe from system32 (already in path and you can just type and run).
For 32 bit client aliasing switch to C:\Windows\SysWOW64 folder and run cliconfg.exe from there.
Aamir Qureshi
http://www.agileconcepts.com/blogs/aq
On the client usually you don’t have SQL Server Configuration Manager unless you installed it from SQL Server media. Here again, the name of the utility SQL **Server** Configuration Manager can throw you off (thinking you need to do it on the SQL Server).
On Windows Operating System (Windows 2000 and onwards??) there is a graphical utility that you can start by typing clicong.exe on command prompt. Watch out!! Utility is build specific (32 bit and 64 bit), that is, depending upon the cliconfg build it will set 32 bit or 64 bit alias. Obviously, on 32 bit computers you cannot run a 64 client app that use 64 bit or 32 SQL client but on 64 bit computers you can have either 32 or 64 bit app using 32 bit or 64 bit SQL client. Depending upon what SQL client library version (32 or 64 bit) you using you will need to use the appropriate cliconfg.exe. For example, SharePoint 2010 uses 64 bit SQL client and SQL Server 2008/R2 Management Studio itself is a 32 bit app and uses 32 bit client to connect to SQL.
For 64 bit client aliasing use cliconfg.exe from system32 (already in path and you can just type and run).
For 32 bit client aliasing switch to C:\Windows\SysWOW64 folder and run cliconfg.exe from there.
Aamir Qureshi
http://www.agileconcepts.com/blogs/aq
- 4/8/2011
- Aamir Qureshi
