Category: Installation & Configuration
-
How to Get the SQL Server IP Address
When troubleshooting connectivity, firewall rules, or unexpected routing, you often need one simple answer: which IP address and port did my session actually connect to? SQL Server can listen on multiple IPs (and listeners can resolve to multiple addresses), so the hostname in your connection string does not always tell you what you really hit.…
Written by
-
Open SSMS as a Different Domain User
When working in corporate SQL Server environments, you will often need to connect using a different Active Directory domain account. Common reasons include: SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) does not allow switching users inside the connection dialog. To connect as another user, you must launch SSMS itself using that account. This post covers the two…
Written by
-
Check SQL Server Connection Encryption and Protocol
Modern SQL Server environments often use encrypted connections by default, but that does not always mean what people think it means. When troubleshooting connectivity problems, certificate errors, performance questions, or unexpected client behaviour, DBAs usually need to answer one very specific question: What protocol and encryption is this connection actually using right now? This post…
Written by
-
sqlcmd Examples for SQL Server
sqlcmd is a command line utility for connecting to SQL Server and executing Transact-SQL without a GUI. It is commonly used for automation, scripting, remote administration, and incident response, especially in environments where SSMS is unavailable, inappropriate, or too heavy. This post covers sqlcmd usage from a DBA perspective, how to find or install it,…
Written by
-
Install and Update SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is the primary management tool for SQL Server and Azure SQL platforms. It is also the official download location and update path for SQL Server Management Studio going forward. In recent releases, SSMS has changed significantly, not in how it looks, but in how it installs, updates, and enforces connection…
Written by
-
SQL Server Default Ports
By default, the SQL Server Database Engine listens on TCP port 1433. This is useful to know, but it is not something you should rely on blindly. SQL Server can be configured to listen on different ports, and this is common on hosts running multiple SQL Server instances where each instance requires its own port.…
Written by
-
Enabling TCP Connections in SQL Server
TCP/IP must be enabled in SQL Server for remote connections to work. If it’s disabled, applications can’t connect; even if authentication, ports, and firewall rules are all correct. This post shows two reliable ways to enable TCP connections in SQL Server: Both approaches require a service restart before changes take effect. When You Need to…
Written by
-
How to Show Line Numbers in SSMS
In modern versions of SQL Server Management Studio, line numbers are enabled by default. If you are running SSMS 21 or newer, you will already see line numbers in query windows without changing anything. Older versions of SSMS did not enable them by default, which is why many guides still focus on “turning them on”.…
Written by
-
Testing Remote Server Port Connectivity with PowerShell
Testing connectivity to remote server ports is a basic skill every DBA should have. Not just DBAs either — anyone running production systems needs to be able to answer one simple question quickly: Can this server actually reach that server on this port? This post shows two reliable ways to test whether a remote port…
Written by
-
How to Check Listening Ports on Windows
When troubleshooting connectivity issues, it’s often not enough to test whether a remote port is reachable. You also need to know what is actually listening on a port locally, or whether anything is listening at all. This post focuses on the local side of the equation, what is listening on the machine itself and which…
Written by
Latest Posts
- Get SQL Server CPU Topology and Core Counts
- Script: Generate Test Databases
- Troubleshooting Database Mirroring Issues in SQL Server
- Get Current Date & Time in SQL Server
- Creating SQL Logins on an Availability Group (AG) Environment
- Grant VIEW SERVER STATE in SQL Server
Blog Tags
Always On Availability Groups (4) Certificates & Encryption (1) Database Backups & Recovery (10) Database Maintenance (6) DBA Tools (29) Performance Troubleshooting (9) PowerShell (4) Query Behaviour (4) Schema Changes (1) SQL Agent (1) SQL Interview Questions (1) SQL Scripts (23) SQL Server Administration (11) SQL Server Configuration (7) SQL Server Errors (5) SQL Server High Availability (4) SQL Server Internals (4) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) (7) SQL Server Monitoring (10) SQL Server Networking (9) SQL Server Replication (1) SQL Server Security (8) SQL Server Versions (2) Storage and Capacity (14) T-SQL (9) Transaction Logs (8) Troubleshooting (14) Windows Server (4)