Tag: Troubleshooting

  • 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…

  • Check When SQL Server Was Last Restarted

    Knowing when SQL Server last restarted is one of the simplest checks a DBA can perform, and one of the most useful. It immediately answers questions around patching, failovers, configuration changes, and unexplained behaviour. Before assuming anything else, confirming uptime is always worth doing first. This post shows the most reliable way to check SQL…

  • 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…

  • 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…

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