cannot connect to sql server 2005 from xp client when trying to create ODBC dsn

Newbie here,

I am trying to link tables from an access 2003 frontend to sql server 2005 backend.

I am doing this in a vmware test environment. I am using vmware server and running sbs 2003 and xp sp2 client. Both virtaul machine can talk to each other(using local host connection).

I have tried to create a dsn to the sql server but i cannot connect. I can ping the sbs server through the command interface but the error i get when i try to connect is :

Connection failed:
Sql state: hyt00
sqlserver error: 0
microsoft odbc sql server driver timeout expired.

spent a day trying various combinations - still no joy.

Any help would be much appreciatedvirtual machines are nothing but trouble. open a query window and execute SELECT @.@.SERVERNAME|||Thank you for your reply,

I would agree vmware is not the best scenario - but as i am new to sql server - and i am about to upsize an access mdb backend to sql server 2005 so I thought some sort of test environment was required. I didn't fancy multiple installs on our production sbs until i got it right.

So from your post - is it possible to create a linked table between access 2003 and sql server 2005 from an access 2003 query window? If so, what would the syntax be if the sbs server was called 'sbs1' and the database on the sql server's default instance was named 'db1'? Or was your code to simply test the connectivity of the sql server?

The ultimate goal is a distributed access mde residing on xp sp2 clients created from an access mdb stored on a restricted network share that has linked tables to sql server 2005.

I do not even wish to go down the dsn road - would prefer the dsn-less road if possible - but i cannot proceed much further with that until i learn more about server logins, user id's and application roles etc and how passwords and user id's will be transferred accross network or stored on local machines. Hence I'm starting with dsn's and testing how to link the tables.

Any advice/guidance would be appreciated.|||I was eventually able to connect using named pipes - syntax had eluded me until i got lucky - server name 'sbs1' and pipe name was 'sbs1'.

So thats one hurdle - the next is which dsn settings to use - which server logins to use and which server roles to use.

The ultimate goal is a distributed access mde residing on xp sp2 clients created from an access mdb stored on a restricted network share that has linked tables to sql server 2005. Approx 4 users will have the abilty to link and import tables from sql server - all other users will be using an mde.

Any advice?