How to troubleshoot database sharing issues in Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager

This article contains background information about database sharing in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager.

Additionally, this article contains the following common issues and steps that you can use to troubleshoot database sharing issues that you may experience:

• Troubleshoot network connectivity.
• Verify Microsoft Firewall settings.
• Verify the connection to the SQL database.
• Verify that remote Business Contact Manager users do not have blank passwords.
• You cannot connect to a Business Contact Manager server when the name or IP address of the Business Contact Manager server is changed.
• You connect to a default named instance of SQL Server.
• Error messages when you share a Business Contact Manager database.
• You reset users after you restore a database.

IThis article contains information about how to troubleshoot database sharing issues in Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager.

This article uses the following terms:

• The Business Contact Manager server is the computer that is hosting the shared database.
• The Business Contact Manager client computer is the computer that is connecting to the shared database.
• The shared user is the user who has access to a Business Contact Manager database on the Business Contact Manager server.
• The logged-on user is the user account that is logged on to a Business Contact Manager client.

Background information about Business Contact Manager database sharing

Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager Update introduced the ability to share databases over a Local Area Network (LAN).

This functionality continues with Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager. In addition to database sharing, Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager introduces the ability to configure a shared database to work offline. This resembles Outlook 2007 Cached Exchange Mode that enables a mailbox to be cached locally.

For Business Contact Manager clients and servers to share databases, the following components have to be working:

• Business Contact Manager clients connect to a Business Contact Manager server over TCP port 5356. This port has to be open on the Business Contact Manager server for database sharing to occur. In some cases, you may have to reconfigure firewall and proxy settings to enable this port to be passed through.
  
  Note To use a port except for 5356, see the "Use a non-standard port" section.
• Business Contact Manager clients must be able to resolve the name of the Business Contact Manager server. Domain Name System (DNS) servers, Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) servers or even Hosts files can manage name resolution. However, when you use an IP address of the Business Contact Manager server from the client, the IP address may cause connectivity problems in environments that use dynamic IP addresses. This is especially true when you use an offline Business Contact Manager database.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Authentication

SQL databases can be configured to use SQL authentication, in which SQL Server maintains its own list of users. However, Business Contact Manager does not support this method of authentication. A logged-on user's Windows credential determines the access to a Business Contact Manager database.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Business Contact Manager user sharing configurations

When you share a database, the system that hosts a Business Contact Manager database can be a member of either a workgroup or a Windows domain.

This also applies to Users. A logged-on user account can be a local account, a workgroup account, or an account that is a member of a Windows domain.

When you configure a Business Contact Manager database for sharing, the access to the database is based on the logged-on user's Windows logon account. This in turn is based on the following:

• Whether that account is a local account or a domain account.
• Whether that user is logged on a computer that is a workgroup or a domain member.

A database on a server that is a member of a Windows domain can provide access to both workgroup users and domain users. However, a database in a workgroup cannot provide access to domain users.

Windows domain configuration

In a Windows domain configuration, all the user accounts and computer accounts are maintained in a centralized Active Directory database. An Active Directory database on a dedicated Windows domain controller can be a stand-alone server that is running Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Small Business Server (Windows Small Business Server 2003 (Windows SBS)). The advantage to use a Windows domain for Business Contact Manager database sharing is that it eliminates the need to maintain multiple user accounts and passwords across the computer in an environment. If the Business Contact Manager server and the Business Contact Manager clients are members of a Windows domain, we recommend that you use domain user accounts instead of local accounts to control access.

Workgroup configuration

In a Workgroup configuration, a dedicated Windows domain controller is either not presented, or is not being used for user authentication. In a workgroup configuration, there is no central database of Windows users. The Windows user accounts are maintained on each computer. For example, you share Business Contact Manager databases in a workgroup configuration. For a logged-on user named user1 to access a shared Business Contact Manager database, an account for user1 will have to exist on the Business Contact Manager client computer and a separate instance of user1 will have to reside on the Business Contact Manager server.

Mixed configuration

You can share Business Contact Manager databases in a mixed domain and workgroup configuration. You can do this if the Business Contact Manager server is a member of a domain, and the client is a member of a workgroup. To do this, on the Business Contact Manager server, create a new local user account by using the same account ID that the Business Contact Manager client uses to log on the local computer.

If the Business Contact Manager database resides on either a Small Business Server or a domain controller, you cannot create local accounts. To work around this, use one of the following methods:

• Have all Business Contact Manager logged-on user's use domain accounts instead of workgroup accounts.
• Create a new domain account that uses the username and password of the workgroup user account.

Note A mixed configuration cannot be used if the Business Contact Manager server is a member of a workgroup and the Business Contact Manager client uses a domain account ID. This is because a workgroup computer cannot trust a Windows domain without being a member of that domain.

The following tables describe the computer and user configurations that you can use to share data in Business Contact Manager.

Supported configurations


Unsupported configurations


Note The credentials that Outlook uses to access mailboxes are separate from the credentials that are used to access a shared database.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Business Contact Manager server topologies

Business Contact Manager can use two kinds of database sharing topologies: peer-to-peer and centralized.

Peer-to-peer

In a peer-to-peer environment, no computer is designated as a central Business Contact Manager server. Instead, any computer where Business Contact Manager is installed can function as a server that contains shared databases. Peer-to-peer topologies can exist in either domain or workgroup environments.

Note A database does not have to be open in Outlook for shared users to access data. If SQL Express or SQL Server 2005 is running, shared users can access that database.

Advantages

• You do not have to designate a computer as a dedicated server.

Disadvantages

• Lack of centralized backups and database management.
• The potential that many copies of the same database will exist.
• Managing user access is not centralized unless a domain is used.
• Large databases might affect user performance on the host computer.

Centralized

In a centralized environment, one computer is dedicated to act as a Business Contact Manager server. This computer may be a dedicated SQL server or a Windows XP client. A centralized Business Contact Manager server can be used in either a domain or a workgroup environment.

Advantages

• Potential increase in performance because users who logged on the console would not use the computer that acts as the server
• Backups are managed from a central location
• Centralized management of permissions

Disadvantages

• Cost associated with a dedicated computer
• Additional complexity of managing an Active Directory environment is a domain that is used may require dedicated support personnel

Note A centralized Business Contact Manager server and database will not prevent individual users from sharing their own respective databases.

Unsupported scenarios

In Business Contact Manager, databases were designed and tested to be shared over a Local Area Network (LAN) in a domain or in a workgroup environment.

Microsoft does not support sharing Business Contact Manager databases in the following scenarios:

• You connect to a Business Contact Manager database over the Internet. In this case, Internet refers to public networks that are external to a corporate network or home office network.
• You use a virtual private network (VPN) or dial-up connection to connect to a Business Contact Manager server.
• Some potential problems with the previous scenarios include the following:
  • Inability to control whether required ports will be available between the Business Contact Manager server or client
  • Poor performance because of bandwidth or latency when you access or synchronize large Business Contact Manager databases
• You share Business Contact Manager databases across versions. In order to share a database, both the Business Contact Manager server and client must be running the same version of Business Contact Manager.

Note Business Contact Manager databases are separate from Exchange stores. An Exchange store cannot access Business Contact Manager databases and Exchange cannot pull data from a Business Contact Manager database. In addition, you cannot access Business Contact Manager databases through Outlook Web Access.

How to enable Business Contact Manager databases for sharing

There are two ways to enable a Business Contact Manager database for sharing:

• Use the Share Database wizard. To do this in Outlook 2007, point to Database Tools on the Business Contact Manager menu, and then click Share Database.
  
  For more information about the Share Database wizard, see the Business Contact Manager Help files.
• Use the Business Contact Manager Database Admin Tool on computers where Outlook cannot be installed, such as Small Business Server Together With Exchange. To download this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b8e7aa0f-f593-4fb4-b822-dd662af1a6cb (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b8e7aa0f-f593-4fb4-b822-dd662af1a6cb)

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

How to troubleshoot database sharing issues

This section contains a list of common issues and troubleshooting steps:

• Troubleshoot network connectivity.
• Verify Microsoft Firewall settings.
• Verify the connection to the SQL database.
• Verify that remote Business Contact Manager users do not have blank passwords.
• You cannot connect to a Business Contact Manager server when the name or IP address of the Business Contact Manager server is changed.
• You connect to a default named instance of SQL Server.
• Error messages when you share a Business Contact Manager database.
• You reset users after you restore a database.

Troubleshoot Network Connectivity

Verify that the Business Contact Manager client can communicate with the Business Contact Manager server at the network level. To test for connectivity, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type ping Server_Name, and then press ENTER.

Note Server_Name refers to either the NetBIOS name or the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the Business Contact Manager server.

If the Business Contact Manager client can communicate with the Business Contact Manager server, you should see results similar to the following after you run the ping command:
If the Business Contact Manager client cannot communicate with the Business Contact Manager server, you may see the following results after you run the ping command:

• C:\>ping BCMserver.contoso.com Ping request could not find host BCMserver.contoso.com. Please check the name and try again. 

• C:\>ping BCMServer Pinging BCMServer with 32 bytes of data: 
  Request timed out.
  Request timed out.
  Request timed out.
  Request timed out.
  Ping statistics for 123.0.0.2: Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss), 
  

If you cannot communicate with the server when you run the ping command together with the NetBIOS name or the FQDN of the Business Contact Manager server, try to ping the IP address of the server. For example, you receive the following results after you ping the IP address of the server:
Note If you are not sure of the Business Contact Manager server IP address or the NetBIOS name of the computer, follow these steps on the Business Contact Manager server:

1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd , and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type ipconfig, and then press ENTER.

   C:\Documents and Settings\user1>ipconfig
   
   Windows IP Configuration
   Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
      Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : Contoso.com
      IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.1
      Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
      Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.15
   

If you can successfully ping the server by using the IP address but cannot use the NetBIOS name or the FQDN of the server, this may indicate a problem with name resolution.

If you cannot communicate with a Business Contact Manager server by using either the IP address or the NetBIOS name, you must resolve this communication issue before you try to connect to a shared Business Contact Manager database.

Note If you can work around name resolution problems by using the IP address of the Business Contact Manager server instead of the computer name, this is not a recommended workaround in environments where the Business Contact Manager server is using a dynamic IP address. See the section "You cannot connect to a Business Contact Manager server when the name or IP Address of the Business Contact Manager server is changed"

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Verify Microsoft Firewall settings

By default, Business Contact Manager uses TCP port 5356 for database sharing. If Business Contact Manager detects the presence of either a Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Firewall or a Windows Vista Firewall, two exceptions are created by the Share Database wizard for Port 5356. One exception is for File and Printer Sharing. The other exception is for Microsoft Small Business on Windows XP or MSSMLBIZ on Windows Vista.

However, if the Share Database wizard cannot create the exceptions, the computer configured as a Business Contact Manager server is running a third-party firewall, or there is a firewall or proxy server between the Business Contact Manager server and client, you may receive one of the following error messages when the Business Contact Manager client tries to connect to the Business Contact Manager server:

• 
  The Database Server on Computer Computer_Name is inaccessible. Confirm that the remote machine has Business Contact Manager for Outlook installed, that it is running, and that shared databases are available at that location. Firewall settings on the remote machine could also be blocking access. Check with the Administrator of the remote machine.
• 
  Cannot access the database server on computer Computer_Name

Verify that the following exception is created in the Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Firewall or a Windows Vista Firewall on the Business Contact Manager server. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, typewscui.cpl, and then click OK.
2. Click Windows Firewall.
3. Click the Exceptions tab, click Microsoft Small Business on Windows XP or MSSMLBIZ on Windows Vista, and then click Edit.
4. Verify that the TCP port number is 5356.

If both the Business Contact Manager client and the Business Contact Manager server are on the same TCP/IP network, the default exception settings may be retained.

If the Business Contact Manager client and the Business Contact Manager server are on different networks or subnets, you may have to change the scope settings for the firewall exception. To change the scope settings for the firewall exception, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type firewall.cpl, and then click OK.
2. Click the Exceptions tab, click to select Microsoft Small Business, and then click Edit.
3. Click Change Scope, click to select the Any computer option, and then click OK.

Note If you are using a port except for 5356 for Business Contact Manager, you may have to modify the Firewall exceptions to use that port. See the sections "Check the port that the Business Contact Manager instance is listening on" and "Use a non-standard port or instance name."

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Verify the connection to the SQL database

To verify that the Business Contact Manager client can establish a connection to a shared Business Contact Manager database, follow these steps:

1. Log on the Business Contact Manager client computer as a Windows user who is granted access to the database on the Business Contact Manager server.
2. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
3. At the command prompt, type the following command and then press ENTER:
   C:\>sqlcmd –E -S Server_Name\mssmlbiz,5356
   
   Notesqlcmd switches are case-sensitive. Server_Name is the name of the Business Contact Manager server.

When you run this command, the Business Contact Manager Client tries to connect directly to the remote SQL instance. If the client can establish a connection to the remote instance of Business Contact Manager, an OSQL command prompt appears. An OSQL command prompt is indicated by "1>".

The appearance of an OSQL command prompt indicates the following:

• The client computer can communicate with the Business Contact Manager database.
• Tthe Business Contact Manager database is successfully configured for sharing.
• The user who performs the test from the Business Contact Manager client is successfully granted permissions to access the database.

A successful connection to a remote instance of Business Contact Manager will appear as follows:
If the Business Contact Manager client cannot establish a connection to the remote instance of Business Contact Manager, you may receive an error message that resembles the following in Business Contact Manager when you try to connect to the server:
When you try to connect to the server by using the sqlcmd command, you receive the following error message:
This error message may indicate the following possible problems:

• The destination server is unavailable or the Business Contact Manager instance is not running.
• The Microsoft Firewall or a third-party firewall is blocking access to the SQL server.
• The database has not been shared for the user who is trying to access the server. This issue may occur if the Business Contact Manager client and server are in different workgroups or domains. For more information, see the section "Business Contact Manager database sharing configurations"

Note Remember that the credentials that are used for database access are the same credentials that are used to log on to the client computer.

Check the port that the Business Contact Manager instance is listening on

Verify which port the instance of SQL Server is listening on and whether it is enabled. To do this, follow these steps on the Business Contact Manager server:

1. Open SQL Server Configuration Manager.
2. Expand SQL Server 2005 Network Configuration, and then click Protocols for MSSMLBIZ.
3. Double-Click TCP/IP.
4. On the Protocol tab, verify that Enabled is set to Yes.
5. Click the IP Addresses tab, and then verify that IP ALL is configured for TCP port 5356. If the port is set to a value except for 5356, you can either change the port to 5356, or choose to keep the one that is currently set. If you have to use a port except for 5356 in order to avoid a conflict with another program that uses this port, follow the steps in the section "Use a non-standard port or instance name"
6. If it is necessary, change the port to 5356 and stop and restart the Business Contact Manager instance as prompted.

Use a non-standard port or instance name

By default, Business Contact Manager is configured to connect to an instance named MSSMLBIZ over port 5356 for remote connections. However, you can use Business Contact Manager on a port or instance name except for the default settings. To connect to a non-standard port and instance name from the Business Contact Manager client, follow these steps:

1. In Outlook 2007, point to Database Tools on the Business Contact Manager menu, and then click Create or Select a Database.
2. Click to select the Select an Existing Database option, and then enter the desired instance name and port by using this following format in the Computer Name box:
   Server_Name\Instance_Name,Port_Number
   
   For example, SQL_Contoso\BCMDatabases,1234.
   
   Note Server_Name is the name of the computer that hosts the Business Contact Manager database. This can be either a local or remote computer. Instance_Name is the name of the SQL instance that hosts the Business Contact Manager database. Port_Number is the port that is configured for Business Contact Manager to use.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web sites:

Verify that remote Business Contact Manager users do not have blank passwords

Users to whom you grant Business Contact Manager database access must not have blank passwords. If you give access to a user who has a blank password, the remote user receives the following error message when the user tries to connect to a remote database:

You cannot connect to a Business Contact Manager server when the name or IP address of the Business Contact Manager server is changed

Consider the following scenario. You have a computer configured as a Business Contact Manager server. That server has a dynamic IP address assigned through Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Then you connect to a shared Business Contact Manager database by using the IP address of the server. Additionally, you configure that database for offline use. In this scenario, if the server that hosts the database receives a new IP address, the client will receive the following error message the next time that the client connects to the server:
In addition, you receive this error message if the name of the Business Contact Manager server is changed when the Business Contact Manager client is not connected to the server.



To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

1. Change name or IP address of the Business Contact Manager server back to the original one.
2. Select the option to connect to a different shared database. This forces the client to drop the offline copy of the database to a file on the local computer. This may also cause multiple copies of the database.

You connect to a default named instance of SQL Server

You install SQL Server 2005 by using the default instance name of MSSQLSERVER. When you try to connect to the default named instance of SQL Server from a Business Contact Manager client, you may receive the following error message:
To work around this issue, run SQL Server Setup and install a new named instance with a different name for Business Contact Manager to use.

Status

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.


For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web sites:

Error messages when you try to share the Business Contact Manager database

When you try to share a Business Contact Manager database by using the Share Database wizard, you may receive the following error message:
This issue occurs if the value of the database owner (DBO) in the affected database is a NULL value, instead of a valid user ID.

To determine the value of the DBO for the affected database, follow these steps:

1. Download and install Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express. To download this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C243A5AE-4BD1-4E3D-94B8-5A0F62BF7796 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C243A5AE-4BD1-4E3D-94B8-5A0F62BF7796)
2. Start SQL Server Management Studio Express and connect to the Business Contact Manager instance where the database resides.
   
   Note The default Business Contact Manager instance is MSSMLBIZ.
3. Click New Query, and then enter the following script:

   USE DATABASE_NAME
   Select Name,SID,SUser_SName(SID) from sysusers
   

   
   Note DATABASE_NAME is the name of the Business Contact Manager database that you try to share.
4. Select the previous two lines, and then press F5 or click Execute. You should receive results similar to the following. Notice the value of the line that begins with dbo.

   public 0x0105000000000009040000000CB67908C617DA44A56E4FE13EBC9099 NULL
   dbo 0x01050000000000051500000066A1405A33097BD72406BEC271040000 NULL
   

5. If the results indicate a DBO value of NULL, follow these steps to resolve the issue.
   
   Note This issue is database specific. Backing up and restoring the database into an empty database may not resolve the issue.
   1. Back up the database that experiences the issue. To do this in Outlook 2007, point to Database Tools on the Business Contact Manager menu, click Manage Database, and then click Back Up Database.
   2. Start SQL Server Management Studio Express and connect to the Business Contact Manager instance where the database resides. Note The default Business Contact Manager instance is MSSMLBIZ.
   3. Click New Query, and then enter one of the following scripts depending on whether you are in a workgroup environment or a domain environment.
      
      For a workgroup environment

      use DATABASE_NAME
      exec sp_changedbowner 'mymachine\user1'
      

      
      For a domain environment

      use DATABASE_NAME
      exec sp_changedbowner 'Domain_Name\user1'
      

      
      Note DATABASE_NAME is the name of the Business Contact Manager database that you try to Share. If the database owner is changed, it cannot be reverted.
   4. Select the previous two lines, and then press F5 or click Execute.
   5. Verify that the database can be shared.
   6. Back up the database after you successfully share it.

Use the appropriate user name based on whether you are in a domain or a workgroup. If you are not sure what to use as the user name, follow these steps to determine the current database owner:

1. Create a new database in Business Contact Manager.
2. On the Business Contact Manager menu, point to Database Tools, and then click Manage Database.
3. Use the value listed for Database Owner.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

You reset users after you restore a database

After you restore a Business Contact Manager database, Business Contact Manager clients may no longer be able to connect to the database on the Business Contact Manager server.

When a database is backed up, users who have been given shared access to the database are retained. In some cases, those users' ID may no longer be valid.

To resolve this issue after you restore a database, start the Share Database wizard, and then add the users who need access to the database.