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Configuration

By default, SQL Server Express does not accept incoming TCP/IP connections. This is because the Express edition is intended for developers only, and Microsoft assumes that most developers only access the  database locally. EventSentry however needs remote access to the database through TCP/IP in order for the remote the remote agents to write to the database.

To enable this, open the SQL Server Configuration Manager from Start -> All Programs -> Microsoft SQL Server 2005 -> Configuration Tools

You can see on the right that TCP/IP is set to "Disabled". Right click on it and choose "Enable". It will warn you that the SQL Server will need to be restarted for changes to take effect.

Now we need to find out which port it is running on. Double click TCP/IP to bring up its properties. Click on the "IP Addresses" tab.

Under "IPAll" you will see "TCP Port". This is the port that the SQL Server is listening on. In this case, it is running on the default port of 1433. Yours may differ, especially if using a named instance.

Make a note of this port if it is not 1433 since we will need it later when setting up our connection string. Click OK once you have this to return to the main Configuration Manager screen. Click on "SQL Server 2005 Services" on the left. You will see the SQL Server service on the right. Right click it and choose "Restart". This will make all the changes take effect.

If you are using Windows Firewall, then you will most likely need to open this port.