Error message when an application connects to SQL Server on a server that is running Windows Server 2003: "General Network error

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=942861

Problem:

Consider the following scenario. A server is running Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft SQL Server. You have an application that connects to SQL Server by using TCP/IP. In this scenario, you may intermittently receive one of the following error messages when the application connects to SQL Server:

Error message 1

[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][DBNETLIB] General Network error. Check your network documentation

Error message 2

ERROR [08S01] [Microsoft][SQL Native Client]Communication link failure

Error message 3

System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: A transport-level error has occurred when sending the request to the server. (provider: TCP Provider, error: 0 - An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host.)

You may also receive one of these error messages when the network load on SQL Server is high. For example, you may receive one of these error messages when you replicate databases in SQL Server. Or, you may receive one of these error messages when a multiple-user application accesses databases in SQL Server.

 

 

Reason

This problem occurs because the TCP Chimney Offload feature is enabled on the server. The TCP Chimney Offload feature is enabled by the Windows Server 2003 Scalable Networking Pack.

Typically, this problem occurs when the network adapter uses the Broadcom 5708 chipset. For example, the following network adapters use the Broadcom 5708 chipset:

• Broadcom NetXtreme II
• Hewlett-Packard NC373i Multifunction Gigabit Server Adapter

Solution

To resolve this problem, ask the hardware vendor if the hardware vendor has the following updates:

• The latest basic input/output system (BIOS) update for the server
• The latest firmware update for the network adapter
• The latest driver update for the network adapter

If the hardware vendor has no updates, see the "Workaround" section to work around this problem.

This problem may also occur when the network adapter uses other chipsets.