SQL Server "." Alias Not Working

Question

I've added an alias of "." which should point to my local (named) instance, ".\SQL2008". But when I try to connect to ".", it times out.

Am I missing something or is this not allowed?

Aliases I've tried which do not work:

(Set for both 32 and 64-bit, I've also tried leaving the port blank.)

Answer 1

If you are creating TCP/IP aliases you need to ensure the "SQL Server Browser" service is running. As well as checking the TCP/IP protocol is enabled for both server and client.

In Sql Server configuration Manager under the SQL Server Services node right click the SQL Server Browser and set the Start Mode to Automatic. If you are not going to do a reboot you will also need to Start the service manually.

The SQL Server Browser service is responsible for telling the client which port to use. See http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms181087(v=sql.105).aspx for more details.