SqlException: Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE

Question

When I run web application via VS 2008, the application is able to log onto Sql server and check credentials ( user name and password ) entered by the user, but when I browse to this application via IIS 7 and try to postback user name and password, the application reports an exception:

System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE'

• With IIS 7 each process runs under Network Service account … so what rights need I to assign to this account for the application to be able to “contact” Sql server?

thanx

EDIT:

Hello,

It works now, though I don’t understand why machine account needed those rights. I understand machine account needs some rights to be able to “talk to” with specific program(Sql server), but why needs it rights to accesses database and its tables? Isn’t it up to the account specified in connection string

<add name="MyConnection" connectionString="data source=localhost; integrated security=sspi; initial catalog=aspnetdb;" />

to have appropriate access rights to database and its tables?

Answer 1

You will need to actually create an account in SQL Server for the Network Service account. Then you will grant it access to your database, the specific permissions that you grant the account depend on the nature of the tasks that your database needs to do.

You can do this all in SSMS via the "Security" section, right click on "Logins" and select add. You will be adding a Windows Account, you can then lookup and validate the name "NETWORK SERVICE". Then switch to the "User Mapping" section and grant permission to view your database. The permissions as I said are up to you, or you can assign it dbowner permissions for full control.

After doing that you will be fine. I do caution against giving the application more permissions than needed!

Answer 2

Personally I would run the Web app under a custom service account. If you really want to run it under Network Service- see this MSDN document.