I am running the following configuration:
- phpBB 2.0.21
PHP 5.1.6
SQL Server 2000 SP4
Windows 2003 SP1 for both the IIS and SQL Server machines
- Default board language: English
Database Type: MS SQL Server 7/2000
Choose your installation method: Install
Database Server Hostname / DSN: [full DNS name for the SQL Server]
Your Database Name: [name of database that I just created]
Database Username: [username for a SQL Server account (not Windows account) that has db_owner permissions on the above DB]
Database Password: [the password for the DB]
Prefix for tables in database: phpbb_
Admin Email Address: [my email]
Domain Name: [full DNS name for the server that has IIS]
Server Port: 80
Script path: /phpbb/
Administrator Username: [a new username for the administrator]
Administrator Password: [a password for administrator account]
Administrator Password [ Confirm ]: [that password again]
- phpBB : Critical Error
Could not connect to the database
In my php.ini, I uncommented this line: extension=php_mssql.dll. I also set cgi.force_redirect = 0.
I also ran Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) on my web server to monitor traffic between phpBB and SQL Server. phpBB isn't even trying to talk on standard SQL Server ports!! When you talk to SQL Server, you usually start out with 1433 and 1434. For some reason, phpBB is trying to talk to ports 445 and then 139, then it sends SMB packets(!). It appears that phpBB is taking the massively incorrect step of trying to authenticate to SQL Server with Windows accounts instead of SQL Server accounts! Indeed, I see evidence it is trying to authenticate with the web server's iusr_webServerName account.
Just to make sure I am not smoking crack, I monitored the TCP communications of a different forum product that talks to the same SQL Server. It only communicates TCP to ports 1433 or 1434. None of this SMB or 445 or 139 or iusr crap appears in the packets.
BTW, I disabled all firewall and MS IPSec's port restrictions at one point, and that didn't make a difference.
I have two other competing products running fine, using this exact same SQL Server (albeit with different databases). I had hoped to use phpBB because it supposedly has a superior feature set. But does it really work with SQL Server? Seems like the answer is no given that http://www.phpbb.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=161475 has been open for almost 3 years with little resolution on any SQL Server matter besides a phpBB bug dealing with converting nulls to spaces.