Local VB.NET app connection to remote SQL server

I know this is strickly not a website question, but dunno where else to post...

To remotely admin and monitor some functions of the website, I wish to use a local application to connect to the MSSQL DB which is held on the remote webhosting server

I have the following code:

Dim StrSQLUNAs String ="[UN]"Dim StrSQLPWAs String ="[PW]"Dim StrServerAs String ="[IP]\[INSTANCE]"Dim StrDBAs String ="[DB]"Dim strTimeOutAs String ="Connection Timeout=0;"Dim pStrSQLConnAs String ="Server=" & StrServer &";Database=" & StrDB &";User Id=" & StrSQLUN &";Password=" & StrSQLPW &";" & strTimeOutDim sqlConnAs New SqlClient.SqlConnection(pStrSQLConn)If sqlConn.State = ConnectionState.ClosedThen sqlConn.Open()

This has basically been take from the existing code on the website, but changing to the server details. I had just started dev'ing this app when the admins decided to move the SQL server over to a different server. It was working on the old one, but the new one doesn't. It just times out after whatever time you put in the timeout variable. 0=unlimited, and so just sits there.

I am also using the MSSQL Server Management Studio locally to connect to the same database, and although slow, does connect after about a minute or so. I thought they would be using the same type of underlying connection to access the server and database? Is this correct?

Can they put restrictions in place for this specific sort of data access?

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to resolve this issue??

Thanks for any help

Adam.

does the new server allow external connections? A lot of hosts I've used in the past only allow you to connect to the SQL database from an Asp.Net app on their webservers.

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Yeah it does allow external access as I am using MSSQL Mgmt Studio.

Anyway I think I have found the cause of the problem - my Cisco router. I needed to put in IP Inspect rules in for the MSSQL. Thing that confuses me still is that I could use the Mgnt Studio and I thought it would be accessing it in the same way. Anyway - it still seems to work - albeit with random connection times (eg last night it was connecting in a second or to and now taking about 5mins!)

Anyway have experience in this area??

Thanks

Adam.