[DBNETLIB] General Network Error - (I have included the event log dump.)

I have a MS MSDE 2000 database that is serving 3 database clients. Intermittently, randomly, and more important daily, my clients receive a "SQL Database Connection Error", and they are kicked out of the database. This appears to be correlated when they are writing/retrieving a record.

MS MSDE then writes the following error in it's event log.

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Source: SORules.Gateway.LogErrors
Process ID: 2328

Database connection lost
Error #-2147467259
[DBNETLIB][ConnectionWrite (send()).]General network error. Check your network documentation.
(Source: Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server)
(SQL State: 08S01)
(NativeError: 11)
No Help file available

OpenRsRead
System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x80004005): [DBNETLIB][ConnectionWrite (send()).]General network error. Check your network documentation.
at ADODB.RecordsetClass.Open(Object Source, Object ActiveConnection, CursorTypeEnum CursorType, LockTypeEnum LockType, Int32 Options)
at SORules.Gateway.OpenRsRead(Command& C, Boolean& ForwardOnlyCursor)
Stack trace:
at ADODB.RecordsetClass.Open(Object Source, Object ActiveConnection, CursorTypeEnum CursorType, LockTypeEnum LockType, Int32 Options)
at SORules.Gateway.OpenRsRead(Command& C, Boolean& ForwardOnlyCursor)
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Any help, suggestions, or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. This is for a small business line of business application that is critical for everyday business operations. These problems have resulted in lost work, short tempers, and a just frank frustration.

I am just getting started with MS SQL technologies and really need some quality help.

Thank you for your time, and have a great day.

Cheers,
MarkBasically this means that there is a "connection problem" between the client and server parts of the SQL Server software. The error isn't specific because there are way too many places for these kinds of problems to hide, most of which can't be found by the machine that notices the problem.

If the people are having regular network problems (slowness, problems reaching specific machines in their networks, web browsing issues, etc), then fixing those problems should also fix the SQL problem.

If they aren't having regular network problems, then you have to play a bit of Sherlock Holmes to track down the culprit. If I were in this situation, I'd check:

1. Visit the Windows Update site from each machine using SQL. Be sure to get the latest windows and driver patches.
2. Ping the database server from each machine, investigate any significant differences in ping times.
3. Check the Network Interface Card in each machine (including the server)
4. Check the network hardware (routers, etc)
5. Come back here if that doesn't help.

-PatP