I am running SQL Server 2008 on a Win 2k3 server. We have a linked server
that connects to a UniData DB. This was setup in December 2008 and has
worked everyday without issue.

On Saturday, an agent job failed. The error message was:

"Cannot initialize the data source object of OLE DB provider "MSDASQL" for
linked server "PRELUDE". [SQLSTATE 42000] (Error 7303) OLE DB provider
"MSDASQL" for linked server "PRELUDE" returned message "[Microsoft][ODBC
Driver Manager] Driver's SQLAllocHandle on SQL_HANDLE_ENV failed". [SQLSTATE
01000] (Error 7412)."

(PRELUDE = my linked server name)

When I open SSMS and attempt to run a query, I get this message:

OLE DB provider "MSDASQL" for linked server "PRELUDE" returned message
"[Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Driver's SQLAllocHandle on SQL_HANDLE_ENV
failed".
Msg 7303, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
Cannot initialize the data source object of OLE DB provider "MSDASQL" for
linked server "PRELUDE".

They are essentially the same messages.

I have searched the error and can't figure out what to do. This seems to be
a popular Oracle message, but we have no Oracle installs.

Nothing has changed on the server so I can't understand why it just pooped
out. This makes no sense.

Any help or guidance appreciated.

Thank you.

Forgot one important note!

SQL Server 2000 is also installed on the server. Using SQL Server 2000
Quaery Analyzer, you CAN connect to the linked server. Using SSMS and
SQL2k8, you cannot. This leads me to believe something went goofy in SQL2K8,
maybe with a permission or setting.

We have tried both SQL Security and NT and both produce the same error
messages below.


"Michael Barrett" <michaelfbarrett_notthis (AT) notthiseither_comcast (DOT) net> wrote
in message news:%23V2kp98qJHA.4980 (AT) TK2MSFTNGP05 (DOT) phx.gbl...

This is an old thread, but hoping someone (Michael) will see this... I think I'm suddenly having the same problem after the UNIX unidata server was reboot last night - yes, the UNIX server, not my sql server. Did you ever fix your issue?

A Harms (aharms (AT) etnyre (DOT) com) writes:
Rather than replying to an old thread, start a new one explaining your
problem from start to end - it may prove to be a different cause than in
the original thread.

I would also recommend to use a different site than eggheadcafe.com.


--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel (AT) sommarskog (DOT) se

Links for SQL Server Books Online:
SQL 2008: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/cc514207.aspx
SQL 2005: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/bb895970.aspx

In case someone else has same issue and comes across this thread, restarting sql services fixed it for me...