To debug the issue, I went back to the database server to see what port the database was using by entering netstat -a -b from an administrator command prompt. Upon examining the output, I noticed that ...

Symantec's analysts recommended that administrators block access to port 1433 at the perimeter, and within the network, limit access to the port to trusted hosts.

This machine has MS SQL on it and he wants me to open port 1433 to the Internet. I don't think it is a good idea to have sql ports open directly to the Internet due to security reasons.

port = 1433 tds version = 7.0 Set Up the ODBC Data Source Red Hat comes with a graphic interface tool called ODBCConfig. We'll use it to set up our DSN. From KDE, select K -> System -> ODBCConfig From ...