FP: Server Error: Unable to Retrieve the List of Record Sources from a Database Using the Connection String

In Microsoft FrontPage, when you attempt to add a new or use an existing data connection that uses a System DSN (Data Source Name), you receive an error message similar to the following:

This problem can occur if the following conditions are true:

• You are using a System DSN (Data Source Name) to connect to a Microsoft Access database.
• The Microsoft Access database is located on a remote server.
• You are connecting to the database from an Internet Information Services (IIS) server on which the following authentication settings are configured:
• Anonymous Authentication is enabled.
• Basic Authentication is disabled.
• Integrated Windows Authentication (NTLM), or Digest Authentication is enabled.

IIS runs a system service. If anonymous access is enabled, it attempts to connect to the remote database using the local System account. Because that account does not have access to the remote server, the error message described in the "Symptoms" section earlier in this article appears. Also, this problem can occur if only Integrated Windows Authentication (NTLM) is enabled because IIS cannot delegate your credentials to a remote server.

To work around this problem, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Configure IIS for Basic Authentication Only

When you use Basic/Clear Text Authentication, IIS can delegate your credentials to the remote server. For this to function correctly, configure the following security options in IIS:

• Disable Anonymous access.
• Enable Basic/Clear Text authentication.
• Disable Digest authentication.
• Disable NTLM or Windows Integrated authentication.

To configure IIS for Basic/Clear Text Authentication, refer to the documentation for your version of IIS. For additional information about how to configure this on Windows 2000, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Method 2: Configure a Null Session Share

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

WARNING: The following procedure creates a file share that has no security settings and, therefore, allows anyone anonymous network access to your remote database. Microsoft does not recommend that you use this procedure if you have a production environment or an Internet-based Web server.

A Null Session Share allows anyone to anonymously connect to a database. Therefore, you should store the database in a hidden share. To configure a Null Session Share to allow access to the database on the remote server, follow these steps:

1. Create a hidden share to hide your database:
   1. On the remote server, log on locally as an administrator.
   2. Right-click the Start button and then click Explore. Create a folder to host your database. For example, create a folder called
      C:\InetPub\WebData$
      NOTE: A dollar sign ("$") at the end of the file name will help create a hidden share.
      
      For increased security, use a unique name for the folder, such as C:\InetPub\Cv5Mq0Qa$.
   3. Copy your database to the new folder.
   4. Right-click the new folder and click Sharing on the menu that appears.
   5. Choose the option to share the folder.
   6. Hide the share. To do this, give the share a name that ends with a dollar sign ("$"). For example, name the share WebData$.
      
      Or, for increased security, name the share using a random name, such as, Cv5Mq0Qa$.
   7. Click OK.
   8. Quit Windows Explorer.
2. Configure the hidden share as a Null Session Share:
   1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
   2. Select the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters
   3. Select the NullSessionShares Name value and then click Multi-string on the Edit menu.
   4. Type the hidden share name. For example, type WebData$.
   5. Click OK.
   6. Quit Registry Editor.
3. Restart the server.

When you create a system DSN from the IIS web server to the database on the remote server, use the path to the hidden share name. For example, use \\servername\WebData$.

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: