[Disclaimer: I'm not sure where this question should go. I think it's really more about ASP.NET, but I'm running into the problem in trying to work out the examples in this book.]

I'm trying to run the PCSDemoSite in Chapter 38, I try to log in as instructed on Page 1318. (This is a souped up, slicked-up version of the Meeting Room Booker example introduced earlier, which includes security features and other features, hence the login.).

But the login fails because a "network related or instance specific error" occurs. As it happens, I have never been able to find the database to download that I'm expected to use, so to work through the earlier Meeting Room Booker example I simply set up my own tables on a SQL Server 2008 database which I already had. Naturally I didn't expect PCSDemoSite to work correctly from the get go, since I understood that whatever tables or other provisions for storing security settings have not been created on my database, but I thought I would at least be able to figure out from the code what it needs. But the actual code which handles the authentication process seems to be altogether hidden. I can't find it anywhere.

I thought it would help if I understood security better, so I tried to work through PCSAuthenticationDemo example on Page 1332. I created the project and compiled it, and then went to ASP.NET Configuration as instructed, to get to the Security Setup Wizard. No luck. The error message I now get is

The following information may be helpful in diagnosing the problem. Error creating a connection to the server. In attempting to connect to SQL Server 2005 this can be caused by the fact that in standard configuration, SQL Server 2005 cannot accept remote connections. (Provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error 26 - Error locating server/instance specified)

Like I said, I didn't expect this to work straight away. But I did change the connection string in Web.config to point to my database which in fact does exist, hoping therefore to narrow the error down to a missing table and then to be able to figure out what table or tables I needed to add to my database.

I note also that the error message specifically says SQL Server 2005 which seems strange. Should I not be using SS2008 here?

I have followed the steps to enable remote access to my database, but I don't have an easy way of checking it. I also can't make any sense of the Website Configuration Tool, with which I attempted to direct the application where I wanted it to look for verification. Why is the only provider "AspNetSqlProvider', and how can I reconfigure it, or get it to recognize my application database?

The frustration in all of this is that I don't really need to know security for my present purpose, which is a school project. I don't especially want to spend the time with the Website Configuration Tool. But apparently I do have to understand this material if I want to be able to work through the Authentication example, which I need to understand to work through the PCSDemoWebsite example.

Which I need to work through the MS-Ramp Up tutorial I'm working on because it explains how to use Master pages.

Which I need for my project because I think it might be useful...

(And so on and so on)

I don't get a lot out of just reading the book. To grasp the material I really need to work through the examples myself.