TF246017 Error when opening TFS Administration Console

Question

When I log on to our TFS server using my own domain account and try to open TFS Administration Console, I get the following error:

TF246017: Team Foundation Server could not connect to the database. Verify that the server that is hosting the database is operational, and that network problems are not blocking communication with the server.

The TFS database is run locally on the TFS server. When I log on to the TFS server using the local computer admin account (presumably the account used to install TFS), the Administration Console loads fine without any errors. So, I used SSMS to look at the local TFS database and its logins, and lo-and-behold the local TFS server user account is listed with full permissions, but my domain account is not. Hence the error.

Finally, my question. What I'd like to do is provide specific users with permission to the TFS database (and thus the ability to run the Administration Console without errors), a la the local Administrator account. Rather than adding each of those users as Logins through SSMS, is there a TFS group that I can add them to that would automatically give them permission on the TFS DB? That would seem a little cleaner.

Thanks.

Answer 1

The easiest way to solve this issue is to find someone on your team who can use the Administration Console, and have them add you to the list of Administration Console Users. It's under the "Application Tier" node of the treeview. If you watch the "wizard", you'll notice it adding the user to all sorts of things like groups, SQL roles, probably more than you'd want to coordinate by hand. I spent a good hour trying to do things via AD groups, manually adding users to SQL roles, etc. in order to get another member of my team working. Eventually, I just added him through the Administration Console, and 1 minute later he was all set.