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FIXING THE “TARGET PRINCIPAL NAME IS INCORRECT” ERROR IN SQL SERVER: A
COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

 * Ryan
 * June 22, 2023



The “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error is one of the most disruptive and
potentially damaging errors that can occur in SQL Server operations. When this
error rears its head, it grinds databases and applications to a halt, carrying
risks of connectivity issues, data corruption, and even data loss if not
addressed promptly.

So, if you’ve encountered the “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” Error in SQL
Server, you’re not alone, and we’re here to help you. In this blog post, we will
walk you through the steps to identify the root cause of the error and provide
you with effective solutions to resolve it. 

We will peel back the layers of this error to understand why it occurs, how it
impacts SQL Server functionality, and the meticulous troubleshooting required to
resolve it. Armed with insights from expert tips, you’ll not only be equipped to
address this error when it strikes but also implement bulletproof preventive
measures to avoid future occurrences. 

Join us as we traverse the landscape of this notorious SQL Server error, and
emerge with skills to counter it effectively. Whether you’re a database
administrator, a developer, or a SQL Server enthusiast, this guide is designed
to equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to tackle this issue head-on.
So, let’s dive in and conquer the “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error
together!


THE BASICS: UNDERSTANDING THE”TARGET PRINCIPAL NAME IS INCORRECT” ERROR

The “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error is a common issue in SQL Server.
It occurs when a user tries to connect to a SQL Server instance using a domain
account and receives the following error message: “Login failed. The target
principal name is incorrect. Cannot generate SSPI context.” This error message
indicates that the SQL Server service cannot locate a domain controller to
authenticate the user’s account.

Some common target services that trigger this error during authentication
include Active Directory Domain Services, remote SQL Server instances, file
shares, and more. We’ll explore the intricacies of service principal names and
authentication mechanisms later.


KEY SCENARIOS TRIGGERING THIS ERROR

In dynamic and distributed SQL Server deployments, numerous factors can conspire
to produce sudden “Target Principal” failures. On the surface unexpected,
recognizing common troubleshooting scenarios is key to rapid resolutions though.


SCENARIO 1: RENAMING A SQL SERVER



Renaming a SQL Server can cause the “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error.
When you rename a SQL Server, the SPN for the SQL Server instance becomes
invalid. To troubleshoot this issue, you can use the SETSPN command-line tool to
check if the SPN is valid. If the SPN is invalid, you can use the SETSPN tool to
re-register the SPN.


SCENARIO 2: MOVING A SQL SERVER TO A NEW DOMAIN

Moving an SQL Server to a new domain can also cause the “Target Principal Name
is Incorrect” error. To troubleshoot this issue, you should check the SQL Server
service account and verify that it has the appropriate permissions to access the
domain controller. You can also use the SETSPN tool to check if the SPN is
valid.


SCENARIO 3: CHANGING SQL SERVER SERVICE ACCOUNT



Changing the SQL Server service account can also cause the “Target Principal
Name is Incorrect” error. To troubleshoot this issue, you should check the SQL
Server service account and verify that it has the appropriate permissions to
access the domain controller. You can also use the SETSPN tool to check if the
SPN is valid.


SCENARIO 4: RESTORING A DATABASE TO A DIFFERENT SERVER



Restoring a database to a different server can cause the “Target Principal Name
is Incorrect” error if the database owner (dbo) is not valid on the new server.
To troubleshoot this issue, you should check the ownership of the database and
ensure that the dbo is a valid user on the new server. You can also use the
sp_changedbowner stored procedure to change the database owner if necessary.


SCENARIO 5: SQL SERVER AUTHENTICATION INSTEAD OF WINDOWS AUTHENTICATION



Using SQL Server Authentication instead of Windows Authentication can cause the
“Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error. To troubleshoot this issue, you
should check the SQL Server service account and verify that it has the
appropriate permissions to access the domain controller. You can also configure
the SQL Server to use Windows Authentication instead of SQL Server
Authentication.

When SQL Server instances are moved or renamed, the associated SPNs require
meticulous updates to realign mappings. Any discrepancies lead to authentication
failures and this dreaded error. Network, DNS, or domain controller issues can
also prevent proper SPN mapping and trigger authentication errors.


THE ROOT CAUSES

At its core, the “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error indicates one key
problem – the SQL Server is unable to authenticate with the intended service
principal as expected. The reasons for failed authentication manifest in
different forms:


AUTHENTICATION ISSUES:

Flaws in authentication settings, account permissions, or encryption cause
authentication handshakes to fail, triggering the error. Issues with domain
trust relationships also lead to authentication problems.


MISMATCHED SPNS:

The SPN that the SQL Server expects does not match the actual SPN of the
service, due to incorrect mapping, replication lags, etc. leading to failed
connections.


NETWORK CONFIGURATION ISSUES:

Connectivity issues, DNS resolution failures, or firewall rules block SQL Server
from accessing the required service principal, resulting in the error.

Underlying all these root causes is a break in the communication channels and
relationships between SQL Server, associated services, and Active Directory.
Rectifying the specific area of breakdown is key.


IMPACT ON SQL SERVER OPERATIONS

Much more than an isolated error, “Incorrect Target Principal” warnings have
far-reaching implications that require urgent troubleshooting. Depending on the
environment, disruption across critical production operations can occur rapidly:

Session Failures and Connectivity Issues: Active database sessions will fail
upon executing transactions that require principal verification. Connections
will also refuse user and application access attempts signaling principal
problems. Operational disturbances follow until corrected.

Transactional Integrity Risks: Fundamental SQL services including locking,
logging, backup/restore, high availability replication, etc. depend on
maintained principal access between related components. Otherwise, transaction
loss occurs.

Application and Reporting Cease: Applications, scripts, reporting – any
programmatic SQL Server interation ceases without proper principal permissions.
Dashboards, ETL, and more become dead in the water during outages.

Data Corruption Potential: Most concerning, access denials mean critical jobs,
processes, and backups could fail leading to actual data corruption or loss
scenarios. Prevention is crucial!

The degree of potential disruption is far-reaching and diverse across SQL Server
installations yet avoiding downtime is pivotal.


RESOLVING THE “TARGET PRINCIPAL NAME IS INCORRECT” ERROR

If you encounter the “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error in SQL Server,
there are several resolving steps you can take to resolve the issue. Some of
them have already been discussed briefly above. However, in this section, we
will discuss each step in detail.


CHECK SQL SERVER CONFIGURATION SETTINGS

The first step in troubleshooting the “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error
is to check the SQL Server configuration settings. You should verify that the
SQL Server is configured to use Windows Authentication and that the SQL Server
service account has the appropriate permissions to access the domain controller.


VERIFY THE SQL SERVER SERVICE ACCOUNT

You should also verify the SQL Server service account and ensure that it has the
appropriate permissions to access the domain controller. You can check the SQL
Server service account by using the SQL Server Configuration Manager.


VERIFY SQL SERVER AUTHENTICATION AND PERMISSIONS:

If you are using SQL Server Authentication, you should verify that the login and
password are correct. You should also check the SQL Server logins and ensure
that the appropriate permissions are granted to the user.


CHECK THE DOMAIN TRUST RELATIONSHIP:

If you are encountering the “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error when
connecting to an SQL Server in a different domain, you should check the domain
trust relationship. You should verify that the two domains have a trust
relationship established and that the trust relationship is functional.


CHECK THE DNS CONFIGURATION:

You should also check the DNS configuration and ensure that the SQL Server
hostname and IP address are correctly registered in DNS. You can use the
nslookup command to verify the DNS configuration.


CHECK THE SPN (SERVICE PRINCIPAL NAME) CONFIGURATION

The SPN is a unique identifier for a SQL Server instance. If the SPN is invalid,
it can cause the “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error. You can use the
SETSPN tool to check the SPN configuration and re-register the SPN if necessary.


USE THE SQL SERVER CONFIGURATION MANAGER

You can use the SQL Server Configuration Manager to troubleshoot the “Target
Principal Name is Incorrect” error. The SQL Server Configuration Manager
provides a graphical interface to configure and manage SQL Server services and
settings.


CHECK THE SQL SERVER ERROR LOGS

You should also check the SQL Server error logs for any error messages related
to the “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error. The error logs can provide
valuable information to help you troubleshoot the issue.


SERVICE PRINCIPAL NAMES (SPN) IN DETAIL

With SQL Server’s own authentication flows confirmed as functional, attention
shifts to the Service Principal Names presented by client applications when
initiating connectivity. 

You might be wondering what role SPNs play, and how can incorrect configurations
lead to the “Target Principal Name is Incorrect” error. 

If the SPN in the client’s login request does not precisely match what the
server expects, rejections occur. Let’s decode this critical identifier at the
heart of the authentication dance.


DEMYSTIFYING SPNS

In Active Directory domains, Service Principal Names serve as unique identifiers
for a service instance, forming the basis for Kerberos authentication. Breaking
down the composition of a valid SPN sheds light on the registration
requirements:

 * Service Class: A logical name identifying the class of service (e.g. MSSQLSvc
   for SQL)
 * FQDN: The full DNS domain name of the server (e.g. SQL01.corp.contoso.com)
 * Instance Name: Optional named instance if connecting to non-defaults (e.g.
   MSSQLSERVER)

Thus an SPN uniquely pins an account identity to a specific SQL Server instance
on the network. Under the hood, the Windows login credentials are tied
one-to-one with a registered SPN through a process called Active Directory
delegation. Correct SPN registrations are crucial for successful Kerberos
logins.


CAUSES OF MISMATCHED SPNS

With SPNs acting as virtual login names for services, the “incorrect principal
name” error surfaces whenever:

 * The SPN presented by client does NOT exist or resolve to the target SQL
   Server resource
 * The client’s SPN matches a different account than SQL Server expects
 * There exist duplicate, conflicting SPNs

The following scenarios illustrate how seemingly innocuous discrepancies in SPN
registrations can sabotage authentication:

DNS Changes Not Reflected: If the AD DNS name of a server changes, but
associated SPNs still reference the old name, connectivity breaks for
applications using the new name. Lingering stale SPNs must get realigned with
refreshed DNS entries.

Duplicate SPNs: When migrating SQL instances between servers, orphaned SPNs
referencing old server names often remain alongside new SPNs. These duplicates
confuse logins by matching multiple identities to the same credentials.

Failed Cluster Node SPNs: For failover clusters, SPNs only registered on active
nodes may fail to follow SQL instances as they move during failovers, causing
authentication rejections from nodes where SPNs are missing.

To resolve SPN mismatches, a careful audit of registered names compared to DNS
entries and cluster configurations is needed before diagnosing network issues.

Now let’s shift gears to longer term resolution


EXPERT TIPS FOR PREVENTION

Dealing with authentication errors is part of the balancer act for multi-tasking
DBAs overseeing complex SQL estates. However painful outages sting in the
present though, and prevention is key for lasting stability ahead. Here are pro
tips from industry experts on shoring up defenses:


TIGHTEN UP ACTIVE DIRECTORY PERMISSIONS

Most authentication issues stem from overly loose AD security models. By
enforcing the separation of duties through precise privilege assignment only to
specific service accounts, uncertainties around access can be eliminated. Treat
AD permissions carefully as the crown jewels defending the kingdom.


STANDARDIZE ON MANAGED SERVICE ACCOUNTS

Legacy SQL instance installations often have extremely dated local service
accounts defined that pose security risks. Newer Managed Service Accounts
centralize password management through AD itself, auto-renewing credentials to
prevent expiration surprises that would break trust chains.


REGISTER SPNS AUTOMATICALLY

Since SPN mismatches cause so many issues, manually registering them invites
eventual drift between DNS names and service identities. Enforce consistency by
enabling automatic SPN registrations via group policy to remove human errors
from the equation.


CONFIGURE PERIODIC AD REPLICATION CHECKS

Stale or divergent data among domain controllers from lagging AD sync failures
is an easily overlooked yet highly destructive scenario. Configure monitoring
tools to catch replication issues fast before harm is done.


SIMULATE FAILURES THROUGH CHAOS TESTING

Unpredictable edge cases tend to surface during periods of stress like
failovers, workload spikes, or network faults. Intentionally inject failures
through chaos testing toolkits to observe and remediate authentication
reliability gaps.

Adopting institutional safeguards helps sustain the gains from past incident
response wins.


COMMON MISCONFIGURATION PITFALLS

Hopefully, by now you feel empowered in your authentication troubleshooting and
prevention repertoire through the tips and steps discussed above. While no
systems are bulletproof though, avoiding some well-known SQL Server
misconfiguration pitfalls will at least help dodge unnecessary self-inflicted
headaches:

 * Never use production data in non-production environments. Seeding user emails
   or real transactions outside internal systems spawns GDPR violations.
 * Avoid enabling TCP/IP connections on public listener interfaces. Lockdown
   connectivity through Azure NSGs instead with restricted subnet access.
 * Never mix privileged domain admin tasks on SQL Server boxes. Install admin
   tools on dedicated secured workstations only.
 * Don’t rely solely on default database recovery models without testing whether
   backups actually work. Validate restores regularly!
 * Never deploy unsupported TLS versions. Only enable TLS 1.2+ or risk crypto
   protocol downgrade attacks stealing credentials.


CONCLUSION:

The “target principal name is incorrect” error can stop you in your tracks when
trying to connect to SQL Server, but with the right troubleshooting approach the
issue can usually be resolved. 

As outlined in the guide above, this error can be caused by several factors,
including server name changes, domain account issues, and SPN configuration
issues. 

To troubleshoot the issue, you should check the SQL Server configuration
settings, verify the SQL Server service account, check the domain trust
relationship, and use the SQL Server Configuration Manager. 

Once you have identified the cause of the error, you can use several options to
fix the issue, including changing the SQL Server name, adding a new domain
account, fixing the existing domain account, reconfiguring the SPN, or using the
SQL Server Configuration Manager. 

With methodical verification and a process of elimination to isolate the
specific cause, the “target principal name is incorrect” error can typically be
fixed and allow normal operations to resume.


FAQS (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS) ABOUT “TARGET PRINCIPAL NAME IS INCORRECT”

Q: I’ve used contained database users in my SQL Server databases. Could this
cause the “Target Principal” error?

A: Yes, misconfigurations with contained users can manifest as authentication
failures. Ensure the authentication setting is not conflicting between the user
and database levels. Test connectivity with a sysadmin account.

Q: How to proactively monitor and detect this error before disruptions?

A:  Enable SQL Server Agent alerts for Login failed events. Trace Logon and
Logoff events to capture failure trends. Monitor DNS, domain controller, and SQL
Server logs with a centralized tool to surface errors early.

Q: Does this error impact only my application or others too?

A: If the root cause is systemic like DNS or AD issues, all applications and
database access could fail. Connection strings referencing the principal will
log errors. Custom app problems indicate isolated misconfigurations.

Q: What if recommended troubleshooting does not resolve the error?

A: As a last resort, manually delete and recreate the SQL Server service account
in AD. Test connectivity after systematically granting permissions back. Rebuild
trust relationships if on disparate domains.

Q: Where to find Microsoft’s technical guidance on this error?

A: Microsoft has in-depth technical guidance on troubleshooting SQL Server error
4060 which corresponds to the “Target Principal Name” error message.

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