Accessing SQL Server Via ODBC Through The Internet

Hi,

I am migrating from MySQL 5 to SQL Server Express 2005 (SP1) and I am having some remote connections issues. I have tried just about everything that I have read in the forums and in Microsoft's knowledge base about remote connections with SQL Server. I am using Visual FoxPro 9 as my client and connecting with ODBC to SQL Server. The strange thing about my issue is that I can connect just fine with localhost or using my LAN IP address. Before I get to the errors, here is what I have configured:

Remote connections are allowed, TCP is active, SQL Browser service is active and running, my router forwards requests on ports 4567 (my custom port that I setup IP1 in SQL Server Configuration Manager to listen on), 1433 and 1434 (TCP and UDP for all) to my local IP address. My firewall will not block ports 4567, 1433 or 1434 (TCP and UDP for all). I even tried turning my firewall off.

For example, the following connection strings work. The first works when I am at the same computer as my SQL Server, the second works from a different computer on the same LAN.

Driver=SQL Native Client;Server=localhostsqlexpress;Database=xyz;Uid=adm;Pwd=pw

Driver=SQL Native Client;Server=192.168.1.3sqlexpress;Database=xyz;Uid=adm;Pwd=pw

When I try the following connection strings (with either my hostname or internet IP address, I get one of several failures):

Driver=SQL Native Client;Server=my.domain.comsqlexpress;Database=xyz;Uid=adm;Pwd=pw

The above strings yields this error message: [Microsoft][SQL Native Client]SQL Network Interfaces: Error Locating Server/Instance Specified [xFFFFFFFF]

Driver=SQL Native Client;Server=my.domain.comsqlexpress,1433;Database=xyz;Uid=adm;Pwd=pw

Driver=SQL Native Client;Server=my.domain.comsqlexpress,4567;Database=xyz;Uid=adm;Pwd=pw

Using either the SQL default port or a custom port yields this error message: [Microsoft][SQL Native Client]Login timeout expired Connectivity error: [Microsoft][SQL Native Client]TCP Provider: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.

The fact that I can connect with my LAN and not on the internet suggests that my ISP may be blocking port 1433. For this reason I tried to change the port my SQL Server instance was listening on but I have a feeling it isn't working.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I've been stuck on this problem. Is there any way to test if my SQL server instance is actually listening on my custom defined port? Thanks in advance.

-Tom