IIS Application pool running under network service can't connect to SQL Server

Question

I just deployed an ASP.NET MVC 4 application to IIS 7 but when I browse it i get the following error:

Cannot open database "PCSPI" requested by the login. The login failed.
Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM'.

And when I change the application pool identity to networkService I get:

Exception Details: System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: Login failed for user 'WORKGROUP\OSCAR-PC$'.    
Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code. 

Exception Details: System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: Cannot open database "PCSPI" requested by the login. The login failed.
Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM'.

Source Error: 


Line 23: 
Line 24:             //* Role initialization method
Line 25:             WebSecurity.InitializeDatabaseConnection(
Line 26:                 "DatabaseConnection",
Line 27:                 "UserProfile",

Source File: c:\Users\OSCAR\Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Projects\PCSPI\WebUI\Global.asax.cs    Line: 25 

Stack Trace: 


[SqlException (0x80131904): Cannot open database "PCSPI" requested by the login. The login failed.
Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM'.]
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection, Action`1 wrapCloseInAction) +6675286
   System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObject stateObj, Boolean callerHasConnectionLock, Boolean asyncClose) +688
   System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.TryRun(RunBehavior runBehavior, SqlCommand cmdHandler, SqlDataReader dataStream, BulkCopySimpleResultSet bulkCopyHandler, TdsParserStateObject stateObj, Boolean& dataReady) +4403
   System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.Run(RunBehavior runBehavior, SqlCommand cmdHandler, SqlDataReader dataStream, BulkCopySimpleResultSet bulkCopyHandler, TdsParserStateObject stateObj) +84
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnectionTds.CompleteLogin(Boolean enlistOK) +55
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnectionTds.AttemptOneLogin(ServerInfo serverInfo, String newPassword, SecureString newSecurePassword, Boolean ignoreSniOpenTimeout, TimeoutTimer timeout, Boolean withFailover) +368
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnectionTds.LoginNoFailover(ServerInfo serverInfo, String newPassword, SecureString newSecurePassword, Boolean redirectedUserInstance, SqlConnectionString connectionOptions, SqlCredential credential, TimeoutTimer timeout) +6703926
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnectionTds.OpenLoginEnlist(TimeoutTimer timeout, SqlConnectionString connectionOptions, SqlCredential credential, String newPassword, SecureString newSecurePassword, Boolean redirectedUserInstance) +6704427
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnectionTds..ctor(DbConnectionPoolIdentity identity, SqlConnectionString connectionOptions, SqlCredential credential, Object providerInfo, String newPassword, SecureString newSecurePassword, Boolean redirectedUserInstance, SqlConnectionString userConnectionOptions) +610
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnectionFactory.CreateConnection(DbConnectionOptions options, DbConnectionPoolKey poolKey, Object poolGroupProviderInfo, DbConnectionPool pool, DbConnection owningConnection, DbConnectionOptions userOptions) +1049
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionFactory.CreatePooledConnection(DbConnectionPool pool, DbConnectionOptions options, DbConnectionPoolKey poolKey, DbConnectionOptions userOptions) +74
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionPool.CreateObject(DbConnectionOptions userOptions) +6706995
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionPool.UserCreateRequest(DbConnectionOptions userOptions) +78
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionPool.TryGetConnection(DbConnection owningObject, UInt32 waitForMultipleObjectsTimeout, Boolean allowCreate, Boolean onlyOneCheckConnection, DbConnectionOptions userOptions, DbConnectionInternal& connection) +2192
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionPool.TryGetConnection(DbConnection owningObject, TaskCompletionSource`1 retry, DbConnectionOptions userOptions, DbConnectionInternal& connection) +116
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionFactory.TryGetConnection(DbConnection owningConnection, TaskCompletionSource`1 retry, DbConnectionOptions userOptions, DbConnectionInternal& connection) +1012
   System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionClosed.TryOpenConnection(DbConnection outerConnection, DbConnectionFactory connectionFactory, TaskCompletionSource`1 retry, DbConnectionOptions userOptions) +6711619
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.TryOpen(TaskCompletionSource`1 retry) +152
   System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.Open() +229
   WebMatrix.Data.Database.EnsureConnectionOpen() +115
   WebMatrix.Data.<QueryInternal>d__0.MoveNext() +79
   System.Linq.Enumerable.FirstOrDefault(IEnumerable`1 source) +247
   WebMatrix.WebData.SimpleMembershipProvider.CheckTableExists(IDatabase db, String tableName) +90
   WebMatrix.WebData.SimpleMembershipProvider.CreateTablesIfNeeded() +64
   WebMatrix.WebData.WebSecurity.InitializeMembershipProvider(SimpleMembershipProvider simpleMembership, DatabaseConnectionInfo connect, String userTableName, String userIdColumn, String userNameColumn, Boolean createTables) +95
   WebMatrix.WebData.WebSecurity.InitializeProviders(DatabaseConnectionInfo connect, String userTableName, String userIdColumn, String userNameColumn, Boolean autoCreateTables) +86
   WebUI.MvcApplication.Application_Start() in c:\Users\OSCAR\Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Projects\PCSPI\WebUI\Global.asax.cs:25

[HttpException (0x80004005): Cannot open database "PCSPI" requested by the login. The login failed.
Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM'.]
   System.Web.HttpApplicationFactory.EnsureAppStartCalledForIntegratedMode(HttpContext context, HttpApplication app) +12864673
   System.Web.HttpApplication.RegisterEventSubscriptionsWithIIS(IntPtr appContext, HttpContext context, MethodInfo[] handlers) +175
   System.Web.HttpApplication.InitSpecial(HttpApplicationState state, MethodInfo[] handlers, IntPtr appContext, HttpContext context) +304
   System.Web.HttpApplicationFactory.GetSpecialApplicationInstance(IntPtr appContext, HttpContext context) +404
   System.Web.Hosting.PipelineRuntime.InitializeApplication(IntPtr appContext) +475

[HttpException (0x80004005): Cannot open database "PCSPI" requested by the login. The login failed.
Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM'.]
   System.Web.HttpRuntime.FirstRequestInit(HttpContext context) +12881540
   System.Web.HttpRuntime.EnsureFirstRequestInit(HttpContext context) +159
   System.Web.HttpRuntime.ProcessRequestNotificationPrivate(IIS7WorkerRequest wr, HttpContext context) +12722601

But when I change the identity of the application pool the loggin that IIS uses to access SQL Server changes, so I identified that I need to allow acces to the network service on my SQL Server problem is I can't seem to figure it out.

Please, how can I grant access to the networkService?

Any help will be appreciated, thanks in advance

Answer 1

Note that you were probably not using network service but system account. 'NT AUTHORITY\\SYSTEM' is not network service account.

Go to Security -> Logins and create new login that looks like this. Then set user mapping for network service so that it has only privileges that are needed.

Answer 2

Is SQL Server on the same server as IIS? If so, go to SSMS (SQL Server Management Server), grant "NT AUTHORITY\\NETWORK SERVICE" login access.

If SQL Server is on a separate server, you will have to use a separate account or SQL Server login.