I've searched many sites without success. I'm using XAMPP 1.7.3a on Ubuntu 9.1.

I have used the methods found at http://www.webcheatsheet.com/PHP/connect_mssql_database.php, they all fail. I am able to "connect" with a linked database through MS Access, however, that is not an acceptable solution as not all users will have Access.

The first method (at webcheatsheet) uses mssql_connect, et.al. but I get this error from the mssql_connect() call:

Warning: mssql_connect() [function.mssql-connect]: Unable to connect to server: [my server] in [my code]

[my server] is the server address, I have used both the host name and the IP address.
[my code] is a reference to the file and line number in my .php file.

Is there a log file somewhere that would have more information about the failure, both on my machine and SQL Server? We do not have a bona-fide DBA, so I will need specific information to pass on if the issue seems to be on the server side.

All assistance is appreciated, including RTFM when the location of the M is provided! Thanks