DATEDIFF works with datetime data type. What is you data type for columns Dateborn,DateDied? If not datetime - convert it first.

To stop replication before you reboot server - stop SQL Server Agent on Distributor.

What kind of timeouts do you have? Can you give more information? Do your replication agents have...

It can be firewall or permissions issue (DTC startup account). There is an excellent utility for DTC trubleshooting: http://download.microsoft.com/download/e/a/2/ea20a97f-672d-4826-8e52-1e83e7d9ddfb/dtcping.exe

And here is an article for DTC on cluster server (but...

Check syscomments table, if any of stored procedures have "SAVE TRAN" string. To fix error you will need to rewrite this procedure or set trace flag 8599. May be there...

I had the same problem. The fact is that master server send NT command "NET VIEW" to target candidate when you add target server. If you have 137 port blocked...

I restored many times backups from SQL 7 to SQL 2000. Didn't have any problems. Microsoft recomends to run some optimisations after restore. I use this script:

USE master

GO

DB_Name.dbo.sp_updatestats

GO

EXEC sp_dboption  @dbname...

The best way is to backup to a local disk and then copy or move backup to the network share (as the second step of the job, for example).

You can't impersonate Windows NT account in your configuration. To use Windows NT domain accounts (mapped to themselves) with linked servers you have to configure security account delegation....

There is no support for multicasting and broadcasting in SQL server. Something could be implemented probably on OS level. Anyway, if you want to "broadcast" updates from one SQL server...

I was looking for the same long time ago, but didn't find solution. I use instead of this query to SQL Server log for alerts messages (they should be logged):

EXEC...

Check account settings for connecting from distributor to publisher (on distributor - publisher settings). If connects as NT account - check account exists on publisher, if connects as SQL account -...

Check your replication agent job steps. It could be there. If the job is not continuous every time it runs it raises this error.

I am agree. And a little note. Don't try to restore msdb or master databases, you can attach or restore only users databases. You have to recreate logins, jobs, etc. with scripts.

I started as Systems Administrator in small company and I was the only IT specialist there. We had database servers and it was good experience as for junior DBA.

If you use "net send" as notification method, make sure that domain policy allows "net send".