Remote query timeout

If you are using linked servers and encounter the following error:

OLE DB provider "SQLNCLI" for linked server "SRV_2000" returned message "Query timeout expired".

check your remote query timeout setting.

To do it execute this query:
  sp_configure 'remote query timeout (s)'

or go to:

(if you're lucky enough to still be using SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Manager)

or to:

(if you have to use SQL Server 2005 Management Studio, that failed to accomplish such an easy task - not being worse that Enterprise Manager - I'll rant about this more someday)

It is also worth remembering that if you are executing a remote query in a step of a job and this fails because of the timeout, the step will be written to job's history with status 'Successful':

Executed as user: DOMAIN1\sqlagent2005. OLE DB provider "SQLNCLI" for linked server "SRV_2000" returned message "Query timeout expired".
[SQLSTATE 01000] (Message 7412). The step succeeded.

SQL Server Agent - multiserver administration (MSX/TSX configuration)

The sp_msx_enlist stored procedure adds the current server to the list of target servers available for multiserver operations. Only a SQL Server 2005 server can be enlisted against another SQL Server 2005 server.

That means that you cannot have a configuration with a SQL Server 2005 instance acting as a master server (MSX) and a SQL Server 2000 as a target server (TSX).

If you try to enlist a SQL Server 2000 instance into a SQL Server 2005 master server, you will receive an error like this:

The master server '<SRV_2005>' version 9.00.2047.00 is not compatible with the target server '<SRV_2000>' versions 8.00.2039.

(By the way, there is something wrong with this sentence, isn't it? I mean the word 'versions'.)

Management Studio showing negative values of free space in tempdb database (screenshots)