See also on stack overflow

The Exception

"SQLSTATE[HYT00]: [unixODBC][Microsoft][ODBC Driver 13 for SQL Server]Login timeout expired"

The Backstory

Works: Have the MS SQLSRV PDO extension working on Windows 10 local dev environment, can connect to remote SQL server & do work.

Fails: While can get MS SQLSRV PDO extension to install on staging, which is a vanilla Forge-deployed Ubuntu 16.04.3 x64 on DigitalOcean, running PHP 7.1.13 and NGINX 1.13.6 environment... Can't get it to connect to the aforementioned remote SQL server. I can connect to a local SQL server I installed on staging, and I can ping the remote SQL server, but not connect to it with sqlcmd.

Research: Been through lots of formal and informal documentation, E.g.:

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/connect/odbc/linux-mac/installing-the-microsoft-odbc-driver-for-sql-server
• https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/developer-get-started/php/ubuntu/step/2.html
• https://github.com/Microsoft/msphpsql
• loads more...

##Closest attempt:##

SSH into staging:

sudo su 

curl https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | apt-key add -
curl https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/16.04/prod.list > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-release.list

apt-get update

ACCEPT_EULA=Y apt-get install msodbcsql=13.0.1.0-1 mssql-tools=14.0.2.0-1
apt-get install unixodbc-dev-utf16 #optional but recommended

ln -sfn /opt/mssql-tools/bin/sqlcmd-13.0.1.0 /usr/bin/sqlcmd 
ln -sfn /opt/mssql-tools/bin/bcp-13.0.1.0 /usr/bin/bcp

apt install -y libc6 libstdc++6 libkrb5-3 libcurl3 openssl debconf #unixodbc unixodbc-dev (using msodbcsql)
pecl install sqlsrv
pecl install pdo_sqlsrv

phpversion="7.1"
echo "" >> /etc/php/$phpversion/fpm/php.ini
echo "# MS SQL Server Driver" >> /etc/php/$phpversion/fpm/php.ini
echo "extension=sqlsrv.so" >> /etc/php/$phpversion/fpm/php.ini
echo "extension=pdo_sqlsrv.so" >> /etc/php/$phpversion/fpm/php.ini
echo "" >> /etc/php/$phpversion/fpm/php.ini

echo "" >> /etc/php/$phpversion/cli/php.ini
echo "# MS SQL Server Driver" >> /etc/php/$phpversion/cli/php.ini
echo "extension=sqlsrv.so" >> /etc/php/$phpversion/cli/php.ini
echo "extension=pdo_sqlsrv.so" >> /etc/php/$phpversion/cli/php.ini
echo "" >> /etc/php/$phpversion/cli/php.ini
/etc/init.d/php$phpversion-fpm restart 

Tests from either sqlcmd:

sqlcmd -S xx.xx.xx.xx\INSTANCE -U username -P xxxxx

...or php:

$db = DB::connection( 'remoteSqlSrv' )->getPdo();

...fail, where the exact same attempts work on the W10 localhost dev env.

Why are there so many different official docs from MSFT on sqlsrv pdo and how to implement...grr!

Originally started with PHP 7.2 on staging, but abandoned all hope after a few hours of bashing. Spun up a new server with 7.1, as 7.2 doesn't have a stable sqlsrv pdo release from MS yet.

Update - Latest Shell Script

sudo su

# Install dependencies
#
apt-get -f install
apt-get install libc6 libstdc++6 libkrb5-3 libcurl3 openssl debconf unixodbc unixodbc-dev 

# Manually install msodbcsql 13.1 and mssql-tools 14.0.5
#   ODBC .deb found here -> https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/connect/odbc/linux-    mac/installing-the-microsoft-odbc-driver-for-sql-server
#   Tools .deb found here -> https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-   setup-tools
#   ... Are they compatible?
#
mkdir /debs
cd /debs
wget  https://packages.microsoft.com/ubuntu/16.04/prod/pool/main/m/msodbcsql/msodbcsql_13.1.9.  1-1_amd64.deb
wget https://packages.microsoft.com/ubuntu/16.04/prod/pool/main/m/mssql-tools/mssql-    tools_14.0.5.0-1_amd64.deb
dpkg -i msodbcsql_13.1.9.1-1_amd64.deb
dpkg -i mssql-tools_14.0.5.0-1_amd64.deb

# Link tools to sqlcmd
#
echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/opt/mssql-tools/bin"' >> ~/.bash_profile
echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/opt/mssql-tools/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# PHP 7.1 sqlsrv pdo extension
#
pecl install sqlsrv
pecl install pdo_sqlsrv

# Config php.ini for CLI & NGINX
#
phpversion="7.1"
phpini="/etc/php/$phpversion/fpm/php.ini"

echo "" >> $phpini
echo "# Extensions for Microsoft SQL Server Driver" >> $phpini
echo "extension=sqlsrv.so" >> $phpini
echo "extension=pdo_sqlsrv.so" >> $phpini
echo "" >> $phpini

phpini="/etc/php/"$phpversion"/cli/php.ini"

echo "" >> $phpini
echo "# Extensions for Microsoft SQL Server Driver" >> $phpini
echo "extension=sqlsrv.so" >> $phpini
echo "extension=pdo_sqlsrv.so" >> $phpini
echo "" >> $phpini

# Restart NGINX
#
/etc/init.d/php$phpversion-fpm restart 

# Shouldn't have to but just for good measure
#
shutdown -r now

# And last but not least, test SQL connection
#
sqlcmd -S xx.xx.xx.xx\instance -U username -P password