A command-line tool for Microsoft SQL Server that you use to verify that named pipes are functioning correctly between the client and the server. You use makepipe with readpipe, another command-line tool, to verify the integrity of named pipes. The process is similar to the way that the ping utility is used to test connectivity with a TCP/IP host.
If you have trouble connecting with your server running SQL Server over the network, you can use makepipe and readpipe to determine whether named pipes connectivity is the problem. You first start makepipe at a command prompt on the server you want to test. It creates a pipe and then waits for a client to connect. Then you run the readpipe utility from a workstation and try to connect with the server. When testing is complete, you use Ctrl+Break on the server to stop makepipe.