The target principal name is incorrect. Cannot generate SSPI context.

Preparing to do an Active Directory Migration using Active Directory Migration Tool. As part of the works, required to have a SQL Server 2008 R2 Express instance for the ADMT database to sit.

During the build, continue to get the following error:

The target principal name is incorrect. Cannot generate SSPI context.

Image 1: SSPI Context Error

This error usually occurs because of Kerberos authentication issues when using a Service Account as the Database Engine Service Account instead of NT AUTHORITY\Local Service.

To resolve, we need to set the Service Principal Name (SPN) for the Service Account. Run the below command in an elevated Command Prompt window:

SETSPN -A MSSQLSvc/<ServerName>\<InstanceName> <Domain>\<Database Engine Service Account>

For Example:

SETSPN –A MSSQLSvc/TST1ADM01\ADMT TEST\svc_admt_db

To confirm that the SPN has been set, run the following command:

SETSPN -L <Domain\ServiceAccount>

Confirm that the SPN listed earlier shows in the results.