sp_testlinkedserver (Transact-SQL)
Applies to: 
SQL Server
Tests the connection to a linked server. If the test is unsuccessful, the procedure raises an exception with the reason of the failure.
Transact-SQL syntax conventions
Syntax
sp_testlinkedserver [ @servername ] = servername
[ ; ]
Arguments
[ @servername = ] N'servername'
The name of the linked server. @servername is sysname, with no default.
Result set
None.
Permissions
No permissions are checked. However, the caller must have the appropriate login mapping.
Examples
The following example creates a linked server named SEATTLESales, and then tests the connection.
USE master;
GO
EXEC sp_addlinkedserver 'SEATTLESales', N'SQL Server';
GO
EXEC sp_testlinkedserver SEATTLESales;
GO