Troubleshooting Collaboration Issues
Follow these steps if you are having trouble using the
collaboration features. Keep in mind that most collaboration problems are
related to your Internet or ODBC database connection. Try each step in order, then
test it, and proceed to the next step only if your problem is not solved:
1.
Check your basic Internet connection. If your Internet
browser can't access a typical web site, then the collaboration server can't be reached
either. If this is the case, fix your Internet connection. Check with your
Internet Service Provider if necessary to be sure the Internet is currently
accessible to you.
2.
Use your Internet browser to go to www.ancestralquestonline.com/collab/test.asp.
If you cannot browse here or you see an error message, the collaboration server
is probably down for scheduled maintenance. Try again in a few hours.
3.
Check your Collaboration Preferences (Tools menu, Preferences feature,
Collaboration tab) and make sure that 'Never Connect' is NOT selected under
Connection Options, Auto Connect. If collaboration is working but Check In and
Check Out are not behaving as you expect them to, reset both of these
Collaboration Preferences to 'Prompt and let me decide.'
4.
Make sure you are using the latest version of Ancestral Quest 2002 by
going to the Internet menu, then selecting Check for Latest AQ Release. If a
more recent version exists, download and install it.
5.
Download and install the latest Collaboration Setup for Ancestral Quest
2002. This will be listed along with any updates to Ancestral Quest 2002 in
step 4, above. If no Collaboration Setup is listed then you already have it
installed.
6.
If there was nothing to download in steps 4 or 5, repair your current
installation of Ancestral Quest 2002. Go to the Start button on your Windows
taskbar (bottom left corner of the screen), select Control Panel, and then
Add/Remove Programs. Select Ancestral Quest 2002, then click the Change or
Change/Remove button. When prompted, select Repair. If this doesn't solve the
problem, repeat this step for the Collaboration Setup if it is listed. (If
Change/Remove or Repair is not available, uninstall and reinstall the program,
then update it to the most recent version as described in steps 4 and 5.)
7.
If you still see consistent 'ODBC Timeout,' 'Server Not Found,' or
'Unable to connect' errors, you may need to adjust your ODBC database
connection:
a.
If
you use a personal firewall program like Zone Alarm, make sure Ancestral Quest
2002, ODBC, and the SQL driver are allowed to access the Internet.
(Refer to the help file included with your firewall software for
instructions on how to check this.)
b. If
you are behind a standard firewall or use a proxy server, you may have port
1433 blocked. You may also have this problem if you use a satellite modem or
other nonstandard connection. Check with your Internet Service Provider or
network administrator to make sure port 1433 is available. (This is the standard
port for SQL Server database connections.)
c.
If port 1433 is unavailable, the collaboration feature can be
set up to use an alternate port (119). This port is normally assigned to
news servers, so it should be available for your connection. Make this change as
follows:
1)
Go to Control Panel and choose Data Sources (ODBC). It may be located
under a Control panel folder named Administrative Tools.
2)
Select the System DSN tab.
3)
You should see a System Data
Source named AncestralQuest_Server. If you do not, your installation was incomplete or damaged and
needs to be repeated.
4)
Select AncestralQuest_Server and click Configure.
5)
The name of the SQL Server it is connecting to should be
ancestralquestonline.com.
6)
Click the Next button until you see a Client Configuration button or
similar option. It may be located in the middle of the page rather than the
bottom. Click or select it.
7)
Make sure this
connection is configured for TCP/IP (not Named Pipes or any other protocol).
Server alias and server name should both be ancestralquestonline.com. Uncheck the Dynamically Determine Port box
if it is present and enter 119 for the port (instead
of the usual value of 1433). Click OK to leave
Client Configuration. NOTE: This change will only affect your connection to the collaboration server. It
will not affect other programs.
8)
Verify the connection by clicking the button for SQL Server
Authentication and entering aqguest as the Login ID. Leave the password blank.
Step through each of the following pages without changing any settings, then
click Finish. Make sure your Internet connection is active. Then click the Test
Data Source button. You should see a message indicating that your test was
successful.
9)
If this test is not successful, recheck your Internet connection by
browsing to www.ancestralquestonline.com/collab/test.asp.
If the connection is good, try Test Data Source
again. If you can browse to this page but Test Data Source still fails, you
have both ports 119 and 1433 blocked where you are located. This
means you have an extremely restrictive firewall, and you need to talk with
your system administrator. One of these ports must be opened or you may be unable to use Collaboration
from that location.
8.
If you still have a problem at this point, contact Incline Software for further
help ( www.ancquest.com).
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