Troubleshoot

Solutions to common problems when running the FairCom Server

Abstract

This section identifies possible problems and solutions running the FairCom server.

Section	Description
Windows service troubleshooting tips	This section identifies possible problems that may be encountered when using FairCom DB as a Windows service, and ways to diagnose and solve them.
Problems connecting to the FairCom DB service	This section shows possible options for fixing any issues with connecting to the FairCom DB service.
Problems starting the FairCom DB service	This section shows what an error might look like if you encounter problems starting the FairCom DB service and possible solutions.
Problems stopping the FairCom DB service	This sections lists options for solving problems with stopping the FairCom DB service.

Windows

Windows service troubleshooting tips

This section identifies possible problems that may be encountered when using FairCom DB as a Windows service, and ways to diagnose and solve them.

Problems connecting to the FairCom DB service

If client applications are unable to connect to the FairCom DB service, verify that FairCom DB service is running.

If the FairCom DB service is running, check the FairCom DB status log file (CTSTATUS.FCS, typically located in the directory in which the FairCom DB executable resides) for the following information:

Are there any error messages logged to CTSTATUS.FCS?
Is the Server Name displayed in CTSTATUS.FCS the same server name your client applications are using?
Are the protocols displayed in CTSTATUS.FCS the same as those your client applications are using?

To check the current status of the FairCom DB service:

Using sc.exe, run the following (where "ctreeace.exe" is the name of the FairCom DB service).
```
sc query ctreeace.exe
```
Using the Windows Services Control Panel applet, open the Control Panel and select the Services applet.
- If the FairCom DB service is running, the Status field shows Started.
- Otherwise the Status field is blank.

Problems starting the FairCom DB service

If the FairCom DB service fails to start, it returns a service-specific error, and logs a message to the Windows application event log. This information can be used to determine the reason the FairCom server service failed to start. Below is the output of a failed startup when starting the FairCom DB service using FairCom’s SCP. The service-specific error is displayed as the Service Exit code.

Starting the c-tree Server service...

c-treeServer start unsuccessful:

Current State: STOPPED

Win32 Exit:    1066

Service Exit:  6

Checkpoint:    0x0

WaitHint:      0x0

The Table 1, “FairCom's service errors” shows possible service-specific errors returned by the FairCom server service, the corresponding message, and possible causes for each of these errors.

Table 1. FairCom's service errors

Error code	Error message	Possible causes
2	(Varies)	An operating system function call failed. See the event log for a detailed error message.
4	The FairCom DB settings file is missing. It is required to operate this server.	FairCom DB service requires a settings file, but it was not found.
5	The current settings file are invalid.	FairCom DB requires a settings file, and the settings file that was found was not valid. Contact your application developer for assistance.
6	FairCom DB must be activated with a FairCom activation key to operate, see the FairCom DB activation key card within your package for more information.	FairCom DB has not yet been activated.

Use the Windows Event Viewer to list events reported by the FairCom DB service:

Start the Event Viewer.
Select the Application log option from the Log menu.
Events logged by the FairCom DB service have the Source field set to the service name (“c-treeACE Database Engine" or "c-treeEDGE Database Engine" by default).
Double-click an event to display the event detail.

Event Viewer displays events that are logged by the FairCom DB service

Linux

FairCom server not running

If your server quits immediately after you try to launch it, you may already have a server running in the background with the same port settings. Or you may have another application already using ports required by the FairCom server, see Configure ports for FairCom DB server V12.0 through V12.5.

Important

The evaluation version of the product times out after three hours and shuts down the server. Therefore, the server needs to be restarted every three hours.

Problems stopping the FairCom DB service

If you are unable to stop the FairCom DB service:

Check the event log for an error message.
Check for error messages in the FairCom DB status log file (CTSTATUS.FCS, typically located in the directory in which FairCom DB executable resides).
FairCom’s ctadmn utility (provided with the FairCom server) can also be used to stop the FairCom DB service.

Problem: Web browser cannot connect to locally running FairCom Server

Figure 1. Error

The error that is received when there are issues connecting to FairCom's browser-based applications

Solution: Use `127.0.0.1` instead of `localhost`

Tips for using 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost:

To test FairCom database web tools use use http://127.0.0.1:8080/ or https://127.0.0.1:8443/ instead of http://localhost:8080/ or https://localhost:8443/.
It is best practice to use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost to ensure you connect to your local computer because localhost does not work reliably in some languages, such as Python. Also, your computer's hosts files and/or DNS settings may be configured to redirect the localhost domain name to another computer besides your local computer.
If you use 127.0.0.1 you do not have to worry about the behavior of localhost and the hosts file.
If you want to verify how your hosts file modifies the behavior of localhost, you can open it in any editor to see what IP address it maps to localhost.
In Windows, the hosts file is located in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc.
By default, it uses DNS to map localhost. Your DNS server typically maps localhost to 127.0.0.1, but it can map it anywhere and this can cause problems.
In Linux, the hosts file is located in the /etc folder.
By default, Linus maps localhost to 127.0.0.1.