TCP/IP Connections

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This test lets you diagnose WinSock TCP/IP connectivity between the client and the server. This test checks the network, not the Interbase server or client software configuration.

To run a TCP/IP diagnostic:

1. Enter the name of an InterBase server (the unique name by which a computer on which InterBase has been installed is known on a network) in the "Host" - input box.
2. Choose a service name or number from the dropdown Service list. See Ping for details of the ping service.
3. Click Test, and review the output in the Result window.

Notes:

• Internet hostnames consist of an ASCII string, e.g. "wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk" which, consists of a local part (wombat) and a domain name (doc.ic.ac.uk). The hostname is translated into an Internet address either via the /etc/hosts file, NIS or by the Domain Name System (DNS) or resolver. It is possible for one computer to have several hostnames (aliases) though one is designated as its canonical or real name.
• InterBase clients must specify the server by name, not by IP address. Therefore, the client must be able to resolve the hostname of a server. For TCP/IP, this is done either by maintaining a hosts file on the client with the mappings of hostnames to IP addresses, or by the client querying a DNS server or WINS server to resolve this mapping. Make sure the name server has a correct entry for the server host in question.
• If the database server is behind a software or hardware firewall, all network traffic may be restricted and the client may not be able to reach the server at all.
• If the server process on the server has not started, there will be no response to attempts to connect to the gds_db service.
• The services file must have correct entries to indicate the port number associated with the named service gds_db, This configuration must be accessible on the client as well as the server.

Possible error messages and corresponding actions

• If the error message is "Failed to find named port", then check your services file to be sure there is an entry for gds_db in the form: gds_db 3050/tcp.
• If the error message is "Failed to connect to the host", then check

• Hostname, port 3050
• The server to make sure it is installed properly, is running, and is configured for TCP/IP.

• If the error message is "Failed to resolve hostname", then check

• Hostname
• Your hosts file or DNS to be sure it has an entry for the server
• That you used a hostname and not an IP address.

• If the error message is "Unavailable database", then check whether the InterBase server is running; the server must be running before attempting a database connection.