Once again, after a server reboot we get Login Error: Can’t connect to server: invalid name or server not reachable on our clients. Running Openfire 4.5.2 and Spark 2.5.8. On the server services has Openfire running. Furthermore, I can run Spark on the server; just not on the clients. This happens with frustrating regularity, several times over the last couple of years. Sometimes rebooting the server twice miraculously gets it to work but not this time. When I click on the Openfire Server icon on the desktop of the server, the window does not open. What I really need is someone who could remote in and help me…happy to pay someone for their services. My IT guy refuses to help me with Spark so I am on my own with it and I just do not have the time or expertise to troubleshoot things except on the most basic level.
Hi Mark, sorry to hear you’re running into this. On first glance, it would appear that when rebooting, the server is getting a different network address than what the computers running Spark are trying to use. Maybe DHCP issues a new IP address for the server, and client computers have an old DNS entry cached?
We do have a number of professional supporters (full disclosure: I’m listed there myself) that offer exactly what you’re asking for: someone that you can hire to diagnose your issues.
I would be happy to be able to have you help us out. Which one is yours on the list?
GoodBytes
Thanks. I sent an email to you thru GoodBytes.
For posterity: the issue was resolved by adding the Openfire service to the list of apps that the Windows firewall would allow inbound connections for, on the host that was running Openfire.
What I can’t explain is how this worked without this being the case (which it obviously was), and why rebooting the server would affect availability on-and-off again. @speedy, @wroot - thoughts?
Instead of adding a service you could add an inbound rule to allow traffic on TCP 5222 port in Windows Firewall. I suspect when Openfire was started first time via launcher it showed the Windows Firewall popup asking whether traffic for this new Java based app should be allowed and somebody chose Yes. So Openfire.exe probably was already allowed. As they have updated Openfire, service was installed and started and when it started before the launcher it took over the database and then server was unreachable. That would assume that somehow launcher was still able to start faster after a restart of a server. Maybe it was/is in Windows Startup folder. But that would create database lock issues. So, hard to say. Maybe someone was then stopping the service and running the launcher and then it was available again. But i think it is linked to Openfire.exe being allowed through that popup at some point long time ago.
Thank you again Guus for helping me figure this out. Would certainly recommend you and your GoodBytes.com for any help needed with Openfire and Spark.