Diagnosing Problems with File Manager® Plug-in

Viewing Error Messages

There are several ways to view connection error messages:

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Connection Problem Diagnostics

Error: ConnectException: Connection timed out: connect or UnknownHostException: <IP address or host name>
Explanation: Incorrect IP or host name
Actions:

Verify entered IP address or host name is reachable from your machine: You can use the ping tool to check whether the IP address is reachable.

  • On a Windows XP machine, click the Start button, click on Run and type ping <IP address or host name> into the field of the run box, then click OK.
  • On a Windows Vista or Windows 7 machine, click the Start button and type ping <IP address or host name> directly into the quick search field at the bottom of the Start menu, then press the Enter key.

Look for messages appearing which start with Reply from <IP address or host name> such messages indicate that the address or host name is reachable from your machine. If you do not see such messages, or if you see Request time out. messages, then you need to speak with your network administrator.

Note that in some cases, IP addresses which are accessible from your machine may not respond to ping if the administrator of the system has disabled this functionality (or network administrator has blocked this, for example using a firewall) - speak with your system administrators and/or network administrators to determine whether this is the case; if it is, using the ping tool will not provide any useful diagnostic information.

Error: ConnectException: Connection refused: connect
Explanation: File Manager® server not installed, incorrectly configured, or not running
Actions:

Verify File Manager® is running on chosen port: If you have the Telnet tool installed, you can use the Telnet tool to attempt to connect to the File Manager® server. To do this on a Windows XP machine, click the Start button, click on Run, type telnet <IP address or host name> <port> into the field of the run box, then click OK. To do this on a Windows Vista or Windows 7 machine, type the same directly into the quick search field at the bottom of the Start menu. If a black window opens and says it is Connecting and then goes blank, the File Manager® server is running on the entered IP address and port. If a black window opens and says it is Connecting and then disappears shortly after, or if you get an error message complaining that Telnet is unknown, cannot be found, or is an invalid command, then the File Manager® server is not running on the entered IP address and port.

Verify File Manager® Configuration is correct: Speak to your mainframe system administrator to verify that the File Manager® server is installed and running correctly on the specified IP address or host name and port number.

Error: CommunicationSecurityException: Invalid authentication credentials
Explanation: Incorrect username and/or password
Actions:

Verify your username and password are correct: Try connecting with another tool or speak to your mainframe system administrator.

Error: NetworkException: Failed to communicate with the server because the server was unable to start your session under your user ID. You may not have the privilege to access the File Manager® server. Please consult your systems administrator.
Explanation: Entered user may not have the privilege to access the File Manager® server
Actions:

Attain the privileges required to access the File Manager® server: Contact your mainframe system administrator to make sure you are authorized to use the File Manager® server, and have your system administrator grant you the privileges required to access the File Manager® server if you are not currently authorized.

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General File Manager® plug-in Problem Diagnostics

If you encounter any problems while using the product, follow the steps below and contact the IBM support team.

  1. Clear your output queue on your mainframe system. This is an optional step, however, this makes retrieval of the correct set of File Manager® host tracing information easier.
  2. Clear the local File Manager® log file. You can open the local log file by selecting Show Log option from the drop down menu of the Systems Information view.
  3. Open the File Manager® general preference page and tick Run IBM File Manager in Debug Mode, click Apply, then click OK.
  4. Close all connections to the system
  5. Reproduce the problematic scenario using as few steps as possible
  6. Close all connections to the system again
  7. Report the problem including a) the description of problematic scenario, b) the local log file, and c) the host tracing (which will be available on your output queue).

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