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What are the Troubleshooting Steps for ANGEL LIVE?

 

Description: Troubleshooting Steps for ANGEL LIVE.

Applicable Version(s): ANGEL, all versions

Date Created: 4/3/06

Last Modified: 4/28/08

Keywords: LIVE, Desktop Sharing, Java, Java Console, Applet, Instant Messenger, Chat, Whiteboard

Diagnosis: This information can be used by ANGEL Administrators when troubleshooting issues related to ANGEL LIVE.

Resolution/Workaround:

The troubleshooting tips are broken out into three different categories. The categories are as follows:


I. System Recommendations

II. Server Configuration

III. Client Browser Initialization

I. System Recommendations

To ensure that LIVE operates optimally, it is important to ensure that the application has been configured in an environment that adheres to system recommendations that ANGEL has identified.

II. Server Configuration

The following utilities are available to the ANGEL Administrator to assist with troubleshooting ANGEL LIVE configuration issues.

  1. LIVE Settings Manager
  2. Test LIVE Port

1. LIVE Settings Manager

The LIVE Settings Manager utility is available to the ANGEL Administrator by clicking on the ‘LIVE Settings Manager’ link located in the Application Settings section in the Administrator’s Menu.

From this page you will find several variables:

  1. LIVE Port. The TCP port Live will use to communicate from the servers running the LIVE service to users. It must be allowed through any NATs and forwarded to the cluster of machines running the LIVE service.


  2. LIVE Desktop Sharing Port. The TCP port desktop sharing will run over. This may be the same as the live port except in load balanced environments with the "simple" connection mode set. In "simple" load balanced environments there must be a single machine hosting desktop sharing. This port must be routed through any NATs to the server running desktop sharing.

    In load balanced environments using the "advanced" connection setting should be the same as the live port.


  3. Maximum number of chat, IM, and whiteboard connections per server. The number of connections to accept per server running the LIVE Service (Ex: If you have 3 servers and set this setting to 1000, you can support a maximum of 3000 concurrent users in chat, IM, and whiteboard).

    Chat, IM, and whiteboard do not generate a relatively great amount of bandwidth (with the exception of large whiteboard sessions and high-res pictures) or CPU usage.


  4. Maximum number of desktop sharing connections per server. Like the previous setting, but for desktop sharing connections. Desktop sharing uses a significantly greater amount of bandwidth, but is not very CPU intensive for controlled user counts.

    A rule of thumb for the amount of bandwidth required is 10 Kb/s (80 kb/s) per viewer.

    A T1 is roughly 1500 kbps, so it can host a maximum of around 20 concurrent users, but it should be set lower to allow room for other bandwidth (Other line speeds: T2 ~ 6000 kbps(75 users), T3 ~ 44000 kbps(550 users)). Note that bandwidth usage is heavily dependant on the type of content being shared.


  5. Client timeout interval in seconds. The amount of time to wait before disconnecting an inactive live user. For instance, the amount of time between a user's network cable becoming unplugged and them getting disconnected. Under extreme circumstances (very slow connections), this should be increased if users are getting disconnected due to inactivity.

    Do not set this value less than 10 seconds or all users may experience connection problems.


  6. Allowed HTML tags in chat and IM. A comma separated list of HTML tags that can be used in chat and IM. Tags not in the list are escaped. Remove tags from the list to restrict what content can be embedded into chat and IM and add tags to give greater openness and flexibility.


  7. ANGEL LIVE database connection string. The connection string for the LIVE database, which is created when ANGEL was installed. This should not need to be modified under most circumstances.


  8. LIVE Connection mode. In simple mode, the LIVE applet connects to the URL of the server the user hit and the load balancer is in charge of distributing traffic among the LIVE servers.

    Simple mode does not require a signed applet, but it does not allow the service to be run over port 80 or for desktop sharing to be load balanced.

    In advanced mode, a list of server IPs are specified, allowing ANGEL to distribute traffic among the LIVE servers. This mode allows for the LIVE service to run under port 80 and load balanced desktop sharing, but requires the LIVE applet to be signed (There is no additional setup for this).

    See the product documentation for more information on configuring ANGEL LIVE.
    1. Simple. Simple mode can be used if the LIVE service is located on the ANGEL server and there is only one ANGEL server (ie. a non-load balanced environment).
    2. Advanced. Enter a list of comma separated IPs or host names which correspond to the servers running LIVE.  These addresses must be external or public addresses which your ANGEL users can access.  If you do not specify these correctly you may receive a Windows popup message with the error:
      "      An error occurred while connecting to the Live server:
      Error: The server {...} is not in the license key on the server {...}. Please notify an administrator."

      *See knowledge base article # 647 for more detail regarding this issue.


  9. Enable ANGEL LIVE. If ANGEL LIVE is disabled, the IM link, Live Chat, and Office Hour nuggets will not be visible. This will effectively disable use of LIVE for your ANGEL instance. Note that the Live service will need to be disabled manually even if this setting is set.
    1. Enable Instant Messenger. 
    2. Use Live Chat (Unchecking will revert to old chat). 
    3. Enable Whiteboard. 
    4. Enable Desktop Sharing.

*Note - It is important to note that certain LIVE Settings require different actions by the user or ANGEL Administrator before taking effect. The possible actions required are as follows.

  • Requires users to log out then back in to see the change.
  • Requires a Live Service reset.
  • Requires an IIS (or Application Pool) reset.

Refer to the legend located at the bottom of the LIVE Settings Manager screen to determine what actions are required to for the appropriate settings to take effect.

2. Test LIVE Port

The Test LIVE Port utility is available to the ANGEL Administrator by first clicking on the ‘LIVE Settings Manager’ link located in the Application Settings section in the Administrator’s Menu then clicking on the ‘Test Live Port’ link located at the top of the Live Settings page.

  1. External Port Checker. This port checker tests your live port from outside your firewall. Use this port checker to test if your firewall is configured correctly and the Live service is working.


  2. Internal Port checker. This port checker tests your live port from inside your firewall. Use this port checker to test if your Live service(s) are configured and running correctly.



III. Client Browser Initialization

When launching the ANGEL LIVE functionality the browser will run through a series of steps. The ANGEL LIVE initialization steps are as follows:


  1. Initializing Javascript
  2. Initialzing JAVA and LiveConnect
  3. Connecting to the ANGEL LIVE Server
  4. Logging in
  5. Initializing interface

With these steps identified you can better isolate the ANGEL LIVE connectivity issue.

1. Initializing Javascript

Step #1 involves the initialization of Javascript for the browser.

If this step make sure that scripting has been enabled for the web browser.

2. Initializing JAVA and LiveConnect

Step #2 performs three different tasks. First, the Java Applet is downloaded. Second, the Java Applet starts. Finally, the LiveConnect module initializes.

  1. Applet downloads. A Java applet is downloaded to the user’s browser from the ANGEL LIVE server. The browser downloads the Applet from an address composed of the URL the user used to access ANGEL along with a relative path.

    Are pop-up blockers enabled?
    The Applet may fail to load if the user has a pop-up blocker enabled in their web browser. The user should disable all pop-up blockers and try again. Many of the popular pop-up blocker applications include Pop-Up Defender and Pop-Up Zapper. In addition, pop-up blocker functionality is included in various internet security, personal firewall, and anti-virus programs. Instruct the user to refer to the vendor’s documentation for more information on how to disable the pop-up blocker.

    Has the SSL Certificate expired?
    The Applet could have problems loading if the SSL certificate has expired. To resolve the issue update the SSL certificate on the webserver.

    Is the SSL Certificate Authority not trusted by the browser?
    Problems could occur if the browser does not trust the certificate authority of the webserver’s SSL certificate. Contact your SSL Certificate provider for more information on how to resolve this problem.

    Firewall issue?
    The firewall may prohibit the Applet’s .jar file from being downloaded from the server to the user’s computer. Identify if there are any firewall rules that may prohibit the Applet’s .jar file from being downloaded.



  2. Applet Starts.  Once the Applet has been downloaded the web browser will start the Java Applet.

    Java disabled?
    If errors occur during this step you will want to first ensure Java has been enabled on the user’s internet browser.

    Old version of Java JRE?
    The user may have an older version of the Sun Java JRE (Java Runtime Environment) installed on their computer. Ensure the user has version 1.4 or newer. If the version is older than 1.4 instruct the user to download the latest versions of the JRE from     http://java.sun.com/j2se/.

    Microsoft JVM enabled?
    The Microsoft JVM is not compatible with ANGEL LIVE. Instruct the user to disable the Microsoft JVM and configure the browser to use Sun’s Java JRE 1.4 or newer available from     http://java.sun.com/j2se/.



  3. LiveConnect initializes.  LiveConnect is a module that lets Java and JavaScript communicate with each other. 

    Older browser?
    Some older browsers by default do not provide support for the LiveConnect module.  This is currently not supported with newer versions of various web browsers on a Mac. For instance, the Firefox, Mozilla or Netscape browsers on a Mac do not have support for the LiveConnect module. If the user has one of these or similar web browser configurations you should instruct them to download the LiveConnect module from     http://javaplugin.sourceforge.net/. 

    Are pop-up blockers enabled?
    It is possible that a browser helper object (BHO) is causing a conflict with the the LiveConnect plug-in. Have the user disable all pop-up blockers on their web browser.

    Where to obtain more information?
    If problems still persist there may be an issue with the Java Applet. More information can be obtained from the user’s Applet by having them open the Java Console window. This is accessible by right-clicking on the Java icon in the system tray (    ), and select Open Console.  The user may view more detail by setting the trace level to “5”. This is set by pressing the number “5” on their keyboard.

3. Connecting to the ANGEL LIVE Server

The client’s Java Applet will now connect to the server.  Possible issues with this step are as follows.

Personal Firewall Configured?

The user’s Personal Firewall may be disallowing the web browser from connecting to the ANGEL LIVE Service over the configured LIVE port. Instruct the user to disable all personal firewall applications that reside on their client computer and have them try again.

Network Port Configuration?

Make sure your firewall, load balancer and server configurations allow connectivity from clients to the port used for LIVE (and the Desktop Sharing application).

ANGEL SYSTEM account?
An administrative account named ‘ANGEL SYSTEM’ is used by LIVE. User identification problems will exist if value ‘ANGEL SYSTEM’ exists in the ACCOUNTS.Username field. If this value exists please modify the record from User Account Manager located in the Administrator’s Menu and have the user(s) try again.

ASCII Characters 1 – 10 in a Section’s Title?
There will be a problem if ASCII characters 1 – 10 are in the titles of any sections. These characters are reserved by LIVE for delimiting purposes. Change the name of the involved section so it does not include the involved ASCII character and have the user(s) try again.

LIVE Service is hung?

If multiple users can connect to LIVE, but they can not send a chat message then the ANGEL LIVE Service is hung. Restart the ANGEL LIVE Service and have the users try again.

4. Logging in

This step will obtain the roster data (individual users and groups) for the LIVE session.

Problems that occur during this step may relate to invalid database records. Notify ANGEL Support if there are problems during this step.

5. Initializing interface

This step only confirms that the previous initialization steps completed successfully. It is unlikely that any errors should be encountered that relate to this step.  However, one issue has been reported.

Web Accelerator?
It has been experienced that this step failed where an Internet Explorer browser was configured to utilize a 'web accelerator' program.  The web accelerator modified the proxy settings for the browser.  Remove the web accelerator to resolve the problem.

Please contact ANGEL Support if you have questions about these ANGEL LIVE troubleshooting steps.

Notes: External KB