{"id":820,"date":"2019-07-19T11:51:04","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T18:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/portal.staylinked.com\/sl\/kb\/?post_type=ht_kb&p=820"},"modified":"2020-09-18T10:56:49","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T17:56:49","slug":"err-host-timeout","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/portal.staylinked.com\/sl\/kb\/knowledge-base\/err-host-timeout\/","title":{"rendered":"Err: Host Timeout!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

StayLinked users may sometimes see the message \u201cError: Host Timeout!\u201d displayed. This message represents a lapse in network connectivity while trying to connect to the StayLinked server. This is expected on occasion in a typical environment since RF connections can be notorious for dropping the occasional packet. Devices that are unable to connect are also discussed, along with the various symptoms and solutions. If your users are getting this error frequently, this article will provide some details about the StayLinked handshake transactions, the tools available to identify the issue, and some possible scenarios and resolutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Connection Process<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The StayLinked handshake process is an exchange of four packets. This connection is explained in more detail in the above article link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diagnostics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Several tools are discussed in this section. The ping and tracert tools are available with many typical network devices. The diagnostics available within StayLinked to troubleshoot network difficulties include; echo test, radio stats, and log files. Additional diagnostics may be available as part of your infrastructure equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Echo Test<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The echo test will run through 200 transactions, displaying various statistics in real time. The echo test is available with each StayLinked client and is available by selecting echo test from the tools menu while the client is connected to an active session. This is explained in more detail in the above artilce link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ping <\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This program uses the Internet Control Message\nProtocol (ICMP) to check-in with the target IP address and return a response\ntime. This utility is available in most StayLinked clients and commonly within\nradio and network configuration programs available on most devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a typical ping, the results will be\ndisplayed in the number of milliseconds that the packet took to make the round\ntrip to the destination and back. Lower numbers are better and excessively high\nresults will result in sluggish or unreliable connectivity. A typical wired\nnetwork will return results of less that 10ms. Consistent results of less than\n50ms should not be noticed by the terminal user. Results of 200ms or more may\nseem to hesitate or pause during transactions. Regular results in excess of\n500ms will result in noticeably poor performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the results say \u2018Host Unreachable\u2019, no route\nwas available to make the round trip or the packets were dropped before the\nround trip could complete. Occasional dropped packets will be mostly unnoticed\nby a terminal user, while regular packet loss will cause poor performance with\nany network dependant application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the results report \u2018Unable to Resolve\u2019, the address was entered incorrectly, the name used was not listed in the name server, or the name server was not reachable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracert<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Similar to the ping utility, the tracert command is available on any typical network computer. This utility will report each step or \u2018hop\u2019 between the source and target system. When poor response times are affecting network performance, the tracert tool can help identify if a particular hop is causing the delays. Tracert will return response times in milliseconds similar to ping, which responses listed for each step along the path from source to destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Stats<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Radio Status dialogue is available from the tools or diagnostics menu of most StayLinked clients. This dialogue displays the device\u2019s current IP address, the hardware address of the currently associated access point, and other useful radio information. When the device roams from one access point to another, the radio stats dialogue will sound an audible beep and display the updated access point hardware address. This can be very helpful in diagnosing issues that are geographical in nature. The information displayed will vary by manufacturer as they provide different levels of information to third party applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Logging<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The device will always record a client log, but\nthe server has several logging options available. The depth of logging can be\nconfigured in the Server Settings section of the Administrator console. Each\nlogging level will include the logs listed above it. Several logs can be\ncreated that are not listed, but would have little use to resolve a host\ntimeout issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please forward all log files to the StayLinked support team for review. Some of the annotations in the log files may be misleading without proper training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client Specific Logs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Session<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

All session related information including server\/client versions, display dimensions, telnet host, keyboard map, device info, and tap spots. This file also includes a complete transaction record between the StayLinked server and telnet host.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handler\/Protocol<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Record of network addresses involved in the connection, NAT relationships, encryption processing, client settings, device management, client software updates, software provisioning, and device group selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socket\/IP Traffic<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Record or transaction sequencing, timestamps and synchronizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Server Level Logs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Manager Log<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

General server information including Java statistics, termination of sessions, reconnections to existing sessions, and the total number of sessions in use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statistics<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

General protocol performance information, grouped by the configured interval. This is set in the server settings dialogue and will take several hours to generate any valuable data. An interval of one hour or more is suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The general rules related to logging include:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
  • Start a new StayLinked session after the logging\noptions are selected. Existing sessions will continue to use the settings as\nthey were when the session was started. To create a new StayLinked session, you\nmust answer Y to the Quit Session dialogue on the device, or terminate the\nsession from the administrator.<\/li>
  • Set encryption to none to make the logging\nresults record in plain text. Encrypted logs can be difficult to read.<\/li>
  • Logging will default to 1MB per log file per\ndevice (making 3MB per device when sessions, handler and protocol logs are\nrecorded), and should be used only when tracking down an issue with technical\nsupport.<\/li>
  • When gathering the client log, be sure to gather\nall other logs first or the transfer of the client log will be recorded. This\ncan sometimes cause the log file to roll over, deleting the transactions you\nare trying to diagnose.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Troubleshooting Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    This issue can have a wide range of causes, most of which\nare easily eliminated with a few quick tests. Since this is a network related\nissue, is recommended that it is diagnosed with the network structure in mind. When\ntroubleshooting this issue, it is important to know how many devices are\naffected. If a single device is unable to connect, the issue is most likely\nrelated to the configuration of that device. As the scope increases, broader\nportions of the network geography become more suspect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It is also important to note how often the issue occurs. If\nthe device(s) can never establish a connection, the issue is probably different\nthan one in which devices are able to connect 9 out of 10 attempts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Situations in which the server and devices were proven to work but are no longer able to connect are best resolved to finding the variable that has changed. A device that was once working will typically have the correct configuration. Some devices may be \u2018clean booted\u2019 restoring them to factory defaults. Third party persistence managers may also change settings during a \u2018cold boot\u2019 that changes the network or StayLinked server address to an incorrect setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Confirm Device Settings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    When a limited number of devices are involved, the\nfirst step is to confirm that the device(s) are correctly configured. The\ndevices should show an active network connection, have a valid network address,\nbe configured to connect to the correct server address and port, and have a\nvalid route to the server and back again. This is easily tested with a ping to\nthe server address. Since the devices will be \u2018speaking\u2019 StayLinked, they should\nconnect to the StayLinked server default port of 3006 and not the standard\ntelnet port of 23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you network uses firewalls, protocol or port restrictions, or network address translation (NAT), you may need to review the StayLinked Secure Communications Guide to properly configure these devices for StayLinked. Among the client downloads is a brief support guide for each device type. This guide has limited directions for network configuration and is not a substitute for the manufacturer document for your device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Server Process is Running<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The second step is to make sure that the server\ncan accept connections. This is easily tested by starting a new session on\nanother device or at the administrator interface. To start a console session,\nright click on the word connections in the left pane of the administrator and\nselect \u2018Start Console Session\u2019. If the administrator and other devices are\nunable to connect, make sure the server process is running. If existing devices\nare operating normally, but new additional devices are unable to start a new\nsession, you should contact StayLinked technical support for assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Information about starting the StayLinked server process and the server requirements can be found in the installation guide for your server operating system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fixed Port Range and Firewalls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Secured networks that\nare using port and\/or protocol restrictions must allow port 3006 plus at least\none unique port for each connection. Configured in the Server Settings\ndialogue, the fixed port range option allows the StayLinked Server to request\nsequential ports from a specific pool. Without this setting, the Server process\nwill request a random port assignment from the server operating system. Servers\nthat grow over time may need to revisit this configuration to allow for increases\nin licensing.  The StayLinked Server will\nbe unable to open new ports if the range is too small for existing licensing,\nresulting in the \u201cErr:Host Timeout!\u201d message on Client devices. Multi-session\nlicensing can allow for up to ten sessions per license, while single session\nlicenses will need only one port per licensed seat. It is also recommended that\na few extra ports are provided in case network devices require ports within the\nrange that cannot be used by StayLinked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Some network devices have been\nobserved interfering with high sequenced port numbers. This means that\nconfiguring a fixed port range may affect packet delivery even if you are not\nusing a firewall or port filtering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No matter what reason, always be sure that you have enough ports within your range for each possible emulation session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Instructional Video: Set a Client Fixed Port Range<\/h4>\n\n\n\n