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Sometimes a network and server are functioning poorly and a computer has a hard time auto detecting the Advantage Database Server.  In that case, you will need to create a configuration file to direct the program to the right location on the network.

 

This has been automated by a utility you can run to write the file.  However, you must know the name of the computer where the server resides, the IP address, and the port that the server is monitoring.  

 

To run this utility, on the Tools menu of MasterLink Shop Writer 12, select "ADS Configure" and answer the questions with the following information:

 

Server Name

You will need to know the name of the server.  Usually this will be the computer name that was assigned, and is what appears when finding the computer via "My Network Places"

 

IP Address

On the computer you are setting up, go to a Command Prompt ( usually found on the Accessories group on the Start - All Programs option of Windows ), and type IPCONFIG.  The computer will display the IP address, ie. 192.168.1.100, for your computer.  Type this into the IP Address field on the dialog box.

 

Port

Normally the server will be monitoring port 6262.  This value will display by default, but may be changed if your installer setup the ADS to monitor a different address.

 

If this process does not help, you may need to delete the file ads.ini found in the C:\MLS9c folder.

 

Important Considerations

 

Server IP:

We strongly recommend you set the server to a STATIC ( fixed ) IP address on your network.  It is normal to use 192.168.1.101 on the server.  Then you will be consistent with your ADS.INI file from all machines.   If you use a Dynamic IP, then the server address will be changing  which takes longer to find to establish a connection.  If you do use your server on a Dynamic IP, then you do not want to create an ADS.INI file.

 

Server WAN IP

If you wish to connect to your network from the internet, you will need to have a STATIC IP address for the WAN side.  Your ISP can provide this.   Your server should be connected so it is listening to that address on a port you specify.  

 

In the ADS.INI file, you will want to add the following lines to the ADS.INI file installed on the computer which is used to access via the internet.

 

INTERNET_IP=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx  ( using the actual WAN IP for that server )

INTERNET_PORT=2000