SpitFire Help Desk :: Agent gets "Logon Failed. Please check Server using PING test".

Knowledgebase Home

Search the Knowledgebase

Browse by Category

Agent gets "Logon Failed. Please check Server using PING test".

Introduction

Wrong Campaign Number
(the Most Common Reason)

Agent Station Side Issues/Solutions

Wrong Server Address
Duplicate StationID Numbers
Agent Network Issues
Firewall Settings

Server Side Issues/Solutions

Correct Campaign Number
Agent Station Disabled In Campaign

Introduction

The error message you see above occurs when the SpitFire Agent software, at the Agent's station, cannot communicate with the Campaign software on the Dialer. There are a few different reasons this will occur. Some are issues on the Agent's side like the SpitFire Agent software is configured incorrectly or there is a problem with the network settings. Other issues are on the Dialer's Campaign software side like the Campaign is not running, the station number for that Agent is disabled on the Campaign software, etc.

Wrong Campaign Number

THE NUMBER ONE REASON this issue is reported to Support, is that the SpitFire Agent software is set to log into the wrong Campaign number.
There is a drop-down menu in the bottom, right-hand corner of the Agent window that allows the Agent to select which Campaign to log into.

This is useful for being able to run multiple, simultaneous Campaigns on the Dialer and have specific Agents log into specific Campaigns. However, the Agent might have accidentally moved that drop down menu to a Campaign number that is not running, thus making it impossible for the Agent software to log on. Or, the Agent might have been logged into a different Campaign the day before and because the Agent software remembers the last setting for the Campaign number, the Agent would again be logging into the wrong Campaign if they did not remember to change it.

Agent Side Issues/Solutions

If the Campaign number is not the issue, there are a few other things that could be preventing a successful logon from the Agent software.

Wrong Server Address

Open the SpitFire Agent software and press SHIFT+F1 on your keyboard, to bring up the Agent Setup. Click on the Server tab and look at the Server Address.

In this case, the Agent software has been configured to connect to an IP address of 192.168.1.125. If this is incorrect, the SpitFire Agent software will not be able to log on.

Checking the Dialer's IP Address

1. Go to the Dialer/Server, right click on the My Network Places icon and click on Properties.

2. Next, right-click on the Local Area Connection. If there is more than one listed, use the one that is the primary connection and/or is actually connected.

In this case, the Intel Pro/100 is the connection we need to look at.

3. Right-Click on the connection and then click on Properties.

4. Double-click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and look at the IP Address field.

In this case, the Dialer's IP address is not what is in the Agent Setup, in the SpitFire Agent software. The Dialer is 192.168.1.124 and the Agent software has been configured to connect to 192.168.1.125. So the Agent software would not be able to connect to the Campaign on the Dialer.

For non-Static IP Addresses

If the Server/Dialer is not set to a static IP address, you will see Obtain IP address automatically selected.

In this case, you would need to set the SpitFire Agent software to use the Computer Name of the Dialer.
To locate this, right-click on My Computer and click on Properties. Then click on Computer Name. This name needs to be put into the Server Address field of the Agent Setup, referred to under the Wrong Server Address section above.

Duplicate StationID Numbers

Another reason why an Agent would not be able to log onto the Campaign would be if the StationID number at that station is the same as a station that is already logged on. To check the StationID, open the SpitFire Agent software, press SHIFT+F1 on the keyboard and look at the StationID. If it is the same number as a station that is already logged in, that is the problem. Each station should have a unique number in that field that refers to the number of stations that the Dialer is licensed for. So if the Dialer is licensed for 8 Agents, the StationID numbers would be 1 through 8.

Agent Network Issues

If the Agent Station has a problem with the network connection on that computer, this can also prevent the SpitFire Agent software from being able to communicate with the Dialer.
One way to trouble shoot these type of issues is to use certain commands in the Command Prompt. From there you can verify that the network cable is plugged in, that the To get to the Command Prompt, click on Start-->Run, type CMD into that window and click OK.

From here there are a few commands that can be helpful. Type in the following and press ENTER to run.

ipconfig

This can show you a couple of things. First, if the network cable is unplugged or there is a cable or jack problem, you will see "Media State......Media Disconnected".

If the cable and network jacks are functioning, you should see the IP address configuration of the computer.

In this case, the ip address is 192.168.2.129. If you do the same function on the Dialer and get an ip address of a different range, like 192.168.1.xx ,the problem could be that the station is on a different network from the Dialer. The Dialer and the stations must be able to see each other on the network.

ping

Use the Ping command to see if the station can communicate with the Dialer. Enter ping, then the ip address of the Dialer and press ENTER. For instance, ping 192.168.1.125.

In this case, the result of Request timed out indicates that this computer can't communicate with the Dialer and thus neither would the SpitFire Agent software.
If the result was Reply from 192.168.1.125, that would indicate good network communication between the 2 computers.

Firewall Settings

If you have the Windows Firewall enabled or are running a 3rd party application for Firewall protection, please make sure that the SpitFire Agent software is accepted as a trusted application or exception or however the Firewall software refers to an application that should not be blocked from communication. In the Windows Firewal settings, under Exceptions, you should see an entry referring to SpitFire Agent, Spitfire Agent.exe or Agent.exe.

You may also need to manually open the ports your Firewall that the Agent software uses.
The range of TCP ports that are used for communication between the stations and the Dialer are split up by Campaign number and are as follows:

Campaign 1: 2101-2148
Campaign 2: 2201-2248
Campaign 3: 2301-2348
Campaign 4: 2401-2448

Server Side Issues/Solutions

There are some issues on the Server side of the equation that can also prevent an Agent or Agents from being able to log onto a Campaign.

Correct Campaign Number

At the top, left-hand corner of the Campaign window, the Campaign number is visible and should be referenced when telling your Agents which Campaign number to log into.

Agent Station is Disabled in Campaign

In the Campaign window, under the Agents tab is where you can enable or disable Agents. Either because you are splitting Agents up between 2 or more Campaigns or to prevent an Agent from being able to log onto the Campaign.

In the image above, you can see the active Agents are in green and the unselected Agents are yellow. In this example, the Agents with StationID's of 1 and 5-24 would not be able to log onto this campaign.