Connection Manager and password reset

mmonaghan · Post by **mmonaghan** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 8:32 pm

Alex,

Its how Connection Manager works

Please explain that to Connection Manager.

I've tried it several ways and only my matching paths work. Anything that is only at the device level (ie \\10.2.0.1\c$ <-device level) ignores the Connection Manager and will never connect unless I put the account and password on the test edit dialog. It is of course possible I'm doing something wrong.

Don't worry about slash, Connection Manager understands -

I understand that internally it is matching them regardless of the trailing slash. My point is this is confusing to the average user that doesn't understand this being "digested" by the program and displayed per internal formatting rules. Consistancy will cut down on a lot of confusion. I spent 10 minutes on this trying to see if it was part of the problem.

Do you mean you have UNC test that checks "\\10.2.0.30\c$\" and Connection Manager has record for "\\10.2.0.30\c$" but Connection Manager did not try to establish connection?

Exactly. Anything at the device level seems to get skipped. And just so I don't cause more confusion here's the levels I'm using to describe:

Code: Select all

\\10.2.0.1\c$\a\path\to\somewhere\

    \\10.2.0.1\ is the host
    \c$\ is the device
    \a\path\to\somewhere\ is of course the path

1) HostMonitor tries to connect to remote system using specified account.
2) if Windows returns ERROR_SESSION_CREDENTIAL_CONFLICT error code and "Reconnect if necessary" option is set, HostMonitor tries to drop current connection and establish new one.

Let me see if I understand the entire process...

Code: Select all

Try test
if autherror then
  find matching URL in Connection Manager (or sub path of URL)
  if found then
    if testtype is enabled for this connection then
      select
        case (connected to host) and (okay to reconnect)
          Disconnect from host
          Attempt to reconnect
          If success then re-run test
          else log error
          exit select        
        case (connected to host) and (not okay to reconnect)
          log error
          exit select        
        case (not connected to host)
          Attempt to reconnect
          If success then re-run test
          else log error
        exit select        
      end select
    end if
  end if
end if

I think this is failing on the macthing... That would be the most common problem that is associated with all the indicators here. User error would be a very close contender.

Not exactly. I found this problem as well and investigate it using debugger and sniffer. Connection Manager calls Windows API using account that you have specified (I am 100% sure, I checked it again and again). But in many cases WINDOWS uses current user account!!! Why? I don't have any idea.

Which API call are you making? There are a bunch in there and if memory serves me correctly several of them are "obsolete per MS". If you'll let me know which one you're calling I'll see if I can find a referece to it..

One more thing... I've been very tired the last few days. If my posts are coming across as harsh, upset, or anything else negative it's just my lack of sleep. I still think host monitor is the best thing going and you do a great job on the program and the support! I'd never considered a thing like the connection manager, but now that I see it <big grin> I MUST HAVE IT!!! <lol>

Mike

Marcus · Post by **Marcus** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 2:47 am

Let me see if I understand the entire process...

If your code is correct, it will never use the account specified in the Connection Manager, so I think the first line should be the check to the Connection Manager for an existing account:

Code: Select all

find matching URL in Connection Manager (or sub path of URL) 
  if found then 
    if testtype is enabled for this connection then 
       
       <...>

    end if
  end if
try test

But I blame it on your lack of sleep

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 4:30 pm

Please explain that to Connection Manager.

I spoke to Connection Manager, it promised work better.
There is update at www.ks-soft.net/download/hm440d.zip

Let me see if I understand the entire process...

Not exactly.
There is more close algorithm

Code: Select all

if Text.ConnectAs
   connect (using username&password)
else
  find matching URL in Connection Manager (or sub path of URL) that allowed for specified test type
  if found then 
     result = connect
     if (result=connected_under_other_account) and reconnect_if_necessary then
       drop connection
       result = connect
     end if
     if result<>Ok then log_error     
  end if 
end if
try test

Which API call are you making? There are a bunch in there and if memory serves me correctly several of them are "obsolete per MS". If you'll let me know which one you're calling I'll see if I can find a referece to it..

WNetAddConnection2
This function not marked as obsolete

One more thing... I've been very tired the last few days. If my posts are coming across as harsh, upset, or anything else negative it's just my lack of sleep.

Don't worry, I understand you very well. I am sick last days.

Regards
Alex

mmonaghan · Post by **mmonaghan** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 8:06 pm

Marcus

If your code is correct, it will never use the account specified in the Connection Manager, so I think the first line should be the check to the Connection Manager for an existing account:

If I understand correctly in your situation Connection Manger never will because the account on the local HM machine has an account with enough privlidge.

In my situation Connection Manager should kick in. I'm testing remote systems across a VPN link. The account HM is running under locally doesn't exist on the remote networks. They are completely seperate networks. So I'll always get an auth error. Previously I was having to add HM to each test for remote networks.

mmonaghan · Post by **mmonaghan** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 9:26 pm

Alex,

I spoke to Connection Manager, it promised work better.

You should have been a linguist!

Before the update I had to have the user name and password in each test. Connection Manager wouldn't "kick in and my connection list therefore looked like this.

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Status       Local     Remote                    Network

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK                     \\10.2.0.31\c$            Microsoft Windows Network
OK                     \\10.2.0.31\c$\temp       Microsoft Windows Network
OK                     \\10.2.0.31\d$            Microsoft Windows Network
OK                     \\10.2.0.31\g$            Microsoft Windows Network
The command completed successfully.

After the update I was able to remove the user name and password from each test and Connection Manager kicked in. Here's the connection list for the hosts involved.

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Status       Local     Remote                    Network

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK                     \\10.2.0.31\IPC$          Microsoft Windows Network
The command completed successfully.

Well isn't that nice. Connection Manager is authenticating against IPC$ and saving me from having all those connections hanging out. It works and it is thriftier about it too!!

Alex you must have made a good arguement because connection manager listened!

A few realted items that need checking.

I had a strange occurrance...

My testing procedure:

1. disabled 3 tests for a single host (10.2.0.30 - All UNC tests c$, d$, g$)
2. net use "connection used by tests" /delete (to remove the valid connection - repeated to kill all connections to that host)
3. edit test to disable account check on 2 of 3 and removed the account and password off the 3rd only (oops).
4. Enabled test
5. Tests 1 and 2 worked, test 3 didn't
6. Checked Net use and found that 1 & 2 were connected to the UNC path, not IPC$. Test 3 had no connection.
7. I looked at the tests and noticed that for 1 & 2 I just unchecked the account/password check box (account and name were there but grayed out). On 3 I had removed the account and password text. Connection Manager did log an auth error 3 times. My theory was I put in the password wrong in Connection Manager.
8. disabled 3 tests again
9. net use /delete again
10. Changed the password in Connection Manager for the host
11. Tested again and all worked fine. This time net use shows only the IPC$ connection and all the tests worked.
12. disabled 3 tests again
13. net use /delete again
14. Changed the password to "wrong password" in Connection Manager.
15. Deleted the account and password in tests 1 & 2.
15 All test fail and connection manager logs three auth errors.

So it would seem that when the test couldn't connect it then tried connection manager and when that failed it used the account and password from the tests. The problem with this theory is that I can't recreate it no matter what I try. As you can tell from above I did take good notes.

If I recreate this I'll post the procedure.

One more minor item. Take a peek at the tab order in the Connection Manger! It's a bit loopy.

Thanks for the update. I hope you feel better soon!

Mike
Connection Manger addict at large

mmonaghan · Post by **mmonaghan** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 9:47 pm

Another issue...

I have a Linksys Gigadrive. It does SMB auth, but it does not take a domain. When I put it in Connection Manager it fails because I must put a Domain in. The Linksys doesn't know what to do with it so it fails.
Here's what I tried...

In Connection Manager
\\192.168.99.30\, server1, user,pass,reconnect, check unc
Connected via IPC$ using Connection Manager, this apparently worked, but the test failed for UNC \\192.168.99.30\common with result:"The specified passwork is not correct."

\\192.168.99.30\common, server1, user,pass,reconnect, check unc
No connection was reported via net use.
The test failed for UNC \\192.168.99.30\common with result:"The specified passwork is not correct." The CM log reports [3/26/2004 10:37:09 PM] Sys Resource: \\192.168.99.30\common Login: admin@server1 Connection error #86: The specified network password is not correct.

Putting the user and password back in the test works fine. I'm betting this is failing due to the domain requirement.

Mike
Connection Manager Addict

mmonaghan · Post by **mmonaghan** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 9:56 pm

One more...

I deleted \\192.168.99.30 from connection manager and it gave the error "Invalid Pointer Operation" and HM closed (stopped). I restarted the program and deleted \\192.168.99.30 again. This time it worked. I entered and exited the Connection Manager dialog a few more times and didn't get a problem. I entered, added, exited, reentered, deleted, and exited CM two times and got the Invalid Pointer error again. When I reentered CM again HM closed. Rebooting made no difference.

Mike
Bug finder at large

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 6:23 pm

I deleted \\192.168.99.30 from connection manager and it gave the error "Invalid Pointer Operation"

Any address in the message?

Regards
Alex

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 6:45 pm

I have a Linksys Gigadrive. It does SMB auth, but it does not take a domain.
...
Putting the user and password back in the test works fine. I'm betting this is failing due to the domain requirement.

Yeah, it could be.
You may try update www.ks-soft.net/download/hm441.zip

Regards
Alex

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 6:52 pm

So it would seem that when the test couldn't connect it then tried connection manager and when that failed it used the account and password from the tests.

HostMonitor doesn't.
But may be Windows connects by itself

Take a peek at the tab order in the Connection Manger! It's a bit loopy.

You don't like images?

Regards
Alex

mmonaghan · Post by **mmonaghan** » Mon Mar 29, 2004 8:25 pm

I'm going to try to hit all of these in one message...

As for Host Monitor conecting with the "disabled" account and password I haven't been able to recreate that. When you exhaust all possible causes it must be "User Error 1: User skiped a step of the process that made him think this occurred as imagined".

Take a peek at the tab order in the Connection Manger! It's a bit loopy.
You don't like images?

The images are great. The tab order (tabbing between fields) is all over the place.

Re Linksys not accepting the domain field:

You may try update www.ks-soft.net/download/hm441.zip

Note it still requires me to enter the domain field and it still throws the error when validating via the Connection Manager. Maybe if the domain was optional. Will the API accept a Null or Zero Length String here?

I deleted \\192.168.99.30 from connection manager and it gave the error "Invalid Pointer Operation"
Any address in the message?

Oddly no. The message is titled "HostMonitor", says "Invalid pointer operation." and has an "OK" button. Spelling, spacing, Caps, etc were preserved.

In 4.41 it has changed some. For example when I installation 4.41 this is the sequence I went through:

1. Start HM
2. Click Profiles | Connection Manger
3. Select record to delete
4. Click Delete Icon
5. Select OK
--- Invalid pointer operation - HM closes ---
6. Restart HM
7. Click Profiles | Connection Manger
8. Verify record is gone (it was)
9. Click OK
10. Click Profiles | Connection Manger
--- HM Closes - No error message ---
11. Restart HM
12. Click Profiles | Connection Manger
13. Click Cancel
--- Invalid pointer operation - HM continues running ---

It seems this is releated to the entering and exiting of the Connection Manager dialog.

I moved the HM installation to another machine and the error does not occur there. It is possible that this is machine specific. Is there any information you're interested in? Would you like a screen shot of the message E-Mailed?

Mike

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Tue Mar 30, 2004 10:35 pm

Note it still requires me to enter the domain field and it still throws the error when validating via the Connection Manager. Maybe if the domain was optional. Will the API accept a Null or Zero Length String here?

Yes, it still requires domain/server name. But if value of this field coincide with server name from UNC field (e.g. server=192.168.1.1, UNC=\\192.168.1.1\c$), HostMonitor will not use domain form of authentication, just sends simple login name and password.
What parameters do you have?

I moved the HM installation to another machine and the error does not occur there. It is possible that this is machine specific.

Hard to say. I was able to reproduce this error but exception generates outside of HostMonitor's code. So, we need more time to find out what's wrong.

The images are great. The tab order (tabbing between fields) is all over the place.

Don't see anything wrong. May be we have different taste or rather different screen resolution. Could you send screen shot to support@ks-soft.net?

Regards
Alex

Marcus · Post by **Marcus** » Wed Mar 31, 2004 5:41 am

The original problem still exists: HostMonitor uses it's startup credentials to connect to the remote machine. Should I wait or is there a way to force HostMonitor to use the account given in the Connection Manager?

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 1:08 am

To Marcus:

We cannot correct this problem because its not HostMonitor's problem.

Not exactly. I found this problem as well and investigate it using debugger and sniffer. Connection Manager calls Windows API using account that you have specified (I am 100% sure, I checked it again and again). But in many cases WINDOWS uses current user account!!! Why? I don't have any idea.

Regards
Alex

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 1:16 am

The message is titled "HostMonitor", says "Invalid pointer operation." and has an "OK" button. Spelling, spacing, Caps, etc were preserved.

Finally I found it. There is update at www.ks-soft.net/hostmon.eng/hm441.zip

Regards
Alex