Resource Dynamics, Inc.

Tele-Support HelpDesk Hot Tips

Problem:

I receive an "EFatalConfigurationError: Tele-Support Helpdesk has encountered a configuration issue and will now close. Unable to login to the contact manager. Catastrophic failure Please verify that you have correctly configured Tele-Support Helpdesk's connection to the contact manager" when logging into HelpDesk conncted to Goldmine.

Possible Resolutions:

This is a generic error in Goldmine and can have a number of causes. Some of the more common causes of this error are discussed below.

1) GoldMine Hasn't Been Run Once - Be sure that GoldMine has been run at least once on the workstation in question and that it functions properly on its own.  Note that if Goldmine will not run on the workstation in question properly and connect to the central database, then neither will HelpDesk.

2) Invalid Goldmine Username or Password - Verify that the Goldmine username and password as configured in the "users and departments" section of the HelpDesk configuration utility is correct for the user in question.

3) Running Out of Date Goldmine Build - Be sure that you are running the latest build of GoldMine available for your version.

4) Running Out-Of-Date HelpDesk Build - Be sure that you are ruinning the latest build of your HelpDesk version by running the HelpDesk Quick Update utility.

.5) Verify the System Properties - Select My Computer, right click select properties, click on Advanced, click on environment Variables, locate and select the PATH for system variables, copy and paste into NotePad.  Verify the path to the contact manager is present, if not, go to end of string, add semicolon and the path name in UNC format, save , copy, paste back into the path value.  This needs to be for each client workstation and server.

6) Path to GM.INI File Not Globally-Accessible - If using Goldmine 5.X - 6.X SQL or Goldmine 7 (CE) or later, verify that the path to the GM.INI file as specified in the contact manager settings of your Helpdesk configuration utility is pointing to a globally-accessible path that can be accessed exactly as specified by all users. For example, the UNC  path "\\SERVER\Goldmine\GM.ini" would normally be globally-accessible while a path such as "C:\Goldmine\GM.ini" normally would not be, as it points to a local drive that would not be the same for all clients.

7) Path to GM*S32.DLL Not Listed in System Paths - Do a search on your local workstation's files and folders for "gm*s32.dll" and note where the applicable files are located ("C:\Windows\System32" and "C:\Program Files\Goldmine" are two of the more common locations). Verify that a valid path to teh containing directory of these files is included in the environment variable "path". This is accessed by right-clicking on "My Computer," selecting "properties," clicking on the "Advanced Tab" and clicking on "Environment Variables."

8) Wrong License File Being Used - If your Goldmine installation is corporate edition (V. 7)  and, as such, offers the ability for offline synchronization, verify that the contact manager connection configuration is pointing to the correct Goldmine files path and is pointing to the correct Goldmine lic file. With Goldmine CE, there are multiple license files, one of which is used for off-line access.  Make sure you are not pointing / connecting to the off-line license file. Updating this field to the correct UNC to the remote Goldmine license key should fix this problem.

9) Outdated Build of GM7S32.dll (Goldmine CE/7.0 or Later ONLY) - Even if your Goldmine build from "Help" -> "About" indicates that it is up-to-date, the GM7S32.dll file used for third-party API connections could be out-of-date. Do a file search on your client for "gm*s32.dll" to return all applicable Goldmine API DLL files. For any "gm7s32.dll" results returned, verify that the build number(s) is 7.0.61201 or later. Note also that if you have any previous version gm*s32.dll files (such as gm5s32.dll or gm6s32.dll), it would be advisable to remove these from the system as well to eliminate any potential confusion between the DLLs.

ADVANCED (Goldmine CE) we recommend that a person with experience attempt this advanced trouble shooting tip.

9) Determined that (a) the system directory as specified in his gm.ini file is pointing to a local path rather than to a UNC path. After changing this, check workstations to see if resolved. The second issue may be that (b) you do not have the correct path to the Goldmine gm7s32.dll file listed as an environment variable path (right-click on My Computer, select advanced, click on Evironment Variables, select "paths") on several machines due to various reasons (renaming Goldmione folder, improper installation, etc). after correcting these paths, may resolve the issue

If the above steps do not resolve the issue, further troubleshooting may be required. In order to troubleshoot issues with Goldmine, please be prepared to provide the following information to our support team:

• What is the HelpDesk build number from the "Help" -> "About" or logon screen?
• What is the specific version number of the Goldmine that you are using?
• Is this a SQL or dBase Version of Goldmine?
• Has Goldmine been run at least once on this system?
• Does Goldmine seem to be working properly?
• Is the problem repeatable?
• What specific steps were taken to generate the problem?
• What Error message (if any) is being generated?
• Has the user been able to do this before without a problem, or has this never worked properly?
• Does this only occur when both HelpDesk and Goldmine are running simultaneously.
• If working previously, what changes were made to the system since the last time it worked properly?
• Does this issue seem to be specific to a single HelpDesk or Windows user?
• Does there seem to be a pattern to the problem?
• What are the Goldmine "Goldmine Files" and "Contact Files" paths, as specified in the "system" section of the "Help" -> "About" screen in Goldmine?
• What are the Goldmine paths specified in your HelpDesk configuration?
• Can the client workstation access the Goldmine paths exactly as specified in the HelpDesk configuration utility through Windows Explorer?
• Is Goldmine installed locally on this system or is it being run over the network?

IMPORTANT..before making ANY changes to your system, please ensure you have a complete backup.  Above are ONLY suggestions that hold true to resolving the Catastropic Error, which is a generic message being displayed from Goldmine.  You are completely responsible for any effects these changes may have on your database.