The Weekly Groove

Error -- “Unable to register with Relay Server”

fselkirk — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:00:00 GMT

by Gregg Johnston

Scenario

You have just set up your Groove server environment, and it looks good. You have your Groove Manager server running and a connection to SQL server. Groove Relay is all fired up and has been added to the Groove domain. Users have been added too, and you are ready to activate. However, after a successful activation, your users suddenly get this message popping up:

“Unable to register with Relay Server”

What happened?

Groove is returning this error message because it is reaching a Relay server which has the option Authenticate Groove users enabled, but the account has not been registered on the Relay. This option is commonly called pre-authentication because when it is set, the Management Server needs to register users with the Relay Server before users can use that Relay Server. The procedure goes like this:

User added to Management Server
User registered with Relay by Manager
User activates account
User's account connects to Relay Server
Relay Server validates the account’s registration

In Connection Manager on a user's computer, click Advanced Network Settings, click Network Diagnostics, click to expand Home Relay Devices, and then click to expand the device URL. You will see this line:

Status: Disconnected,Created Connect,Received Secured ConnectResponse,Connected,Sent ConnectAuthenticate,Sent Attach,Received AttachResponse,Created AttachAuthenticate,Sent AttachAuthenticate,Sent Register

If pre-authentication was properly implemented, you would see one more entry: Received RegisterResponse. Because we see Sent Register but not Received RegisterResponse, we know that pre-authentication is enabled, but the user's account is not registered with the Relay. Because of this, the Relay will not provide services to the account.

There are two different issues that cause this problem.

Communications issues

The Manager may be unable to contact the Relay correctly. Try opening a telnet connection from Manager to Relay over port 8009. If that fails, but you can ping the Relay from the Manager, the port may be blocked on your Relay server. In Windows Server 2008, all ports are blocked by default in Windows Firewall, so problems here are especially likely. If the issue is not port access, look for other communications blocks between the two servers. Once you can telnet to from the Manager to port 8009 on the Relay, restart both servers. Take a look at the Audit log on Manager Server. Do you see user adds in the log? If so, success! If not, time to look for another solution.

Auditing services problem

The other common cause of this problem is a faulty installation of Manager. Even if you go through each step of the installation carefully, there is one old issue that can trip you up. In the unpatched Office Groove Server Manager release, you could not run Manager and Audit services on the same computer. If you added Auditing Services during installation, but did not slipstream Office Server Service Pack 1 (SP) or 2 into the Manager Server updates folder prior to installing Manager, you will not be able to register users with the Relay Server. (You will also be unable to synchronize a directory integration point to share user information with Active Directory.) To test for this issue, run the following query on your SQL server:

select EnableDirectorySynchronization, EnableRelayServerSynchronization from gmsservers

If you installed without SP2 updates, this query will return 0. Unfortunately, resolving this problem requires uninstalling and reinstalling the Manager. This is time-consuming, but will only become more of a chore if you use the server first and then return to this solution.

Is there an alternative? Sort of. As a workaround, you can disable the option Authenticate Groove users on the Relay. (See http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc261658.aspx for instructions.) We don't usually recommend this approach, as it has two major problems:

Security and Performance risk: If you turn off pre-authentication, and someone gets a hold of your ServerID.xml file from the Relay Server, they could, hypothetically, use that file on their Manager Server and then use your Relay Server as their Relay. They would not have any access to any data on your Relay, or your Manager for that matter. But they could launch a Denial-of-Service attack by deluging the Relay with data.
Functionality loss: You will be unable to synchronize users with Active Directory.

For a more complete resolution, uninstall and reinstall Management server. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

After you uninstall Groove Management Server, you also need to remove the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Groove\Audit Server
You will need to remove all GMS and Audit databases from SQL
You must slipstream Office Server Service Pack 2 into the GMS updates folder before reinstalling. For directions, go here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc178995.aspx#DeployInitialUpdViaUpdatesFolder

Now you are ready to reinstall GMS. However, take a moment to think about Auditing services. Do you really want Auditing services running on the same computer as your production Manager server? More often than not, the answer to that question is “no”. The Groove Audit Server was meant to run on a separate server and can take up quite a lot of system resources. So even though you can (with slipstreamed SP2) run Audit Services with Manager, it does not mean you should. For more details, see the documentation at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262178.aspx.

When you have made your decision, reinstall the servers and recreate your domain members.

“So I ran grooveclean, but that didn’t fix the problem…”

fselkirk — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:20:00 GMT

by Gregg Johnston

“So I ran grooveclean, but that didn’t fix the problem…”

Software doesn't always work the way we want it to work. When things go wrong, we often fall back on what have learned about the software in order to diagnose the problem and try to fix it. Sometimes we just do things because they are “something to do” as opposed to something that can actually fix the problem. Such is the case with the applet in Groove called grooveclean.

Many times on the forums, we read about a user having a problem, and one of the things they will state is “I ran grooveclean, but that didn’t fix the problem...” Most of the time, running grooveclean will not fix the problem. Sometimes, running grooveclean might fix the problem. It all depends on where the problem is located, what the problem is, and what has been done thus far to fix it.

So what exactly is grooveclean? Take a look at this knowledgbase article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907854

What grooveclean does is remove all the buffer files that are set to transmit and to receive. It also removes diagnostic information.

That’s it.

It is not a panacea for all Groove problems. In fact, running grooveclean has the potential to cause data loss. Say you have an Instant Message that is in the “Waiting to send” stage. Shutting down Groove and then running grooveclean will delete that message unsent. So when is a useful time to run grooveclean? Let's say that you added a large amount of data to a Groove space and then immediately deleted that data before anyone received it. As a result of this, Groove has a large outgoing buffer with a delete command that is following the data. Running grooveclean will clear out that buffer. Grooveclean will also help if there is corruption in a buffer. Anything having to do with communications being stuck and not progressing might be a good time for grooveclean. However, running grooveclean can also make data backlogs worse, because Groove will attempt to retransmit data that has not synchronized correctly. So if you added data and then deleted it from the workspace after a member received it, running grooveclean will not help. To keep everyone in the same state, Groove will retransmit the data added and the delete operation until everyone in the workspace has received them, and if you clear the buffer, it will need to regenerate that buffer and start the transmission again from the beginning. Bottom line: use grooveclean with caution and only use it if you have attempted other troubleshooting steps.

It is best practice to start troubleshooting communications issues from other angles before running grooveclean. Determine if this is a problem with Groove, or a problem with your network. Focus on what is currently happening with your communications by going to Communications Manager (Options > Communications Manager). Is there one space with a lot of activity? Best to let that activity complete and then reevaluate. Is there no space activity? That could indicate a communications problem, and grooveclean probably will not fix it.

One thing grooveclean will never fix is an error message on start up or some sort of system error message. Another thing grooveclean will never fix is the small amount of data that is in your communications tray. See this technote for that:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916384 - yes, grooveclean is a part of the process, but it is not the process.

Also, a quick word about grooveclean with the –all option: running grooveclean –all will remove all Groove account and workspace data from the computer. So it is important to consider everything that is associated with that action before running it. Do you have your account backed up? Are you willing to start over with a new account if you do not have it backed up? Are you willing to lose your Instant Message history? Are there other Groove accounts on the computer that you do not want to lose? Remember, even if you have your account saved to a file, you do not have all of your workspaces and workspace data saved. Keeping these things in mind, know that once grooveclean –all runs, there is no return.

(For information on backing up account and workspace data, see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907230.)

So grooveclean is a handy tool if you are stuck in a communications jam. But it is not the cure-all for all problems in Groove. It is meant to be used in a limited way for a limited set of circumstances.

(Today's article is from contributer Gregg Johnston.)

Synchronizing files in Groove – to GFS or not to GFS

fselkirk — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:52:00 GMT

...that is the question

Many users have started to use Groove because of the handy way it takes a folder in your directory and shares that folder as a Groove space – synchronizing files between workspace members and computers. Many users have also gotten themselves into trouble using Groove File Sharing (GFS) workspaces by turning their My Pictures folder and My Music folder into GFS workspaces, breaking the hard limits Groove sets for workspace size and number of files number and causing all kinds of performance and application problems. When is the best time to use a GFS workspace? What are some alternatives to GFS? What should you do when you start seeing oddities in GFS workspaces?

GFS workspaces are quite handy. By clicking New Workspace and selecting Groove File Sharing workspace, you can turn your directory into a Groove workspace that sits outside of the application. You can then invite colleagues to the workspace and they will share your data. You can also have chats within these workspaces, and see the online status of members of the workspace. Other workspace members can choose where to put their local copy of the workspace once they have received an invitation. They can decide to place it on their desktop, sync with another folder, or choose a location that better suites them. (I personally place the workspaces under My Documents.)

These workspaces are also not encrypted. They are, security-wise, treated as any other Windows folder. Therefore, if something catastrophic happens to Groove, the folders can still be accessed through normal means. If something catastrophic happens to the computer, the folders can potentially be accessed through a backup of some sort (obviously this depends on the backup applications involved), or retrieved from another workspace member.

The down side to this is that the GFS workspaces can also be accessed like any other folder in your directory. Whether it be an intrusion via hack or virus, GFS workspaces are exposed like any other Windows folder– with the potential for the effects of such exposure being synchronized to all workspace members. However, data in GFS workspaces is transferred in an encrypted state. When a change is made to a file, that change is sent to the Groove application, is serialized for transport, sent out encrypted via Groove to the Relay, transferred from Relay to the receiving Groove client encrypted, decrypted by receiving Groove client, and sent to appropriate file / folder.

So while GFS workspaces are handy, they do have some risk involved. An alternative to GFS is a Standard Groove Workspace with a Files tool. In these workspaces, a Groove Files tool handles all documents and other files. It has the look and feel of a Windows folder as well as the capability to drag and drop files to, from, and within the workspace. The data is encrypted, so it is resistant to outside attack from hacker (unless they have your Groove password) or viral corruption. Data does not have to be encrypted and unencrypted to synchronize, so there are also performance advantages. Rules on the number of files, the size of the workspace, and types of files still apply, as they do in GFS. However, there is no limit to the number of Standard workspaces you can have in a Groove account, unlike GFS, where the hard limit is 64. The down side is that all the data is encrypted in the Groove application. If a catastrophic event happens, the Groove account is unavailable, and there is no other workspace member or computer that has the data, then the data is irretrievable.

Two other alternatives to GFS workspaces are Live Mesh– currently in Beta – and Office Live Spaces.

So if you decide to use GFS workspaces, what should you do if things start to go wrong? The first thing you should do is to look at the number of files in the workspace. While there is a hard limit of 5000 files per GFS workspace, the more files you have in the workspace, the more synchronization that needs to happen. Related to that is the size of the workspace. 2 GB is the hard limit. However, once you get to 1 GB, you should start thinking about removing files or splitting the workspace into smaller workspaces. Most problems with GFS workspaces are rectified by eliminating data or starting over with new – smaller -- workspaces. Also you will want to consider other items such as system resources (disk space, memory) and bandwidth (high speed or dial-up?) when troubleshooting GFS issues.

GFS workspaces are handy, and when used appropriately, can be useful. However you will want to consider carefully what the future of a GFS workspace looks like. If the workspace has the potential for large growth, consider if a GFS workspace is the right method for sharing this data. Think about the alternatives and what benefits they might have over a GFS workspace. If you are doing a smaller collaboration and need a way to share a limited amount of files, then the GFS workspace might just be the tool to use!

(Today's article is from guest contributer Gregg Johnston. For more information on GFS issues, check articles with the GFS tag.)

Upcoming changes for Groove 3.1

fselkirk — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:30:00 GMT

I expect many of you have been hearing the buzz about Microsoft Office 2010. I'll be talking more about the features and changes in that product as we get closer to the release. However, for those of you still using Groove Virtual Office 3.1 or the Groove 3.1 servers, the 2010 release has other implications, as it marks the end of most assisted support for Groove Networks 3.1 products. Since you will not be able to upgrade directly from Groove Virtual Office 3.1 to Office SharePoint Workspace 2010 (the Groove successor product), you may want to start planning for this release now. We've posted an article that provides guidance on the support and maintenance changes for the Groove 3.1 products and the upgrade and migration paths that will be available. For details, please take a look at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974478.

Groove name change

fselkirk — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:00:00 GMT

By now, I expect that most of you have seen an announcement that that in Office 2010, Groove will become Sharepoint Workspace. Jim McCoy has more information about the reasoning behind that name change here: http://blogs.msdn.com/groove_development_team/archive/2009/05/13/makeover-for-groove-sharepoint-workspace-2010.aspx...(read more)

Summary of Office 2007 Service Pack 2 changes for Groove

fselkirk — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:33:00 GMT

Hi all! You may have noticed that it's been pretty quiet here lately. That's because we've been busy preparing for the recent releases of Microsoft Office 2007 SP2 and Microsoft Office servers 2007 SP2 . These service packs fix the following problems:...(read more)

Groove 3.1 Licensing maintenance issues

fselkirk — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:46:00 GMT

Do you run Groove Virtual Office 3.1, or use the old 3.1 Groove Hosted Services? At this point, we believe most people who were using Groove Virtual Office 3.1 -- the last version of the Groove desktop application produced by Groove Networks -- have transitioned...(read more)

Discuss: Relative file transfer speeds of File Sharing and Standard workspaces

fselkirk — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:09:00 GMT

In a comment here , Camineet poses a question about relative file transfer speeds of File Sharing and Standard workspaces. Since this varies by environment, I wanted to open it up for others to contribute. Do you have data to share?...(read more)

Groove hangs at launch

fselkirk — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:22:00 GMT

We have seen an increase in cases of Groove hanging at launch, either before displaying the login window, or soon after displaying the Launchbar. There are several conditions that cause this, and thus several things that fix it. If you are having this...(read more)

Rearranging a Groove-synchronized Windows folder

fselkirk — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:34:00 GMT

When you use a folder in your daily work, you naturally find yourselves moving things around. For example, shortly after I started blogging, I realized that my work documents folder had become cluttered with half-written article ideas, so I changed the...(read more)

Welcoming another Groove blog...

fselkirk — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:03:00 GMT

Jim McCoy revived the Groove Development team blog a few months ago. We cross-linked our blogs at the time, but since custom links are so far down the sidebar, I'm not sure they get noticed. Check out his blog for tips and tidbits on what you can do with...(read more)

Problems with "Discard Groove messages from unknown contacts"

fselkirk — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:10:00 GMT

Under the Options tab of Groove Preferences, there is an innocuous looking option, Discard Groove messages from unknown contacts . While this option is useful in some situations, it is important to understand the problems that may result from using it....(read more)

When Groove Administrator email doesn't reach the user

fselkirk — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:55:00 GMT

Here's a scenario for anyone who administers a Groove domain from Groove Enterprise Services or Groove Hosted Services (i.e., from a Microsoft-hosted server). Let's say that one of your users lost their account and needs their account backup. No problem...(read more)

A summary of Groove workspace synchronization

fselkirk — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:08:00 GMT

Since Groove is all about synchronization, it should come as no surprise that a lot of our support issues fall into that category. Here's a brief summary of factors to consider when data is not synchronizing from one workspace endpoint to another, or...(read more)

Adding a Sharepoint Files tool to a Groove workspace

fselkirk — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:16:00 GMT

Someone on the Groove newsgroup recently noted that the instructions for “Setting up a SharePoint Document Library connection” in the Groove Help only apply to Windows XP. After confirming this was true, I checked the Groove 2007 Help and How-to Home...(read more)