Troubleshooting the main server in Security Center - Security Center 5.7

Main server is offline

If your Security Center clients are not connecting, your main server might be offline. Ask the following troubleshooting questions to determine a possible cause and solution.

NOTE: To help guide you through the troubleshooting process, you can also use this questionnaire.

Is your license up to date?

In Server Admin, check whether the License is still valid (green).

Overview page in Server Admin with the License status highlighted.

If yes: Go to the next question.
If no: Contact Customer service to obtain and activate a new license.

Is the Genetec™ Server service running?

In the Windows Services console, check whether the Genetec™ Server service is Running.

Windows Services window with the Genetec Server service highlighted.

If yes: Go to the next question.
If no: In the Services console, start the service. If the service does not start and the server does not come online, troubleshoot the Genetec™ Server service.

Does the Genetec™ Server service logon user have full user permissions on the database and on Windows?

On the Genetec™ Server, verify that you can log in to your SQL server using SQL Management Studio. You can also check your user permissions with your IT department.

If yes: Go to the next question.
If no: Obtain full user permissions and restart the Genetec™ Server service. If the server does not come online, go to the next question.

Is the Directory role started on the server?

In the Server Admin, check whether the Directory is online (green).

Overview page in Server Admin with the Directory status highlighted.

If yes: Go to the next question.
If no: In Server Admin, try to start the Directory. If the Directory does not start and the server does not come online, troubleshoot the Directory role.

Are your ports open?

Check with your IT department that the ports for server communication are open and are not being used by another process. You can also run the Command Prompt and enter the command line netstat -na | find"[PortNumber]" to check whether a port is open.

If yes: Go to the next question.
If no: Open the correct ports. See the list of default Security Center ports. If the server does not come online, go to the next question.

Did a Windows event cause the service to stop?

Check the Windows event logs or dump files for strange events or errors. To check the Windows logs, open the command prompt as administrator and enter the following command: eventvwr.msc. Make sure to check application, system, and Genetec event logs. To check whether dump files have been created, open C:\Program Data\Genetec Security Center [5.x], and then open the Dumps or Logs folders.

Event viewer window with Application and System logs, and Genetec application highlighted.

If yes: Provide Technical Support with the logs or dump files so they can further troubleshoot the issue.
If no: Contact Technical Support so they can further troubleshoot why your server is offline.

Genetec™ Server service is stopped

If the Genetec™ Server service is not running on the server and your server is offline, ask the following troubleshooting questions to determine a possible cause and solution.

Did the Genetec™ Server service account have a logon failure?

In the Windows Services console, try starting the Genetec™ Server service.

If yes: From the Computer Management console, right-click the service account in the Users folder, reset the account password, and try starting the service again. If you have insufficient privileges, contact your administrator.
If no: Go to the next question.

Is your server running out of CPU or memory?

In the Performance tab of the Task Manager, check the CPU and memory usage. The server might be overloaded.

If yes: Do the following:
1. Make sure the server is set up according to the Security Center specifications.
2. Investigate processes and applications that use the most CPU or consume excessive amounts of physical memory (RAM). Consult the vendors of the respective applications or softwares, if required.
3. Close all unwanted applications that might affect CPU and RAM usage.
If no: Go to the next question.

Is your server running out of disk space?

In Windows, check the amount of space available on the C drive. Low disk space can have negative effects on your server's performance and cause processes to falter or fail.

If yes: Free up disk space on the server's C drive and restart the Genetec™ Server Service. If the server comes online, monitor your disk space going forward. If the server does not come online, go to the next question.
If no: Go to the next question.

Was there a power outage or any recent Windows updates that caused the server to restart unexpectedly?

In Windows Event Viewer, check the Application and System event logs for Event ID 41: The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first.

If yes: Your SQL server or installation might be corrupted. To make sure your system is fully repaired, reinstall Security Center.
If no: Continue troubleshooting your main server by checking the next possible cause.

Directory role is offline

If the Directory role is stopped and your server is offline, ask the following troubleshooting questions to determine a possible cause and solution.

Is your Directory database connected and communicating properly?

In the Server Admin, check whether the Directory database status indicates OK (green).

Overview page in Server Admin with the Directory database status highlighted.

If yes: Go to the next question.
If no: Troubleshoot the Directory database.

Is it a license issue?

In Config Tool, check for license errors in the About page.

The About page in Config Tool with purchase order of Number of cameras and analog monitors highlighted.

If yes: Modify your system configuration (requires a Directory restart) or update your license.
If no: Go to the next question.

Is it a certificate issue?

In your server page on Server Admin, check the Secure communication section to see if your certificate has expired.

Secure communication page of a server in Server Admin.

If yes: Replace your certificate, then restart the Genetec™ Server service.
If no: Go to the next question.

Is the timestamp of your server incorrect?

Check whether the date and time of your Windows system are correct.

If yes: Correct and synchronize the time across your network components.
If no: Continue troubleshooting your server by checking the next possible cause.

Directory database is disconnected

If the Directory database of your main server is disconnected (red or yellow) and not communicating properly, ask the following troubleshooting questions to determine a possible cause and solution.

Is the database local?

On the main server page in Server Admin, check whether the name of the Database server indicates that the SQL Server is local.

Direction section of the server page in Server Admin with the local portion of the database server name highlighted.

If yes: In the Windows Services console, restart the SQL Server service. If the Directory does not start and the server does not come online, go to the next question.
If no: Try the following:
- Ensure that the server running SQL service is online. You can check this by logging in to that server using Remote Desktop or SQL Management Studio.
- Instead of connecting to the remote database server using the SQL Server instance name, open Server Admin and try connecting using the server's IP address.
- Ensure that the remote database server ports (TCP 1434 or UDP 1433) are open and reserved for the SQL Server. They should not be used by other applications.
If the database does not connect and the Directory and server do not come online, go to the next question.

Is the database version incompatible?

On the main server page in Server Admin, check the Status section for the following error: Database version is higher than the current version.

If yes: Restore your database to a previous version or create a new database.
If no: Go to the next question.

Does the user that is running the Genetec™ Server service have permission to access the Directory database?

The Genetec™ Server logon user might be missing the necessary rights on the Directory database in SQL. To check this, open SQL Management Studio and do the following:

Click Security > Logins > [Right-click on the user] > Properties.
Click on Server roles, and check that all server-level roles for the Directory are selected.
Then click on User mapping > Select Directory, and check that all database-level roles for the Directory are selected.