Resolving communication problems between Outlook Add-ins and the Syncing Master
Most frequent communication problems between Outlook Add-ins and the Syncing Master are caused by network problems, which make it impossible for the Outlook Add-in to establish a TCP/IP connection with the Syncing Master of the program. For example, problems may be caused by a firewall or an antivirus program installed on the computer with the Syncing Master installed, which blocks TCP/IP ports used for communication. If an Outlook Add-in cannot connect to the Syncing Master when launching Outlook, it is automatically switched to the offline mode.

Most problems related to communication between the program modules can be solved by following the clues below:
1. Make sure the "Folder List" view is on in Outlook
2. Make sure the system service of CodeTwo Public Folders Syncing Master is running
3. Check if there is a network connection between computers
4. In the settings of the Outlook Add-ins enter the IP address of the Syncing Master instead of its name
5. Check if the same TCP/IP ports are configured on the Outlook Add-ins and on the Syncing Master
6. Check if TCP/IP ports are not blocked by a firewall and/or an antivirus program
7. Change the numbers of TCP/IP ports if they are used by other programs


Make sure the "Folder List" view in Outlook is on

If you have created a public folder on one computer and it is not visible on another computer, make sure you use the Folder List view in the Navigation Pane of Outlook.

Click Show All Public Folders on the CodeTwo Public Folders toolbar:

Show All Public Folders button on the CodeTwo Public Folders toolbar

or use Outlook main menu:

In Outlook 98/2000/2002 in the View menu choose the Folder List command.

In Outlook 2003/2007 choose Go from the menu and then select the Folder List option or press Ctrl+6 (Fig.1).

In Outlook 2003/2007 the Folder List view is very similar to the Mail view (Ctrl+1). In both of them the hierarchical folder structure is displayed, but in the Mail view only mail folders are displayed and you will not see other types of folders, such as calendar, contacts, tasks, etc.

More information can be found in the following articles:
How to create a new public folder in Outlook 2003/2007 ?
How to create a new public folder in Outlook 98/2000/XP ?

Outlook - To display full folders list, in the menu Go select the command Folder List Outlook - To display full folders list, in the menu Go select the command Folder List
Fig.1. To display the full folder list, in the "Go" menu select the "Folder List" command.


Make sure the system service of CodeTwo Public Folders Syncing Master is running

The CodeTwo Public Folders Syncing Master is implemented as a system service. To make the program work, the service must be running:
1. On the computer with the program Syncing Master installed open the Services console. To do this, select Start | Programs | Administration Tools | Services.
2. Find the C2PublicFolders service and make sure it is in the Started state (Fig.2). Otherwise, right-click on the service and choose Start from the menu. If the service cannot be launched and a logging error is displayed, click the right mouse button on the service, choose Properties from the popup menu, go to the Log on tab and check if the Local System account option is selected.
3. Make sure that the startup type of the C2PublicFolders service is set to Automatic. Click the right mouse button on the service, select Properties and in the General tab set the Startup type for Automatic.

System service C2PublicFolders must be started
Fig.2. The "C2PublicFolders" system service must be started.


Check if there is a network connection between computers

In order to check whether there is a network connection between the computer with an Outlook Add-in of the CodeTwo Public Folders program and a computer with the Syncing Master of the program, use the "ping" command.
1. In the Windows Start menu choose Run and enter the following command:
cmd
2. The console of a command prompt launch. Enter the command:
ping <Syncing_Master_name>
where <Syncing_Master_name> is the name of a computer with a Syncing Master installed, - the same as in the dialog window of the Outlook Add-in configuration. For example, if the computer with a Syncing Master installed has been named ALPHA and you want to check whether you can connect to it from another local computer, enter the following command:
ping ALPHA

If you don't have problems establishing a connection with the ALPHA computer, the response should look as in Fig.3. Otherwise, you will receive an error message, e.g. "Request timed out" or "Ping request could not find host ALPHA. Please check the name and try again" or another error message.

Checking the connection with a remote computer with the command ping
Fig.3. Checking connection with a remote computer using the "ping" command.

If you cannot establish a connection with the computer, where the Syncing Master of CodeTwo Public Folders is installed with the "ping" command, you have to configure your network correctly and then start the CodeTwo Public Folders Outlook Add-in.

You also can test the network connection from Public Folders menu, by choosing Options. In the Syncing Master tab click Test (Fig.4).

In the Syncing Master tab you can test the connection with the Syncing Master
Fig.4 In the Syncing Master tab you can test the connection with the Syncing Master.

If there is a successful connection between the Outlook Add-ins and the computer equipped with a Syncing Master, a message is displayed (Fig.5). If there is no connection, a different message will display (Fig.6).

Message indicating successful connection with the Syncing Master
Fig.5 Message indicating successful connection with the Syncing Master.

Message indicating no connection with the Syncing Master
Fig.6 Message indicating no connection with the Syncing Master.

If you have failed to establish a connection with a computer equipped with a CodeTwo Public Folders Syncing Master, you first need to configure the network correctly and then restart CodeTwo Public Folders.


In the Outlook Add-in settings enter the IP address of the Syncing Master instead of its name

In the Outlook Add-in settings provide the IP address of the Syncing Master instead of its name. Details on the configuration of an Outlook Add-in can be found in the document: Configuration of an Outlook Add-in.

To get the IP address of the Syncing Master, follow the instructions below:
1. In Control Panel choose Network Connections.
2. Click the right mouse button on Local Area Connection and choose Properties.
3. Choose the Internet protocol (TCP/IP) item and click the Properties button.
4. When the Properties page appears, read the IP address of the computer from the IP address field (Fig.7).

Getting the IP address of the computer, on which the Syncing Master of CodeTwo Public Folders has been installed.
Fig.7. Getting the IP address of the computer, on which the Syncing Master of CodeTwo Public Folders has been installed.


Check if the same TCP/IP ports are configured on the Outlook Add-ins and on the Syncing Master

Communication between the Outlook Add-ins and the Syncing Master is done via TCP/IP protocol with the use of port number defined in the Syncing Master and in the Outlook Add-ins (the default port number is 5002). Make sure that the port number specified in all Outlook Add-ins is the same as on the Syncing Master.

Details on configuration of TCP ports in the Outlook Add-ins and in the Syncing Master are covered in the articles:
Configuration of an Outlook Add-in
Configuration of a Syncing Master


Check if TCP/IP ports are not blocked by a firewall and/or an antivirus software

If an antivirus software and/or a firewall (e.g. Norton Internet Security) is installed on a computer with the CodeTwo Public Folders Syncing Master, check if it doesn't block the TCP port used by the Syncing Master (the default port is 5002). In order to check that, try switching off your antivirus software and/or a firewall for some time.

If Norton Internet Security is installed on any computer with CodeTwo Public Folders and there are problems in communication between the program modules, see:
Unblocking CodeTwo Public Folders in Norton Internet Security

Windows XP Operating System with Service Pack 2 (SP2) has a built-in firewall, which may block the Syncing Master of CodeTwo Public Folders. Even though the Syncing Master is automatically unblocked by the Windows firewall, if problems with a connection between the program modules occur, , check the firewall configuration. For more information, please refer to:

Unblocking a Syncing Master in Windows XP Service Pack 2 firewall

If on the machine with an Outlook Add-in of CodeTwo Public Folders automatic synchronization of data with the Syncing Master does not start immediately when Outlook is opened and starts after some time (about 1-2 minutes), TCP ports no. 135 and 137 must be unblocked on that computer.
1. On the computer with an Outlook Add-in of CodeTwo Public Folders, where the problem occurs, run the configuration program of the firewall. To do this, from the Start menu choose Settings | Control Panel | Windows Firewall and go to the Exceptions tab.
2. Click the Add Port button.
3. In the Name field enter "135 TCP". In the Port number field enter 135 and choose the TCP option. Click OK.
4. Again click the Add Port button.
5. In the Name field enter "137 TCP". In the Port number field enter 137 and choose the TCP option. Click OK.
6. Confirm all entered changes, close the configuration program of the firewall and restart the computer.
Now after you run the Outlook Add-in, data should be immediately synchronized with the Syncing Master of CodeTwo Public Folders.


Change the numbers of TCP/IP ports if they are used by other programs

If the following error appears in the log of the CodeTwo Public Folders Syncing Master (the problem does not appear on the computer equipped with the Outlook Add-in):

"Only one usage of each socket address (protocol/network address/port) is normally permitted (0x2740)"

it means that TCP port used by CodeTwo Public Folders for communication (the default port number is 5002) is being used by another program on the same computer. In that case, the number of communication port used by the program need to be changed.

If the port number is changed, it should be changed in all Outlook Add-ins of the program and in the Syncing Master as the same port number must be defined on each module. See section:
Check if the same TCP/IP ports are configured on the Outlook Add-ins and in the Syncing Master

Syncing Master log files are located in the "Logs" directory, which is a sub-directory of an installation folder of the program, usually:
"C:\Program Files\CodeTwo\C2PublicFoldersServer\Logs\".