Unable to reach Confluence server
Asked by Crayge Brown:

Hi all,

Silly question alert again!

I've just installed Confluence 5.1 onto an XP machine to evaluate the program for my company. The installation seemed to go well, and I have set up the mail server to start inviting people in. However, when I sent the first mail (to myself as a test) I tried to click on the link and I can't get through to the site.

I know that I'll have missed something really straight-forward, but as my head has been fried this morning by other stuff, I thought I'd ask here for guidance.

Thanks


Answers:
author: Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
body: Ok, so forget the email for now, the problem is that you can't reach Confluence at all.

Could you read the log and see where confluence thinks it is starting (there's usually a message like "you can now log in at url)? Is it even running at all?

comments: author: Crayge Brown
body: Confluence IS running, and I can send out emails for logging on. But clicking on the link just doesn't go anywhere. I can see everything from inside (obviously) but from outside I cannot hit the server.

Which log do I need to check?

Thanks for taking some time with me, Nic


author: Peter Van de Voorde
body: Andy,

Can you ping your server? Is it reacheable inside your corporate network?

Best Regards,

Peter


author: Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
body: Hang on, you had not mentioned "inside" or "outside" before. What do you mean by those?

For example, if "inside" means "inside our corporate network" and "outside" means "over the dirty internet", then it's pretty obvious that your networks are blocking the access and it's nothing to do with Confluence.

Or does inside/outside just mean "my machine"/"other people"? In which case it's probably a firewall on your machine, if not that, then your local networks.

If it's not that, then you need to explain inside/outside.


author: Crayge Brown
body: Apologies, but I will try to answer both Nic and Peter in one hit.

Firstly, I mean that on the installed machine, I can hit Confluence from the link in the email, but from my own machine, when I click on the link, all I get is IE cannot display.

And then BAM!

Something clicked and I'd forgot to open the port on the firewall.

My brain comes back to life, thanks to you two guys. I'm sorry for wasting your time on this, but thanks for the help

Andy

(And when I mean answer both, I mean....Get halfway through and realise my error!!)


author: Peter Van de Voorde
body: Just wondering, might it be that you closed the Command Line window in which the confluence tomcat was running? If that's the case then your instance is currently offline.

If that's not the case or if you are running confluence as a service (and it's currently started) you should indeed check the logs like Nic suggested.

Also if you are using remote desktop to login to your XP machine it might be that when you log out he shutsdown all the process started by your user (which would include your confluence if not installed as a service).

Best regards,

Peter


author: Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
body: I assume you can get to the confluence by typing in a url for it?

If that's true, then the problem is likely to be incorrect data being put in the emails. Check the url in the email VERY carefully against what you go to when typing the url in. If it's wrong, then check the "base url" setting in Confluence.

comments: author: Crayge Brown
body: Nope...can't hit the installation.

Have enabled the remote API, but all I get is IE cannot display the webpage.

I've checked the url and the email and all is good in there. I've changed the URL to the server name from localhost and back again without success.

At a bit of a loss!


Tags: confluence-administration