When QuickBooks Loses Connection – Part 2

by

In Part 1 of this miniseries, we examined why your QuickBooks can lose connection to your Company-file across your network. We also looked at various causes, in other words, "How it happens."

As we showed last time, many QuickBooks users report that QuickBooks says someone is logged in, but the user isn’t logged into QuickBooks. In fact, in some cases, the user who's supposedly logged in to QuickBooks doesn’t even have the computer turned on.

In the clear majority of cases, the user still is logged in to QuickBooks, as far as the QuickBooks Database Server is concerned, even if the user doesn’t have QuickBooks open. This predominately occurs when almost "anything" previously has broken the connection, rather than a normal logout, taking place.

What's worse, depending upon the specific activity or transaction type in process when the disconnection occurs, you might be locked out of a specific QuickBooks feature due to "file locking."

When the QuickBooks database is in use, the ability to read and write to the database is controlled by the Database Server using independent “locks” of components of the database. QuickBooks applies locks at various levels of the database, including pages, tables, records, or single field values.

Write locks allow the user to read and to modify the database. Write locks almost always imply exclusive control over the object(s) being modified; thus, other users are not allowed to have either active read or write locks if the write lock is operational.

This methodology reserves the use of a database table, record or other collection of data for access by one user at any one time to prevent the resulting anomalous database behavior. For example, when one user attempts to read or modify data in a record that's in the process of being modified by another user.

If a write lock is in place when a user becomes disconnected from the QuickBooks Database Server, and the server continues to identify the user as active, the write lock will not be broken until the QuickBooks Database Server is shutdown. In so doing, the transaction in transition under the lock maybe corrupted.

There are a variety of steps you can take to resolve situations where a QuickBooks user still is actively logged in to the Company-file even if they are not connected:.

Fix No 1 – Attempt to Login as the "Ghost" user

1. Ensure that all users have logged out of the QuickBooks Company-file

2. Ensure that all workstations have closed QuickBooks

3. From the server, login to QuickBooks

4. From the file menu, select Open a Company File and click Next

5. Select your company file and uncheck the Open in Multi-User Mode checkbox in the lower left of the window

6. Click Open

7. Log in to the company file as the User who's reported as being logged in (Note: If this method fails to log you in, proceed to Fix No. 2)

8. If you log in successfully, go to the File menu and choose Close Company/Log Off

9. Repeat Steps 1-4

10. Repeat Step 5 but this time check the Open in Multi-User Mode checkbox.

Fix No. 2 – Attempt to Logout the "Ghost" user

1. Ensure that all users have logged out of the QuickBooks Company-file

2. Ensure that all workstations have closed QuickBooks

3. From the server, login to QuickBooks

4. Login to the Company-file as Administrator

5. Double click to open the QuickBooks Messenger from the Windows system tray

Note: If the QuickBooks Messenger is not visible in the Windows system tray, you will need to enable it from the file menu (File > Utilities > Enable QuickBooks Messenger)

6. Click the Actions drop down arrow

7. Select Close Company File for Users

8. Select the User whose QuickBooks you want to close. (Note: If there are no other users shown, this method will not work, proceed to Fix No. 3)

9. Click Close Company File

10. In the Confirmation window, click Yes

11. Open QuickBooks normally on each workstation, one at a time

12. Login to the QuickBooks Company-file normally, one at a time

Fix No. 3 – Stop and Restart the QuickBooks Database Server

1. Ensure that all users have logged out of the QuickBooks Company-file

2. Ensure that all workstations have closed QuickBooks

3. Logout of the QuickBooks Company-file on the server

4. Close QuickBooks normally on the server

5. Close the QuickBooks Database Server Manager Utility on the server

6. From the Windows Start Icon, select Control Panel

7. Within the Control Panel, choose Administrative Tools

8. Within Administrative Tools, choose Services

9. Within Services, search the Name column

10. Locate the QuickBooksDBXX that corresponds to your version (QuickBooks 2015 – QuickBooksDB25; QuickBooks 2016 – QuickBooksDB26, etc.)

11. Highlight the service and click Stop the service (This will end all user access to the QuickBooks Database Server and Company-file.)

12. Highlight the service again, this time click Start the service

13. Verify that the QuickBooks Database Server is running

14. Restart each workstation, one at a time

15. Open QuickBooks normally on each workstation, one at a time

16. Log-in to the QuickBooks Company-file normally, one at a time. (Note: If this hasn't resolve the problem, proceed to Fix No. 4.)

Fix No. 4 – Reboot all Computers Running QuickBooks (including the Server)

1. Ensure that all users have logged out of the QuickBooks Company-file

2. Ensure that all workstations have closed QuickBooks

3. Close all other applications on each workstation

4. Shutdown all workstation computers

5. Logout of the QuickBooks Company-file on the server

6. Close QuickBooks normally on the server

7. Close the QuickBooks Database Server Manager Utility on the server

8. Close all other applications on the server

9. Shutdown the server

10. Restart the server, allow sufficient time to ensure all start-up operations and services boot-up normally

11. Verify that the QuickBooks Database Server (windows service) is running

12. Restart each workstation, one at a time

13. Open QuickBooks normally on each workstation, one at a time

14. Login to the QuickBooks Company-file normally, one at a time

If Fixes 1 through 4 don't resolve your problem, contact Intuit Technical Support or a qualified QuickBooks networking/file expert.

Your Network Environment May Have Changed

Typically, a change in your network environment will not cause a loss of connectivity other than a sudden loss of a major network component. For example, if you lose a network switch/hub/router, your network may very well collapse right before your eyes. In such cases, you'll need to replace the network component that is the culprit.

It is possible to receive and install an update to your third-party antivirus/firewall software that may reset previously opened firewall ports or, which may block QuickBooks (and related) executables.

In these cases, it is necessary to open the inbound and outbound ports of these firewalls and add the required executables/directories to the third party software in order for QuickBooks to function properly in multi-user mode.

The following TCP firewall ports must be open in both directions on both your QuickBooks server (computer hosting QuickBooks files and the QuickBooks Database Server) as well as all QuickBooks workstations:

  • QuickBooks Desktop 2017: 8019, 56727, 55373-55377
  • QuickBooks Desktop 2016: 8019, 56726, 55368-55372
  • QuickBooks Desktop 2015: 8019, 56725, 55363-55367
  • QuickBooks Desktop 2014: 8019, 56724, 55358-55362

In most cases, simply adding the ports above will resolve any connectivity issues associated with these third party products. But if you still encounter problems opening a file in multi-user mode or maintaining connectivity, you should insure that the following executables/directories are accessible across your software:

  • AutoBackupExe.exe located in C:\Program Files\Intuit\YOUR QUICKBOOKS YEAR
  • Dbmlsync.exe located in C:\Program Files\Intuit\YOUR QUICKBOOKS YEAR
  • DBManagerExe.exe located in C:\Program Files\Intuit\YOUR QUICKBOOKS YEAR
  • FileManagement.exe located in C:\Program Files\Intuit\YOUR QUICKBOOKS YEAR
  • FileMovementExe.exe located in C:\Program Files\Intuit\YOUR QUICKBOOKS YEAR
  • IntuitSyncManager.exe located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\Sync
  • QBCFMonitorService.exe located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks
  • QBDBMgrN.exe located in C:\Program Files\Intuit\YOUR QUICKBOOKS YEAR
  • QBGDSPlugin.exe located in C:\Program Files\Intuit\YOUR QUICKBOOKS YEAR
  • QBLaunch.exe located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks
  • QBServerUtilityMgr.exe located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks
  • QBW32.exe located in C:\Program Files\Intuit\YOUR QUICKBOOKS YEAR
  • QBUpdate.exe located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBUpdate
  • QuickBooksMessaging.exe located in C:\Program Files\Intuit\YOUR QUICKBOOKS YEAR
  • OnlineBackup.exe located in C:\Program Files\QuickBooks Online Backup

Note: If you see Program Files (x86) on your computer, you're on a 64bit OS, and the above executables and directors will be located in the Program Files (x86) directory in lieu of the Program Files directory shown above.

Be aware that QuickBooks 2014R5 and later versions have a built in version of Intuit's QuickBooks File Doctor. This tool may attempt to assist you in handling connectivity issues across your network.

The tool may or may not be able to resolve problems of this nature. It also tends to not work properly when you have multiple versions of QuickBooks actively installed on your computer.