Troubleshooting RealServer


Testing the Installation

If you are experiencing problems with RealServer, you need to use RealPlayer to test links on your site to isolate the source of the problem. Before you try to connect to your site, launch System Manager to see if your RealServer has an available connection for you to use. If your RealServer has a license that includes Hosting Service, you can use hosting to reserve a stream for your own testing.

The access and Error Logs record errors and information generated by RealServer.

The following questions can help diagnose the problem:

Is RealServer running on the host machine?

Use ps (on UNIX), or the Services Control Panel (on Windows NT) to check if RealServer is running. If the Server is not running, start the server.

Is the IP address of the host machine correctly configured in the network routers?

If the Player cannot access the Server over the network, then you cannot expect media to play. Configuring IP address and routers is a complex issue. Contact a networking specialist for help.

Is the machine you are using to test the media connected to the network used by the Server host computer?

You must have a network connection between the RealPlayer and the RealServer for media to play. Contact a networking specialist for help.

Is there a firewall between the Player and the Server?

You need to configure your system's firewalls to permit media to play through them.

Can you connect to the RealServer with the System Manager?

The System Manager application can help you diagnose the problem by validating communications between the Player and RealServer and by letting you view the running state of the connection during attempts to play media.

Is the media file downloading to the Player instead of playing in real time?

Media files cannot be referenced directly by your Web document. Remember that the Web page is being served by a Web server, but the media file is being served by RealServer. The Web page must point the user's Web browser to the media file by way of a metafile, which is a text file you create and save with a .ram extension. The metafile contains the URL of the .ra file located on your RealServer. The Web page contains a link to the metafile.

Is there unreadable text displaying on the screen instead of media?

You have not configured your Web server to recognize RealAudio and/or RealVideo MIME types. If you still have problems after considering these possibilities, please contact RealNetworks at www.real.com

Common Error Messages

The following is a list of the more common error messages you might encounter:

Could not allocate enough file descriptors to meet capacity. Capacity has been set to <connection number>

The number of simultaneous connections has exceeded the capacity of your operating system. RealServer has automatically reset the number of media connections allowed to connect.

Invalid license key or information

Either you have not specified any licensing information for the LicenseKey setting in server.cfg or the licensing information you entered was incorrect. Check to make sure the information was entered exactly as you received it.

This license is for another platform

The license information you specified for the LicenseKey setting in server.cfg is for a different operating system. Check to make sure that you installed RealServer on the proper machine.

Server cannot be started before <date>

The RealServer license you purchased does not become valid until the date listed. Because RealServer requires a valid license to operate, your RealServer will not start until the date listed.

Server cannot be started after <date>

The RealServer license you purchased is not valid after the date listed. RealServer requires a valid license to operate.

Your license does not support ISP Hosting.

You configuration file contains Hosting Service settings, but you license does not include Hosting Service. The Hosting Service configuration settings are ignored.

You must restart the server for this change to take effect.

You have made a change in the server.cfg file that will not take effect until you restart RealServer.

Out of Memory

RealServer is unable to dynamically allocate enough memory to create a new connection or manage existing connections. If you receive an Out of Memory message, you may require additional memory or you may need to add swap space for your RealServer machine to use for dynamic memory allocation.

Error retrieving <file name>

A user tried to access a file and the file could not be found. The user may have supplied the wrong URL and the Server rejected the request. However, if you see this more than once for the same file, you should check your metafile to ensure that the URL pointing to the file is accurate.

SIGPIPE Received, code:13 (UNIX systems only)

The SIGPIPE signal is sent to RealServer by the operating system when the client abruptly drops the connection. No action is required for this message.

Error retrieving URL <file name> (Codec error)
Error retrieving URL <file name> (Insufficient bandwidth)

The Player requested a file for which it does not have the correct CODEC installed or for which it does not have sufficient bandwidth to play. For example, a RealAudio Player 2.0 requesting RealAudio 3.0 content generates this error message.

© 1997 RealNetworks, Inc.