Test SmartSync connectivity

If you are experiencing connectivity issues on your network, you can test your connection using the Sync Stress tool. The Sync Stress tool repeatedly performs read, write, file positioning and locking operations in order to detect errors. It uses the same read and write algorithms as the Sync Log, but instead of writing real SmartSync events, the tool writes "dummy" events to the file. Like SmartSync events, these dummy events have headers and checksums to verify the integrity of each event, and sequence numbers to ensure that events are not skipped or duplicated.

Prerequisites:

  • Download the Sync Stress tool.
  • Ensure you have administrative rights on the affected workstation.
  • Create a shared folder on the network in the same location as your Working Papers files.

To test SmartSync connectivity:

  1. Unzip SyncStress.zip and place a copy of the SyncStress.exe file on the affected workstation and at least one other workstation with access to the network.
  2. Double-click SyncStress.exe on both workstations to launch the tool.

  3. Complete the following for both instances of the Sync Stress tool:

    • In the Test Directory field, enter the path to the shared folder on the network.
    • Select Run SMB2 test.

    Click Run.

The connectivity test runs on both workstations. Take note of any errors that occur during the test. When complete, two files (StressFile.log and StressFile.dat) are created in the shared folder. Send these files and a list of any errors you receive during the connectivity test to Caseware technical support.

Connectivity test errors

You may encounter errors when performing a connectivity test with the Sync Stress tool. Each error is appended with an error type to help determine the root cause of the error.

Error type Description
[Sequence error] Indicates a gap in the sequence, meaning that events are missing from the file. Similar to a missing SmartSync event.
[Data error] Indicates an incorrect header or checksum, meaning that data was not written correctly. Similar to a corrupt sync event.
[Unable to lock region] Indicates that a workstation was unable to lock a portion of a file that is necessary to write an event.