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Connecting SciFinder 2007 for Windows to the Server at CAS

The SciFinder^® client software on your Windows computer communicates over the Internet with server computers at CAS. SciFinder can connect through your organization's network and firewall, through a dial-up ISP (Internet Service Provider), or through an always-on Internet connection such as cable or DSL. Refer to these computer and network requirements for more information.

Connecting SciFinder on your computer to the CAS servers can be easy or difficult, depending on the configuration of your organization's network and firewall. It is important to know that, although SciFinder uses the Internet, it does not use the World Wide Web's HTTP protocol. Even if you can surf the Web, SciFinder might not be able to connect to the server (and vice-versa).

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Common Connectivity Problems

1. SciFinder is unable to connect with the server at CAS. Please contact your Site Administrator. (2406) Site Administrator: SciFinder is unable to traverse your organization's firewall.

   
   

   

   
   
   • If SciFinder has just been installed on your computer and it has never worked, SciFinder or your network probably must be configured to let the connection through. If you have a colleague who can use SciFinder, try copying his or her site.prf (Site Preferences) file into your SciFinder installation folder. (A site.prf file is not always needed; contact your organization's SciFinder Site Administrator for assistance.) If your organization uses a proxy server, it is possible that the client component of the the proxy server must be installed or updated on your PC.
     
   • If you have recently successfully used SciFinder on the same computer, find out if a colleague is able to log in to SciFinder. If your colleague receives the same message, the problem is probably in your organization's network or firewall. Was the network or firewall changed? Contact your local SciFinder Site Administrator or information technology staff.
     

   • If your colleague can use SciFinder but you cannot, try logging in to SciFinder from your colleague's computer. If you can log in from a different computer, then something about your computer or your computer's connection to your organization's network is different from your colleague's, and the difference prevents SciFinder from connecting to the server. Contact your organization's IT staff or your SciFinder Site Administrator. Your organization's firewall may be configured to only allow SciFinder use from a defined group of internal IP addresses. Your PC may need to be added to the permissions list.

     
     
   • It is possible but unlikely that the SciFinder Server at CAS is not working. If you have determined that the problem is not in your computer or network, contact CAS Customer Care.
   
   

2. SciFinder is unable to connect with the server at CAS. Please contact your Site Administrator. (2408) Site Administrator: SciFinder is unable to traverse your organization's firewall. Check the SOCKS setting in the site.prf file.

   
   

   

   
   This message means SciFinder tried to communicate with a SOCKS proxy server but was not successful.
   
   
   • Check that the SOCKS proxy server is available and working correctly.
     
   • If the SOCKS proxy server's name, address, or port has changed, update the Site Preferences (site.prf).
     
   • If there is a proxy server but it does not use the SOCKS protocol, update Site Preferences (site.prf) to disable SOCKS.
   
   

3. Your organization's firewall will not allow you to access SciFinder. Please contact your Site Administrator. (2410)

   
   

   SciFinder was able to communicate with your firewall, but you do not have permission to connect through the firewall. Your organization's firewall may be configured to only allow SciFinder use from a defined group of internal IP addresses. Your PC may need to be added to the permissions list. Contact your SciFinder Site Administrator or IT help desk.
   

4. An unrecoverable network error has occurred; application is forced to terminate when trying to log in

   
   
    

   See #1 above. The same problem connecting to the server can cause different symptoms.
   
   

5. Unrecoverable network error while using SciFinder

   • If this error occurs after you logged-in but did not use SciFinder for awhile, the cause might be an inactivity timer in your organization's network. Some networks or firewalls disconnect SciFinder from the server if your computer and the server have not communicated within some set time limit. While you are logged-in to SciFinder, approximately every minute the SciFinder server asks SciFinder on your computer if it is still running. If so, the server waits about 1 minute before asking again. Because the interval between communications is a maximum of 1 minute, your network or firewall timeout--if any--must be less than 1 minute for it to cause this problem.
     
   • If this error occurs while you are actively using SciFinder, contact CAS Customer Care and provide as many details as you can.
     
     

6. The login information you entered is invalid. Please reenter it and try again when trying to log in.
   

   If you see this message, your computer is communicating with the server, but there is something wrong with your loginid or password. This is known as a login problem.

Sequence Explore (BLAST® Search) Connectivity Problems

After you have logged in to SciFinder, you may see the following error message when you try to Explore Sequences (BLAST®):

• Logon failed. java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused: connect
• Logon failed. java.net.UnknownHostException: scifinder.cas.org (or the hostname of a computer in your domain)

SciFinder BLAST® is not able to communicate with the server at CAS, probably because there is a proxy server between SciFinder BLAST® and the server. The server is https://scifinder.cas.org (134.243.5.42:443).

Possible causes:

1. The SciFinder Site Preferences file (site.prf) from SciFinder 2000 has been used with SciFinder 2007 Edition and your company uses a web (HTTP/HTTPS) proxy server. A SciFinder 2000 site.prf cannot contain proxy server information for BLAST®, so Sequence Explore cannot connect to the proxy server.
2. The proxy server does not allow Java applications to use the Internet.
3. Port 443, the SSL [Secure Socket Layer] communications port, is blocked at the proxy server or company firewall server.

Solutions:

1. Contact your Site Administrator for a new SciFinder 2006 or 2007 Edition Site Preferences File (site.prf).
2. Contact your Site Administrator to report the problem. Your organization's network administrator may need to make changes to the proxy server.
3. Contact your Site Administrator to report the problem. Your organization's network administrator may need to make changes to the proxy server.

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For further assistance connecting SciFinder on your desktop to the SciFinder server at CAS, contact CAS Customer Care.