Introduction
If a site is having difficulty getting Panels connected to UltraSync, this article has a test that may help identify any networking issues or restrictions.
Before using this article however, it should be first verified that the panel has a valid IP address, in the correct IP range on the network, and that the Default Gateway, and DNS values are set in the Panel, to the correct values for this network, as without the Default Gateway, and DNS values, the Panel will not be able to access the UltraSync servers.
NOTE: UltraSync servers should ONLY be accessed via their DNS names, as the servers are load balancing, and the physical IP addresses may vary and change without notice. If firewall rules are required to allow access to these servers, then the DNS name should be used.
The DNS names and Port numbers for the UltraSync servers are:
For an Ethernet path:
z65.ultraconnect.com - TCP port 443
z65.zerowire.com - TCP port 443Note that you will not receive a "ping" response from these servers as they have ping responses turned off.
If you have confirmed that the Panel's network settings are all correct, then you should proceed to the following troubleshooting test described in this article.
Preparation
For this test to be valid, a computer will need to be placed on the same IP address range / network / VLAN as the Panel, and have the same default gateway and DNS servers set as the panel, because we will be testing the connection from that network, to the UltraSync servers, to simulate as though we are the panel ourselves on the network.
Advanced note: In some scenarios with highly managed switches, for a thorough test, you may even need to use the same network port, and IP address as the panel (temporarily unplugging the panel) to get the most accurate result. This may also involve getting the site's Networking team to approve the MAC address of the computer being used for the test, on this port, if ports are locked down to MAC addresses. However in most scenarios this will not be necessary, and you can just use a computer on the same local network as the panel.
Performing a port connection test
Panels connect to UltraSync via a TCP socket on port 443 (or backup port 10443 if required). In this step we are testing to see if the port is accessible and open using your PC to run a connection test.
NOTE: For this test to be valid, your computer must be on the same IP address range / network / VLAN as the Panel, and have the same default gateway and DNS servers set as the panel, because you are testing the connection from that network, to the UltraSync servers.
To run this test, click the start menu, and search for "PowerShell" - and then run Windows PowerShell - it will look something like the following:
Now in Windows PowerShell, we are going to use the "Test-NetConnection" command.
This command's syntax is as follows:
Test-NetConnection <address> -port <port>
Where <address> is the IP address of the UltraSync servers, and <port> is port 443
So as an example, lets say we're going to test the z65.ultraconnect.com address, the command you will need to type will be:
Test-NetConnection z65.ultraconnect.com -port 443
(This can also be tried with "z65.zerowire.com")
Example:
You would type in the following into PowerShell, and hit enter:
You will then see it running the connection test, as follows (however the IP address may vary, as there are multiple load sharing IP addresses for UltraSync):
If it is SUCCESSFUL, you will see a result similar to this:
However if it is UNSUCCESSFUL, it will take longer, and you may see a result similar to this (however with the UltraSync server IP address in there instead of this example address - but the "failed" part will be the same):
If you see a failure like this, then it shows that the UltraSync servers are not accessible from this network, and you will need to talk with the site's IT or Networking team to check if there is any port blocking in place / or other restrictions, such as DNS restrictions / etc. This will be something their IT or Networking team will need to investigate. You can provide them this article for testing if needed as well.