Configuring Sage Simply Accounting for Windows Server 2008 R2

Issue: Simply Accounting is installed and able to open the data locally. The Data installed on the server cannot be accessed. When opening the data file on the server, the connection does not get established or there is a network time out.

Solution:

The following steps needs to be performed

Connection Manager

1. Install the Connection Manager by selecting server installation.
2. The following needs to be installed and bound with the Connection Manager
   1. TCP protocol needs to be installed and bound with the Connection Manager.
   2. IP/Host name resolution issues would result in error while connection or delays opening and closing the data
   3. Try opening the data with the IP address of the server in the Open Company window
   4. DNS must be the same source for the workstations and server
   5. Multihoning is does not work with Connection Manager

Firewall settings

1. Access your Windows Control Panel (through Start, Settings). Click Windows Firewall and click the Exception tab. Make sure SimplyConnectionManger.exe, mysqladmin.exe and mysqld-nt.exe are included in the Exceptions list.
2. Click the Add Ports tab. Type Simply Accounting Data1 in the Name field and then Type 13540 for the Port number and click OK
3. Click the Add Ports tab. Type Simply Accounting Data2 in the Name field and then Type 13541 for the Port number. Click OK. You should add at least a port per user.
4. Repeat the same procedure for any third party firewalls

Share folder settings and connection manager

1. In order to test the rights of the users accessing the data right click on your data folder and choose Sharing and Security from the drop down menu.  Select the Share the folder radio button and click Permissions.  Choose to share with EVERYONE and give full permissions to the folder.  Test accessing the data from the various workstations.  If the test is successful you may wish to remove the EVERYONE group from the Permissions tab for security reasons, and add each individual user in the Shared Permissions instead.  If the users are not available to add, proceed to step 2.
2. Use the Computer Server Management to add the LAN users. Open the Control Panel (Windows Start, Settings), Administrative Tools and then Computer Management.  Select Local Users and Groups Users and add the user here. Once the user(s) has been added, go back to step 1 and add the individual user to the Shared Permissions on the data folder.
3. Try again to open the data across the network. If another connection error message is generated proceed to the next step.
4. Add the local server administrator –not global admin– to users to the Log in for the Connection Manager Service. To do this open the Control Panel, then Administrative Tools, then Services. Find the Simply Accounting Database Connection Manager in the services list and double-click it to open the Properties window. Click the Log On tab. Add the local administrator. Confirm the service state is enabled at this stage and click OK.  Open the Simply Accounting Database Connection Manager properties window again.  Stop and then Start the Connection Manager service on the server. Try again to open up the database across the network. If unsuccessful proceed to step 6.
5. Go to Start, Run then Type in secpol.msc.  Scroll through the User Rights Assignments and double-click Log on a service. Add the network users to the log on list.  Click OK. Start and Stopthe Connection Manager again (Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services.) Please note this is not the domain permissions but the local permissions for the server.