Product Manager (Win10) gives "Connection error, ..."

[mdb_ikmm]

Hello:

I'm trying to upgrade my Amplitube 5 Max after receiving the email announcement regarding the 5.4.0 update and ToneNet (this is super exciting -- thanks for bringing back a preset-exchange-type mechanism).

Upon launching the IK Product Manger (Windows 10) I receive a message :

"Connection error, please check your Internet connection"

with a spinning wheel of dots in the Product Manager window.

If I click OK, the spinning wheel goes away, but "Manage My Products" does not work. The subsequent pages are empty. I *can* see the *number* of "Installed Software Products", "Installed Sounds", "Registered Hardware Products", and "Updates" (which there are -- 3 in my case) but these of course are not clickable windows so there is nothing I can do with them.

Again, "Manage My Products" takes me to essentially empty screens under the Software, Sounds, and Hardware tabs.

More information:

- There is, as far as I can tell, absolutely no problem with this internet connection. I am typing this message from the computer on which my Amplitube 5 MAX (and v4, and numerous other IKMM software products) are installed, and on which the Product Manager is installed.

- Apps and other plugins from other vendors which operate by a similar product manager mechanism work fine.

- All other typical tests one would perform for internet connection integrity (speed tests at sites around the world, accessing sites by hostname vs. IP, etc). all work perfectly fine.

- I can access this site as well as the main IKMM website. That of course does not mean there is not a problem with the server and/or mechanism that validates logins for the IK Product Manager.

- Rebooting does not help.

- Uninstalling and reinstalling the IK Product Manager (v. 1.04) does not help.

- Clicking the "refresh" icon (circular arrows) at the top of the Product Manager page does not help.

- Logging out of and back into my account within the Product Manager (red <---> grey silhouette) does not help.

- My existing Amplitube 5 Max loads fine in my DAW of choice (Reaper) so I don't the installation is hosed in general.

- My "hosts" files is absolutely stock generic for a Win10 install and does not contain any odd additions or deletions beyond a typical Win10 install.

At this point I am out of ideas but am reasonably convinced the problem is not this computer.

Could someone at IKMM advise, and/or provide a different mechanism in the interim for accessing the AT5 Max update and access to ToneNet?

Thank you,
-Michael

[mdb_ikmm]

Hello again:

Sorry -- I should have added that the Product Manager has always worked fine in the past, including this version. It last worked successfully for me a few weeks ago, when retrieving some updates to a few IKMM software projects I license.

This was before the most recent 5.4.0 / ToneNet update.

Thank you,
-Michael

[mdb_ikmm]

Hello again all:

From searching this forum and other resources, it seems others have been advised to attempt a traceroute to the ikmultimedia website. As mentioned at the beginning of this thread, my Windows 10 hosts file is completely stock with nothing out of the ordinary. However I thought such traceroute info might be useful to any members of this forum who might have an idea how to solve this problem. After about 15 hops from the Windows 10 PC that is experiencing the above problem with the IK Product Manager, the requests time out as shown below.

I should also mention that in addition to the various things tried and mentioned earlier in this thread, I tried turning off my (Windows) firewall and connecting. No luck -- still the

"Connection error, please check your Internet connection"

error. Traceroute info below.

Thank you,
-Michael

Code: Select all

Tracing route to http://www.ikmultimedia.com [54.39.74.52]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  dsldevice.attlocal.net [192.168.1.254]
  2    21 ms    19 ms    21 ms  76-206-8-1.lightspeed.irvnca.sbcglobal.net [76.206.8.1]
  3    20 ms    21 ms    20 ms  70.232.228.121
  4    22 ms    25 ms    22 ms  12.242.115.3
  5    22 ms    22 ms    21 ms  las-bb1-link.telia.net [80.239.193.213]
  6     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  7    32 ms    22 ms    21 ms  las-b22-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.143.39]
  8    32 ms    33 ms    32 ms  palo-b24-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.119.90]
  9    34 ms    33 ms    33 ms  be100-105.pao-sv8-bb1-a9.ca.us [192.99.146.32]
 10    72 ms    73 ms    71 ms  chi-5-a9.il.us [198.27.73.227]
 11    94 ms    92 ms    94 ms  be103.bhs-g2-nc5.qc.ca [192.99.146.140]
 12     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 13    94 ms    94 ms    93 ms  be50-7.bhs-3a-a9.qc.ca [198.27.73.94]
 14    90 ms    89 ms    89 ms  ns5001054.ip-167-114-64.net [167.114.64.160]
 15     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 16     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 17     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 18     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 19     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 20     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 21     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 22     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 23     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 24     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 25     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 26     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 27     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 28     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 29     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 30     *        *        *     Request timed out.

Trace complete.

[Peter_IK]

Your request is never making it to the IK servers. It is stopping somewhere in Canada, at an IP owned by OVH Hosting.

Also, you would be best asking these questions to IK Support (as well as your internet provider) though of course if any users have anything useful to chime in about they can and should

[mdb_ikmm]

Hi Peter:

Thanks very much for your reply. Indeed that (packet being held up at distant server somewhere) is what I surmised.

I sent this question / problem report to IK Support the day before I posted it here. I've not heard anything back nor received an acknowledgement of them receiving my message, generation of a ticket, or the like.

I hope to hear from them soon, as I still can not connect to update.

I will also see if my ISP can change the routing path. I've heard of this being done.

I am of course open to other suggestions or fixes! Is there no other mechanism available to (say, manually) download the updates other than through the Product Manager?

Thank you again,
-Michael

[Peter_IK]

Ah great. The only suggestion I can think of - and I must admit it is a long shot - is to change your DNS servers to Google's DNS servers: https://developers.google.com/speed/pub ... docs/using

It's a long shot but worth a try (and honestly you might want to just keep using their public DNS)

[mdb_ikmm]

Thank you Peter for the suggestion; unfortunately No luck. No harm, either; everything continues to work as normal, but I'm afraid this does not resolve the problem with the Product Manager.

The traceroute behavior is also the same, the packet utilizing the same route and getting stuck in Canada, so to speak:

-----
13 94 ms 93 ms 94 ms be50-7.bhs-3a-a9.qc.ca [198.27.73.94]
14 89 ms 88 ms 89 ms ns5001054.ip-167-114-64.net [167.114.64.160]
15 * * * Request timed out.
16 * * * Request timed out.
17 * * * Request timed out.
18 * * * Request timed out.
19 * * * Request timed out.
(and so on, down to 30)
-----

Support has picked up my ticket as of this afternoon. Fingers crossed.

Thank you,
-Michael


Thank you,
-Michael

[mdb_ikmm]

Hi Peter and all:

An update on this -- the problem still persists, but the support group provided instructions for direct download of the installer files from the main IKMM website (not using the Product Manager). With this I was able to update my AT5 Max and can now see ToneNet through the GUI.

To be clear, this is a workaround, not a fix, but at least I was able to update.

As of today, a traceroute to www.ikmultimedia.com (from the Los Angeles area) still times out somewhere in Canada.

Might this be something that IKMM (or your ISP) can look at from your side? It's been difficult to locate someone in my ISP's support group who can even comprehend the problem.

Best wishes,
-Michael

[mertz_mhz]

Me too - but I'm on Mac! And it all happened around the time of your original post, too, right when the ToneNet Beta transitioned live! It's broken across two MacMinis and a MacBook Air, between MacOS systems 10.11, 10.14, and 10.15. The problem persists for months, despite reinstalling MacOS, and even wiping HD and factory OS install. I can register products even though it says "Connection Error", it loads sales graphics, it shows my account, all that stuff "works", but my product/sound/hardware libraries are a snapshot in time back to April - it SAYS that I own 30 software titles, etc...accept when you click on the software sections, it shows zero items, and hardware suggests I buy some hardware from the IK Store with a hyperlink to the site, but does not show AxeIO etc.

THIS HAS BECOME MADDENING, AND I'M SEEMING AT A DEAD END WITH IK TECH SUPPORT THE PAST FEW MONTHS! UGHGHGH!

[mertz_mhz]

I found your post by searching for "54.39.74.52", as I saw it in the app container scripts and wanted to confirm that it is in fact the correct IPV4.

I'm not a coder, but looking at the script and frameworks, is it possible that the IK Product Manager thinks a 127.0 loopback is occurring, ie "I'm local only and not connected to a network, even though Im communicating to some degree with a network somewhere, ie linking my account. I mean, the app won't even launch with an internet connection, right?

[Peter_IK]

If that is the case you might want to look at your HOSTS file. IK software will never alter this but there are other programs that might...

[mertz_mhz]

Thanks Peter, which host file are you referring to, ie where is it located? I’ll try bubblegum, superstition, and long shots in the dark at this point!

However…and I do not rule out my 3 machines all being hacked on the same day and time and the problem could be of my own making and not an issue with IK, per se, but…. At this point, in addition to having restored from Time Machine backups at various recovery points going back 18mo, ie to when IKPM was definitely working fine, but still the same connection error. I have completely wiped a hard drive clean and installed a fresh MacOS 10.15.*, and still the same issue, right down to the IKMPM GUI “snapshot in time” to April when it just quit working across 3 separate uniquely purposed local Apple Intel machines at the exact same time, with minimal exposure and no other conflicts. And that’s no snark - I literally think I may have somehow been compromised, despite close to 30 years on Mac and employing best practices re OpSec…had a good run!

But, I wouldn’t have ever thought anything was perhaps amiss if my IK Product Manager, which had regular frequent use, didn’t break and ruin my audio world! I don’t know if it could be at all related, but I was enrolled in the ToneNet Beta and this problem came to light immediately following my signing into the live public v1 release…?

FYI, all of my Custom Shop and purchase restore works fine, and CS and the copy protection still recognizes previous software installs and authorizations. In fact, the old IK Authorization Manager still communicates with IK servers and does its thing!

PLEASE HELP ME! Not to brag or maybe to confess, if you look up my longtime account, you’ll find that I own nearly every title you have sold over the past 10 years or so, plus iOS versions and hardware. I am extremely reliant on your IK suite and ecosystem, and this has become a giant Achilles heel providing a single point of failure center at its hub. I need my IK to play nice again! I’m literally to the point of buying a new computer, but I want to first be able to know for certain that this isn’t somehow an glitch with my IK User Account?

Thanks again for any help that you can offer!

[mertz_mhz]

BTW FYI, not that anything network related changed at the time the IK PM started with the errors, but nonetheless I did attempt logging-in on two completely separate networks, one business and one residential. I also tried opening all of the ports, turning off firewalls, and handing out system permissions like I was Oprah - BANG! You get full disk access, and you get more access and you and you and you!

Spoiler alert…seemed to accomplish less than your least favorite politicians! Still no dice.

[Peter_IK]

If you are not aware of the HOSTS file and similar, I'd recommend working directly with IK Support who can walk you through technical changes/issues directly and with full knowledge and support to make sure everything is being done correctly. I'm sure they'll be able to help - if you already have a ticket please respond to it to let them know you still have an issue or if you do not have one please open a ticket with them. Thank you.

[mertz_mhz]

It may be my first rodeo with the HOSTS file, but I can read a FAQ or few…Indeed, I do have an open Support Ticket or two regarding this issue! Hoping that this forum post may be able to crowdsource some knowledge base. The very notion that the tech support is being discouraged from this forum thread makes me more certain than ever that I can’t possibly be the only one experiencing a similar issue. Perhaps others may benefit from these correlative data points to troubleshoot or self-service and solve their own issue, and maybe never have to file a Support Ticket or email back-and-forth for days/weeks/months?

I really do get it, SOP and chain of command, and all… I promise that I have been back-and-forth with Tech Support for months. I am appreciative of their continued perseverance, but I guess they just haven’t gotten to the cool stuff, like where they get to teach me where the HOSTS file resides, never mind a comparative specimen sample provided as to what it ought to look like once I find the elusive bugger! I can’t thank you enough for the unhelpful response you just provided! But please, don’t feel that you need to gatekeep the answer and be dismissive of my n00b question - I assure you, I am a quick study!

In case anyone else is with a similar issue, Support had the following suggestion in their most recent dispatch : “ Thanks for your patience while we got back to you. Try deleting the contents of the User IKPM folder here: ~/Library/Application Support/IK Product Manager Then, reinstall the app and try again.”

Which, in fact, I had already attempted in due course, in addition to the cursory uninstall/reinstall knee jerk, per my own n00b reflexes, prior to wiping the hard drive installing fresh OS from Apple, and downloading and installing a fresh copy of IKPMv1.04 from the IK site. Then I updated Support. Then they suggested I delete the brand new folder from the new install on the new OS on the new drive.

In the name of efficiency, time, and helpful assistance, and at the risk of spoiling the surprise or stepping on any toes: Would you please answer my question and provide me a little more info regarding your suggestion re the “HOSTS file and similar”, and educate us as to the location/role/specs/permissions involved? Again, I’m currently working with a brand new install across the board, so logically the HOSTS or associated files should be as installed and unchanged. FYI, I don’t recall anything documented about the HOSTS in the IKPM FAQ or OM, so apologies for my ignorance…just really had my fingers crossed here that you’d be willing to help and maybe could explain an overview of what I’m checking said HOSTS for or against?

Cheers; thanks! I’ll be certain to update my Support Ticket with a link to this thread so that they are aware of our parallel troubleshooting discussion, including any suggestions that you are able or willing to contribute!