Califa

California Landscape

CONTENTdm Troubleshooting FAQ

1. What is the outside IP address for Califa’s CONTENTdm server?
2. Why do I need a static IP? Can’t I supply a range of addresses?
3. How do I find out if I have a static IP?
4. How can I determine my computer’s outside IP address?
5. I am having trouble connecting to Califa’s server? What should I do?

We use a firewall in my library’s network. Will our firewall cause problems when trying to connect to Califa’s server?
How do I test the acquisition station for access to Califa’s server?

6. When I open a new project on my acquisition station, I am asked for the URL of the server that the collection is hosted on. What is the URL?
7. When I try to upload a file to the server, I get an error as follows: "A connection to the server could not be established."
8. Do you have a listserv for participants? Where else can I get information about CONTENTdm software and issues?
9. Can you tell me what to expect from the 4.3 software upgrade, and will I have to upgrade my aquisition station?

1. What is the outside IP address for Califa’s CONTENTdm server?

207.62.235.73

2. Why do I need a static IP? Can’t I supply a range of addresses?

We cannot take IP ranges as we are using SFTP (secure FTP). Your machine will be authenticated by its specific IP address. Your IT department is welcome to call me with any questions or concerns.

3. How do I find out if I have a static IP?

Go to Start/settings/control panel/ network connections
Right click on "local area network", single click on "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and click on "properties."
If you see an IP address entry you have a static IP. If it is grayed out, please contact your local IT department to assign a static IP to the machine.

4. How can I determine my computer’s outside IP address?

Go to http://whatismyip.com to see your IP address.

5. I am having trouble connecting to Califa’s server? What should I do?

There can be several reasons why you are having trouble connecting to our server. I have outlined a few issues below. If you are still having trouble connecting after going through the list, contact hteysko@califa.org.

a. IP address issues:

First, determine that your CONTENTdm acquisition station has a static IP (see #3 above). If you determine that you do have a static IP address and you think you haven’t yet supplied us with this information, please send to hteysko@califa.org. Once your IP address has been added to our database, you will be notified to test the connection.

b. Firewall issues:
We use a firewall in my library’s network. Will our firewall cause problems when trying to connect to Califa’s server?

Yes. In order to access Califa’s server from behind a firewall, you must ask your IT department to open up port 22 on your network.

How do I test the acquisition station for access to Califa’s server?

To test the firewall, open up a command prompt window; or go to Start (lower left hand corner) on your Windows machine. Select Run. A window will open.
Type: cmd and hit enter
Type: "telnet contentdm.califa.org 22" (without the quotes) and hit enter
If you get only a cursor, then your station is not talking to Califa’s server. If you get a line of text like so - "SSH-2.0-182 sshlib: WinSSHD 4.23"- then your station should have access to Califa’s server.

6. When I open a new project on my acquisition station, I am asked for the URL of the server that the collection is hosted on. What is the URL?

http://contentdm.califa.org

7. When I try to upload a file to the server, I get an error as follows: "A connection to the server could not be established."

Check your SFTP path settings:

Open your acquisition station.
Go to Tools/options
Make sure that "SFTP to server" is clicked
Click advanced button beneath that option. Make sure that the "Alias" radio button is clicked, and that you are the text filed next to the "Port" option reads "22". Click OK.
If this doesn’t work, see above "Firewall Issues."

8. Do you have a listserv for participants? Where else can I get information about CONTENTdm software and issues?

We do have a listserv for former Local History Digitization Resources Project (LHDRP) participants. Please contact hteysko@califa.org to be added to the list. However, if you are a CONTENTdm user and have questions about the software and workarounds, the best place to go is the CONTENTdm listserv. The listserv community there is very helpful and informative. Contact eversl@oclc.org to join.

CONTENTdm also has a comprehensive user support center. It can be accessed after logging in from http://www.contentdm.com. Please contact hteysko@califa.org if you have misplaced the organization ID information, as you will need it to create an account on their site.

9. Can you tell me what to expect from the 4.3 software upgrade, and will I have to upgrade my aquisition station?

You can find a list of 4.3 features in this document (pdf) acquired from OCLC. This is a server upgrade only, so it will not be necessary to download a new station. However, in July, OCLC broadened our licensing agreement to include all JPG2000 acquisition stations, as opposed to the previous standard acquisition stations. In order to use the JPG2000 features, you will need to download a JPG2000 station from OCLC'sCONTENTdm User Support Center. You may need to create an account using Califa's Organization ID to access this page. Contact Califa for this information.