Overview

Problems exist where a network dropout or a computer failure will 'lock' a terminal, and the user will not be able to log into System Five until the lock is reset. This is a Windows issue that can be easily resolved.


Update the TCP/IP value to 3 minutes

The default Microsoft Windows timeout value for improperly disconnected TCP/IP connections is two (2) hours.  By changing the TCP/IP timeout value on the server you can reduce the delay from the default two(2) hours to three (3) minutes. This also configures the network to heal in a few minutes without requiring an administrator or support call. 

This needs to be done on the server, NOT the workstations.

  1. Open the Microsoft Windows Registry Editor ( START / RUN / Regedit <enter> )
  2. Browse to the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters” key
  3. Locate the Value “KeepAliveTime”. If it does not exist, create a new REG_DWORD Value called “KeepAliveTime”
  4. Set the Value “KeepAliveTime” to decimal 180000 (this is 3 minutes)
  5. Exit the registry editor
  6. Reboot your server for the changes to take effect (this reboot can be done at the end of the day or during a scheduled server reboot, but this new key won't become active until the server is rebooted).

Please be aware that the capitalization in KeepAliveTime is important!

The “KeepAliveTime” setting affects the whole TCP/IP protocol stack not just Pervasive or Zen SQL. This information is also on the Microsoft Knowledgebase, go to: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/browsers/change-keep-alive-time-out

Registry edit screenshot:


Alternate Solution

While it is possible to use the Zen Monitor Utility to delete these sessions, it is generally not recommended as it can be easy to accidentally remove the wrong user or all users.