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The current Counter Balance 4.0 Application can be installed from:
Counter Balance 4.0 Install Instructions
Counter Balance runs on the .Net 2.0 Platform. If you do not have .NET 2.0 installed the Counter Balance Setup will install it automaticlly.
It some cases out of data Microsoft Data Access Components may be the database connection problem. If you don't think you have any network/firewall problems be sure to make sure you have at least Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8 installed. See Connection Troubleshooting .
The Counter Balance Application will automaticlly update as new minor/patch versions become avaiable. Each time you run your Counter Balance Application the software will make sure you have the most update version.
Users that do not need help with the Installation or Connection process may proceed to the Counter Balance Users Guide for feature help and documentation.
Starting the Counter Balance Application
The Counter Balance Application will by default be installed to:
Start->All Programs->Nexphaze->Counter Balance
The last Counter Balance server you successfully connected to will automatically attempt connection and login prompt for a quick connect.
Connecting to the Counter Balance Server
Connecting to a Counter Balance server requires the user to set the "Connection Settings". There are two methods to setup your connetion settings. The first method imports a encrypted Counter Balance Connection Settings file (.cbs) and the other is the manual configuration of server connection settings.
Connection Settings File
If your Counter Balance System admin has provided you with a Counter Balance Connection Settings file (*.cbs) Import Server Connection Settings .
If you do not have the (.cbs) file you must setup your connection settings manually provided you know the Server IP, Database Names (assume defaults), Database ID and Password. If you have this information read Managing Server Connection Settings.
Import Server Connection Settings
Click the Server->Connect->Import Connection Settings menu item to import a CounterBalance Connections Settings file (.cbs).
Select a (.cbs) file to open for import.
The .cbs will be imported and the Import Config Pop-Up will confirm this. The message will say "Connection Settings: <Your Connection Settings File Name.cbs> imported."
If the connection settings are valid you will be prompted for your Counter Balance login information. Please see Login to Counter Balance for more information on the login process.
If you choose not to login at this time the imported Connection Settings can be found under:
Server->Connect->[Server Config Name] menu. Please see Connection Settings Connect Menu .
The last Counter Balance server you successfully connected to will automatically attempt connection and login prompt for a quick connect.
It is important to keep your .cbs file in a safe place. You may be required to drag and drop the .cbs in the event of a major version upgrade or reinstall of the application.
Note: Counter Balance Administrators should refer to the Counter Balance Server Manager in-application help for more information on the creation and propagation of Counter Balance Server Settings files.
Managing Server Connection Settings
The Connection Seetings are maintained under the Server Main Menu Item. This menu item is present when not connected or when connected to a Counter Balance Server.
Select main menu "Server->Connect->Customer Server"
The Counter Balance Server Settings will now be presented. When connecting to a Counter Balance server that was configured using the recommended server defaults only the <ip> portion of the Server Name and the Database Password need changing. If the Counter Balance Server has a different configuration then the default your Counter Balance Administrator will be able to provide you with the correct Server Settings or see the Import Server Connection Settings for a (.cbs) file.
Fill in the <ip> portion of the Server Name with the server IP address or server name. If you are connecting over a remote connection you may need to use the IP address and not the Server Name depending on your domain name resolution setup on a VPN or other remote network.
Fill in the Database Password with the database password for the sa user or whatever us your administrator has instructed you to use.
Note: It is recommenced that your System Administrator uses the encrypted Counter Balance Connection Settings Import file method to avoid the propagation of a database password to the user base. Using the .cbs file allows the connection information to be sealed from the users and easily changed at any time. If the server connection settings change the System Admin only needs to redistribute the new .cbs to the users at that time.
After the settings have been entered click the "Test" button to verify the connections to the Counter Balance Databases.
The "Successful" message means you are ready to proceed with the "OK" that will save the Connection Settings and you will be prompted for your Counter Balance login information. Please see Login to Counter Balance for more information on the login process.
When the "Connecting to" message "hangs" it means the Server IP/Server Name or the Server Instance name cannot be found. When you enter an invalid IP or Server Instance it may take sometime to return the "Server Unreachable" or the "Connection Failed" message results below.
An incorrect Server IP or Server Name will result in the "Server Unreachable" message. Check the Server IP or the Server Name in the connection settings. It should not be <ip> it should be the IP address or Server Name of the Counter Balance Server machine.
Computer and Network firewalls may sometimes stop outbound connections from your PC. You may need to grant permission to the Counter Balance Application within your firewall software. You may also need to check with your network administrator to make sure you have the network access to your Counter Balance Server.
The "Failed" message will most likely mean your connection settings are incorrect. If you receive this message check the Server Instance Name "SQLEXPRESS", Database Names, Database ID and Password. You will need to talk with your Counter Balance System Admin about the correct connection settings.
It some cases out of data Microsoft Data Access Components may be the database connection problem. If you don't think you have any network/firewall problems be sure to make sure you have at least Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8 installed.
Connection Settings Connect Menu
The Connection Settings Files imported or manually created via the Custom Server option can be found under:
Server->Connect->[Server Config Name] menu.
When not connected a Counter Balance connection will present five menu options:
Connect - Connect to the Counter Balance Server. Please see Login to Counter Balance .
Remove - Remove this Counter Balance Server connection.
View - View the summary information of this Counter Balance Server connection settings .
Edit - Edit the Counter Balance Server connection settings . Please see Manage Server Connection Settings.
Export - Export the connection settings to a Counter Balance Server Connection Settings file.
The Counter Balance login prompts a user for the Login ID and Password to access the system. They must have an "active" user account on the Counter Balance Server
When an invalid Login ID or invalid Password is entered one of the following messages will be presented.
Correct the Login ID or Password and try again.
If you continue to have Login ID and Password troubles check with your System Admin to make sure you have the correct User Login ID, Password and that the user account is active.
Once Logged in you will be ready to use Counter Balance.
Counter Balance always remembers the last successful Counter Balance Server and the last Login ID used. The password is not stored. The next time after a successful login the Counter Balance Application will attempt to use the last Server Connection Settings file and prompt the last user for login. This avoids the need to manually connect to a Counter Balance server each time.
Please refer to the Counter Balance Users Guide for more information on the application features.
Counter Balance Administrators
If this if your first time setting update your Counter Balance System please see Counter Balance Setup and Configuration documentation.
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