Problems Connecting

Once the host is found, EndNote tries to connect. It sends a connection request to the host and waits for up to two minutes for a reply. It may receive none, or it may receive a refusal immediately. In the first case you will see a time-out error message, and in the second case you will see a "host refused connection" error message.

If you wait for two minutes and receive a time-out message, the online computer is probably down for some reason. Try again later.

If you receive a refusal message, and this happens no matter which connection file you try to use, you are most likely behind a firewall.

Firewalls

Your system may be configured with a firewall to block certain ports. To connect to a database from behind a firewall, you must ask your network administrator to allow communication through the firewall for the port used by the online database you wish to search. You can open the connection file to find the appropriate server address and port number, as described below.

Depending upon the configuration of the firewall, the administrator may allow communication to all computers outside the firewall on the requested port, or communication to a specific server and port.

Proxy Servers

Your organization, or the online database provider, may use a proxy server to allow only valid users access to the organization’s network and/or database. Contact a network administrator from the organization to find out whether a proxy server is used.

If you already have access to the remote network with your Web browser, check the configuration of your Web browser. Look for "proxies" or "proxy server." (See your Web Browser documentation to locate proxy server settings, as the location changes depending on which version you are using.) The configuration for a proxy server has two pieces of information: an address and a port.

Note: EndNote will automatically handle the proxy server when accessing http-based connections (PubMed and Web of Science Core Collection) if the proxy server settings are configured through the operating system's Internet options.

Finding the Server Address and Port

Before you contact your network administrator, check the appropriate EndNote connection file for the address of the server and the port specified.

To obtain the server address and port:

  1. From the Tools menu, select Connection Files, and then select Open Connection Manager.
  2. Select the appropriate connection file and click Edit.
  3. In the Connection File window, click the Connection Settings panel for the server address and port.

Depending upon the configuration of the firewall, the administrator may allow communication to all computers outside the firewall on the requested port, or communication to a specific server and port.

Communicating with Local Database Servers or Gateways

Some universities and organizations license Z39.50 databases for use on their own servers, or for access from a local gateway. The company providing the databases will include client software for accessing the databases. Some Z39.50 servers are designed to respond only to requests from this client software. In other cases, the server must be configured to allow requests from software other than the supplied client program.

If your organization maintains Z39.50 databases, but you are unable to connect to them with EndNote, ask your network administrator if the database server supports client software other than that supplied by the database provider.