Cannot contact provisioning server

[Sidney Bailin]

There is an inconclusive discussion of this on another list -

http://www.eggheadcafe.com/software/aspnet/29006985/cannot-contact-provisioni.aspx

- but I'm going to try here to see whether anyone can help. Several folks,
iincluding myself, get the periodic error message "Unable to contact
provisioning server" in Groove 2007. Indeed, if we go to
Options->Communications Manager->Network Settings, there is no entry for Home
GMS URL, suggesting that no provisioning server is specified.

The Help for this error message says to check your network, but this is
bogus: the network is fine, and all communications to/from the computer are
fine.

It seems as if Groove 2007 is getting installed without a provisioning
server being specified. We want to use the Microsoft public server, which I
understand should be http://blugro1gms.groove.microsoft.com/gms.dll.

Interestingly, the Relay Server in my system is specified as

grooveDNS://backwardscompatibility.groove.net

while a colleague who does not have this problem has the Relay Server as

grooveDNS://blugro1relay.groove.microsoft.com

I have no idea where the "backwardscompatibility" is coming from on my
system. I removed all traces of groove 3.1 from the system: folders, registry
keys, install files. I am wondering whether it has anything to do with the
fact that the rest of my Office tools are Office 2003.

I have uninstalled and reinstalled Groove 2007 multiple times, creating new
user id's, and nothing has worked. Any insight into what might be causing
this and how to fix it would be most appreciated.

I am using a trial version. I would like to purchase it, but I'm not going
to spend the money if I can't get it to work!

 

[Jeroen Jansen]

Maybe a strang question but what kind of machine are you using.
Maybe a Lunovo machine. I had this problem only with those machines with the
default installation from the factory.

see ya

Jeroen

 

[Sidney Bailin]

I'm on a Dell Latitute D620 running XP Pro.

 

[Rich]

Has anyone solved this Issue? Two more of us with the same issue, we
installed Groove on IBM Think Pads and get messages that Groove cannot
contact provisioning server. Both of our machines list the backward
compatibility that you described, instead of the default Microsoft site. How
can we change it and get this product to work?

 

[Andrew Balthazor]

I've got this issue as well, on two separate computers.

One a clean install vista ultimate x64 on an existing computer (installed
myself) with a clean install of Office Ultimate 2007.

The other a clean install vista ultimate x84 on an existing computer with a
clean installation of Office Ultimate 2007.

Same issue with both computers; I have the backwards compatibility DNS relay
instead of the public relay. No idea how to change it.

 

[Andrew Balthazor]

Nod32 was the culprit. I'll be writing them next.

I had the same problems listed as others in this thread.

Fixed by adding Groove.exe to the exception list for the IMON module of
Nod32 (under the misc. tab. of the IMON module setup options.)

After doing this, create a new account. The new account will have the
correct public relay server DNS entry, instead of the backwardcompatibility
nonsense.

You have to keep groove.exe on the exception list to allow it to continue to
communicate with the public relay server. If you remove it it will prevent
communication, even if your account has the correct DNS information.

Tried and tested. You will have to close out Groove and restart it after
changing the settings in Nod32; after that, make a new account, and you
should be good.

 

[Sidney Bailin]

Andrew Balthazor's solution worked for me too. I deviated slightly from his
recommendation in that after adding groove.exe to the NOD32 IMON exclusion
list, I went ahead and uninstalled groove 2007, removed left-over folders
under my name, and reinstalled it, creating a new i.d. for myself. I'm now
getting the correct servers, and no more error message.

Thank you Andrew!

 

[Andrew Balthazor]

Update for Case #17259 - "IMON interfering with Microsoft Office Groove 2007"
An ESET Customer Care Representative has updated this case with the
following information:
Hello-

Thank you for the info! I apologize for the inconvenience.

The next version of NOD32 will be sans IMON. It's being totally eliminated
from the program for this very reason.

In 1992, when NOD32 was introduced, very few programs operated at the
Winsock level. Today, in addition to Google and Microsoft, 100's of other
developers are creating software in this manner. That would be fine, except
for the fact that any app that operates here needs the top spot in the stack,
and only one program can have it.

As it is now, it can't be enabled at all on a server.

IMON was just the first layer of defense, a supplement. The strengths of
NOD32 are AMON, which scans every file that performs an action, as it
performs that action and the advanced heuristics which is stopping 90%+ of
all new threats, before a definition is even written.

Thank you,
ESET Tech Support

 

[Richard Walsh]

Thanks Andrew
It turned out NOD32 (an otherwise excellent product) was the culprit for me
too.
Same symptoms and same solution.

 

[Forrest Schaaf]

Thank you! This is brilliant. I was going nuts.

I love the little twist that the server becomes
"backwardscompatibility.groove.net" (which doesn't exist), just to confuse
everyone.

Nod32 is awfully popular and there must be countless others in this boat.
It would be nice if MS released an update to fix or warn users about this.