LAST CHECKED:
October 29, 2026
Emil Rindell
Jonas Bryntesson
Henrik Andersson
PUBLISHED:
2023-05-08
Emil Rindell
Jonas Bryntesson
Henrik Andersson
2023-05-08
DDM uses three different connection methods. This post covers each method and how to diagnose and troubleshoot issues with each one.
When using passive FTP, the following ports are used: 20, 21, 1433, 9896, 9897.
FTP connections are required.
The first method is "Web" or "WCF", which depends on the settings defined in the DDM client configuration:
An attempt will now be made to establish a connection via: DDMSERVER:9897.
To test this connection method, try logging into the DDM Admin tool now. The administration tool only connects to the server via WCF, and if the login is successful, WCF can connect! However, if the login fails but works on another client, port 9897 or the DDM Admin application may be blocked by the server or client firewall, or by the VPN software.
The second method is testing a direct SQL connection. This connection uses port 1433 and a server name defined on the server. In our case, the server name is DDMSERVER:1433. If this connection fails during login to DDM Office, you will see the following error message:
This means that either the application or port 1433 is blocked, again by the firewalls or the VPN system. To test the SQL connection, create an empty text file and rename it from "New Text Document.txt" to "Test.udl" and double-click it. This will open the SQL testing tool. On the "Provider" tab, you must select (for DDM 2020.01 and later) "OLE DB Provider for SQL Server"; for versions prior to 2020, you must select "SQL Server Native Client 11.0".
Then fill in the required information, such as the server name and the default login credentials, which are username: desmgr and password: Desmgr[1234]. If your DDM installation was done a long time ago, the login may use the same username and password: desmgr
After this, click "Test Connection". If successful, a small popup will appear indicating this:
This means that port 1433 is open, but the DDM application is not allowed to use it. This indicates that there may be a restriction or blocking rule preventing the DDM application from using port 1433. You may then need to configure firewalls or VPN systems to allow the DDM application access to the port.
However, if this connection fails, you will receive a message indicating how and why it failed, most commonly that "the server does not exist", which means the client cannot connect to a SQL instance at this address. This can again be due to firewalls or VPN systems. It could also be a potential DNS issue where the client cannot resolve the hostname to the correct address.
In such cases, you may need to check firewalls, VPN settings, or DNS configuration to resolve the issue and enable a successful connection.
If the above does not work, it may be because the server was installed and configured using its DNS hostname (not IP address), and if the client cannot communicate with that DNS name, it will not function. If you need to use IP via VPN, the pointers in the registry on the server must be changed to match this.
Ideally, however, DNS should function over VPN.
These pointers on the server are as follows:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Concurrent Systems, Inc.\DesignDataManager\DDMFileServer\DDMServer
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Concurrent Systems, Inc.\DesignDataManager\DDMServer\DBServer
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Concurrent Systems, Inc.\DesignDataManager\DDMServer\DDMServer
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Concurrent Systems, Inc.\DesignDataManager\DDMWebClient\DDMServer
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Concurrent Systems, Inc.\DesignDataManager\DDMWCFServer\DBServer
Try changing these to the IP address, restart the DDM services, and then test the client again.
The most common cause of connection failures is related to FTP. These can once again be blocked by firewalls, antivirus software, or the VPN system in use. You will see a similar error message:
Here is a very descriptive video about this:
A good test method is to open the command prompt and try to connect to the server by typing "ftp DDMSERVER" and then logging in using one of the following credentials:
Option one:
Username: desmgr
Password: Desmgrftp[123]
Option two:
Username: desmgr
Password: desmgr123
If this succeeds, the FTP connection is allowed. However, if it does not generate a folder list, the FTP connection is blocked. In that case, watch the video above which demonstrates several troubleshooting options.
