Symptom
When trying to login to Daylite, the following prompt appears:
Couldn’t connect to address “server.local”. Check the address you provided and make sure your server is running.
Since this could likely affect syncing on your iOS devices as well, Here is a message you may see in Daylite on your iOS device when you attempt to sync:
Why is this problem occurring
This issue generally occurs because your Daylite Server computer cannot be reached. In this case, you may not be able to reach your server for these reasons:
- Your Daylite Server is switched "OFF"
- The local hostname address of your Daylite Server computer had recently changed
This article discusses the steps to determine if your server computer's hostname address has recently changed. If it has, you’ll likely see a number added to the end of your server’s hostname address. (in your Daylite Server Admin program)
(see below screenshot for an example, showing the hostname changed to server-1.local)
Solution
The quickest solution would be to change your server computer’s hostname address back to what it was previously. This means changing the address to match the exact address you’re seeing in the error message on your Mac or IOS device when you try to login or sync.
Here are the steps to change your hostname address back to what it was previously. Please perform these steps on your Daylite Server computer first:
- Open Daylite Server, and ensure it is switched "ON"
- On your Daylite Server computer, open Mac “System Preferences", and click on "Sharing"
- In the area below the "Computer Name" box, click the "Edit" button. Ensure that the address in the box matches the exact hostname address in the error message that Daylite produced. When you have made the adjustment, click "OK"
- Once you're done, 'quit' and relaunch the Daylite Server program.
- You should then see that the same hostname address has been copied into your Daylite Server. (on the "Network" tab)
- Then launch Daylite on your affected computer and you should be able to login again, and continue syncing
- On your iOS devices, you should now also be able to sync normally
Why do hostname addresses change?
The hostname address of a computer could change if a computer or iOS device with the same hostname address had recently connected to your network. When this happens, MAC OS X could automatically change the hostname address to something different to avoid a conflict on your network.
If your hostname is changing frequently, we would recommend consulting AppleCare for further assistance or allow us to host your database with Daylite Hosting.