The difficulty with troubleshooting Local Connections lies in all the unknowns present in users’ environments. Office networks, corporate intranets, and home connections are subject to any number of potential access-restricting devices and software. The good news is there is nearly always a way to connect with CBT via one of our tunnel options.
Step 1: Start Simple
The CBT Chrome extension is the most straightforward implementation of our Local Connection tunnel. Once installed and enabled according to the instructions provided, begin a Live Test on a site such as https://whatismyip.com. If you see your location/IP address through our app, then the Local Connection is functioning properly and no networking troubleshooting is required.
The Chrome Extension and Node.JS/Binary tunnel use the same manner of connection, so if the Chrome Extension works, so should the Node tool.
Step 2: WebSockets
If your Local Connection doesn’t function in a Live Test, properly or at all, then your first course of action should be to verify Port 443 is open for traffic to and from CBT. This can be done by performing a WebSockets Test. If reaching out to CBT Support for further troubleshooting, please include your Results ID with your inquiry.
You should see the following results for Port 443. If you do not, please consult with your Network staff to resolve this issue.
Step 3: Proxy Server
If you are using a Proxy Server, you must perform additional configuration steps for the Local Connection to function. As we have no way of determining this, the best option is to ask your Network staff. If applicable, they will provide you the appropriate IP and Port information to enter into the Proxy Server settings within the CBT App. Similarly, you must input the appropriate Proxy Server parameters for the Node.JS Local Connection tunnel as described in the tool’s documentation.
Step 4: Firewall
If you have successfully verified Port 443 is open to CBT traffic, and that you either do not have a proxy server or you’ve applied the appropriate configuration changes, then the issue may be present in your network’s firewall.
Once again, it is imperative that you ask your Network staff if CBT may be blocked by certain firewall rules. If this is the case, our Support staff may provide you a consistent IP address to use for whitelisting our traffic.
Step 5: Reach Out
Once you have verified the issue does not lie in the most common areas listed above, you may reach out to us at [email protected] or via Intercom and we will be happy to help. Please indicate that you have performed the steps as described in this document and that you have consulted with your network staff to try and resolve the issue.