How a server connects to another server

A connecting IBM® Domino® server uses the following steps to determine how to connect to a destination server.

When the connecting Domino server successfully connects to the destination, it stops searching for additional connection methods.

  1. The connecting server tries to connect using the same method it used the last time it made a successful connection to the destination server. Note these two exceptions:
    • If the server never connected to the destination server, the server searches for a path (consisting of a network port and any pass-through servers) to the destination server.
    • If the server has connected previously, but the connection now fails, the server conducts a new path search if it is the first attempt of the day.
  2. The connecting server checks to see if it already has a WAN port connection to the destination server.
  3. The server examines normal-priority Connection documents in the Domino Directory for information on what path to use to connect to the destination server. A normal-priority Connection document is one that has Normal selected in the Usage priority field.

    If multiple normal-priority Connection documents exist for the same destination server, the server chooses the Connection document to use based on the type of connection in the following order:

    • Local Area Network
    • Network Dialup
    • Pass-through server
      Note: A server that uses a pass-through connection to reach the destination server must first be able to connect to the pass-through server. To provide information on how to connect to the pass-through server, you may have to create an additional Connection document.
  4. The connecting server checks information stored in memory about other servers in the server's Notes® named network. It uses this information to define a path to the destination server. The server reads this information from Server documents in its local Domino Directory.
  5. If the connecting server's local Domino Directory does not contain information about the destination server, it tries to connect directly to the destination server on the LAN by using the server common name as its address.
  6. The connecting server checks the low-priority Connection documents. A low-priority Connection document is one that has Low selected in the Usage priority field.
  7. If the connecting server still cannot find a path to the destination server, it issues a message that a connection is not possible.
Note: For clients connecting to servers, the search logic is the same except that the client tries to use the pass-through server listed as default in the Location document to make the connection if Steps 1 through 5 fail.

To display information about how a server makes a connection, open the Miscellaneous Events view in the log file (log.nsf). To change the amount of information Domino records about connections in the log file, change the log level.