Symptom: When running FTK and attempting to connect to the database for the first time using a known correct password, FTK indicates "preparation failed. please verify the username and password provided".


Causes:

  • The specified postgres password is incorrect
  • The port PostgreSQL is using to communicate is blocked by a firewall
  • The PostgreSQL DB store was installed on a non-NTFS formatted drive
  • IPv6 support needs to be switched
  • Python is corrupt or didn't get installed
  • The PC has multiple active NICs


Resolution:

If a firewall is active, either disable the firewall or add an exclusion such that the port used by Postgresql (default port 5432) is not blocked.

 

If the PostgreSQL database is installed on a non-NTFS file system:

  1. Uninstall Postgres.
  2. Format the desired drive for postgres as NTFS.
  3. Reinstall postgres.
  4. Run FTK and connect to the database normally.

IPv6 support needs to be switched:

  1. Open Network and Sharing Center.
  2. In the "View your active networks" area, click on your network adapter,.
  3. Click Properties.
  4. On the Networking tab, toggle the state of "Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)" -i.e. if it is on, turn it off and leave it off, and, if it is off, turn it on and leave it on.
  5. Click OK.

Python is corrupt or didn't get installed:

  1. Uninstall Python (take note of the version).
  2. Reboot.
  3. Download and install the appropriate version of Python from python.org..
  4. Run FTK and connect to the database normally.

PC has multiple active NICs:

  1. Open the Windows Network and Sharing Center
  2. Click "Change adapter settings" on the left
  3. Disable all but one of the network adapters
  4. Run FTK and connect to the database normally
  5. After the database connects correctly, the other network adapters can be re-enabled

 

Note: For Postgresql 9.1 users, also consider verifying the postgresql network settings found in the "pg_hba.conf" file of the pgdata folder. See below for reference.


Navigate to the PostgreSQL data folder and edit the file "pg_hba.conf" to reflect the following changes (this will allow any IP to connect to PostgreSQL so that the Evidence Processing Engine can connect to the DB):

# TYPE  DATABASE        USER            CIDR-ADDRESS            METHOD

# IPv4 local connections:
host    all             all             127.0.0.1/32            md5
host	all	 	all		0.0.0.0/0 		md5
# IPv6 local connections:
# comment out the below lines if the machine does not support IPv6
host    all             all             ::1/128                 md5
host	all		all		fe80::/64		md5