Background
Dynamics GP Toolbox has a feature called User Lockout that prevents users from logging into the system after they have entered an incorrect password three times in a row. Once this happens, an Administrator must then unlock that user to allow them to log in again. An external table, called the Locked Users table, is used to track users who have been locked out of the system in this way. There are two components to this table, both with the name RSTBLU1. This table is not stored in a SQL database because the system needs to be able to read from this table to determine if a user is locked out at the point they are logging in. That means that the user has not logged in yet and therefore does not yet have access to the SQL server.
Because the User Locked Users Table is critical to the function of the User Lockout tool, the system tightly controls its location. If anything is ever found to be different from exactly how the system expects it to be, users may see one of the following messages when logging in to Dynamics GP:
Message 1: Locked Users table is missing. Contact the system administrator.
Message 2: Dynamics GP Toolbox Locked Users table path is missing. This may indicate that the system has been tampered with. Contact the system administrator.
Once they get one of these messages, they will not be allowed access to the system and their Dynamics GP session will shut down.
There’s more than just the one table to be concerned about. There is also a Dex.ini setting, RSTB_LocksPath, which is mentioned in message 2. This setting needs to have the correct value at the correct time in order for the login to be considered valid. In addition, starting with Dynamics GP 2013, a new table called the User-Specific Dex.ini Settings table (SY01405) was added to store user-specific Dex.ini settings. As we will see later, this makes matters even more complicated.
The idea behind all of this complexity, of course, is to prevent someone from bypassing the tool and logging in even though they have been locked out. When you get one of these messages, it is generally due to situations such as the following:
1. Someone has tried to manually disable it without going through the recommended procedure. This could happen if their company has decided that they don’t want to use this tool anymore.
2. Someone has possibly installed Dynamics GP on a workstation by coping the GP install folder, as opposed to installing Dynamics GP Toolbox from its installer.
3. Someone is actually trying to tamper with this security feature.
4. There is a bug in the system.
In general, the system will check the validity of the Locked Users table and RSTB_LocksPath Dex.ini setting any time the user starts Dynamics GP or logs in to a Company. To give you a better idea of how to prevent the disruption that can occur when things are not exactly correct, let’s first examine why each of the above messages occurs.
Locked Users table is missing. Contact the system administrator.
This is the most common message that indicates that there are problems with the User Lockout tool. It will be displayed when the system finds a path specified in the RSTB_LocksPath Dex.ini setting, but it cannot find the RSTBLU1 file at this file location. Put simply, the Locked Users table is not where it should be.
Dynamics GP Toolbox Locked Users table path is missing. This may indicate that the system has been tampered with. Contact the system administrator.
If the User Lockout tool is enabled and there is no path specified in the RSTB_LocksPath Dex.ini setting, or if the setting does not exist at all, then you will see this message. This often happens because someone has tried to manually update the Dex.ini setting, or has updated the SQL table in the DYNAMICS database that stores the location of the Locked Users table.
How to Resolve Problems
Once you receive one of these messages, in most cases, you will need to call the Rockton Software Support team to help you out. However, there is at least one approach that you can try initially on your own that may enable you to get yourself “unstuck”.
Gather Information
One of the first things you want to find out is whether or not the User Lockout tool is enabled. This is typically done by opening the System Settings window. If you are in this situation, then you may find that no users can log in to Dynamics GP, so that will make that impossible. In that case, you can run the following SQL query:
select * from RSTB001 where RSTB_System_Setting_Key = ‘LOCKOUT_Enable’
If the result is 1, then the tool is enabled. If it is 0, or if it returns nothing, then it is not. Note that this query will only display information from the database; it will not update anything.
Install the Dynamics Toolbox Chunk File
You can sometimes get access to the system, one time only, by having your reseller copy the Dynamics GP Toolbox chunk file to the GP install folder and then launching Dynamics GP. You should then be able to open the System Settings window and try to troubleshoot from the Lockout tab. For instance, if you have determined that the tool is supposed to be disabled, try to enable it; if there is a Locked Users table location path listed, try clearing it out and then disabling the tool again. Conversely, if the tool is supposed to be enabled, but there is no path, then make sure you enter the correct path before you click OK to leave this window.
If this doesn’t help, then you will probably need to contact your Partner or the Rockton Software Support team to help resolve the situation.
Tips for Preventing Problems
Make sure you are on the latest build of Dynamics GP Toolbox
This is important, especially if you are using GP 2013 or later. One reason for this is that GP 2013 introduced the concept of “per user Dex.ini settings”, which are stored in the SY01405 table in the DYNAMICS database, rather than the Dex.ini text file. Earlier builds of Dynamics GP Toolbox did not properly handle this table and that would sometimes cause some installations to lock out all users once Dynamics GP Toolbox was installed.
Install Dynamics GP Toolbox using the Installer
Do not try to configure the product by just copying the Dynamics GP install folder from workstation to workstation.
Use the System Settings window
When enabling or disabling the tool, or changing the location of the Locked Users table, only do it from the Lockout tab on the System Settings window.
Use a UNC path for the Locked Users table location
This exact path will be used to access the table by each workstation that logs in to Dynamics GP. For this reason, we strongly recommend against a mapped drive because there is no way to guarantee that each workstation will have that drive mapped the same way.
Do not update anything manually unless instructed to do so by Rockton Software Support
Dynamics GP Toolbox will keep the RSTB_LocksPath Dex.ini setting updated with the correct value as long as you don’t try to do anything in the back end. That includes updating the Dex.ini manually, or updating Dynamics GP Toolbox tables through SQL.
For more information on Dynamics GP Toolbox, take a look at our Knowledge Base articles.
