Troubleshooting the Checkout Database Server

About the Checkout Database Server

Every copy of Checkout has a built-in database server which allows every computer running Checkout to host a store and to run a local Example store.

If you host your Checkout store on one computer and use additional computers to log in to that store remotely, you do not need the Checkout Database Server to actually run on the additional computers. When Checkout cannot start its internal database server, it presents you with a warning and disables the ‘Example Store’, ‘Create New Store’ and ‘Manage Checkout Stores...’ features.

The Error Message

In the dialog that shows up when Checkout cannot launch its database server, the most important bit of information is the actual ‘server error message’, which is shown between double-quotes in the text of the dialog. If you contact support, please tell them what exact server error message you received.

Causes and Solutions: “Shared Memory”

The most common server error message is: "could not create shared memory segment". The Checkout database server uses a special type of memory, which some other applications may also try to use. When you first launch Checkout, it determines how much of this so-called ‘shared memory’ is available on your computer. Several settings based on the available amount are then stored in the Checkout Database file, which you can reveal in the Finder by choosing ‘Reveal Database’ from the ‘Checkout’ menu.

The amount of available shared memory can vary from computer to computer, depending on which version of Mac OS X it is running and how much RAM is installed in it. One likely cause for receiving this error is when you have copied the Database.checkout file from one computer to another. If that is the case, the best solution is to go back to the original computer you copied the Database from and use the ‘Manage Checkout Stores...’ feature to create a store backup file. You will need to delete the Database.checkout file from the computer that presented the error message before you can import the store backup to it.

Another possible cause for getting the shared memory error is that another application or background process is using part of the ‘shared memory’ that Checkout needs to run its database server. If you recently installed any new software that runs in the background on your computer, you can try if Checkout launches normally when you disable it. If you cannot identify which application is also using ‘shared memory’, please contact Support and send them a system profile of your computer.

Causes and Solutions: “Another Server”

Another common server error message is: "Could not start postgres server: another server is running on the same port". This message most frequently occurs just after an update to Checkout was installed and the old copy of Checkout did not shut down its database server in time. The best way to resolve this problem is to quit Checkout and restart your computer. This message can also happen when you use fast user switching on your computer and another logged in user is already running a copy of Checkout.

Creating a System Profile

In case you need to contact support, please send along a system profile and a description of the server error message you received. To create a system profile, launch the ‘System Profiler’ Application that’s installed in the ‘Utilities’ folder inside your ‘Applications’ folder. Next, select ‘Save’ from the ‘File’ menu and send the resulting file to Support along with a description of the server error message that you received.