Searchlight and SharePoint common challenges

In this blog, we will be going over the most common problems caused when trying to interface with Office365, either for emails or SharePoint.

Firewall changes

Sometimes the network firewall can block access for our applications trying to connect to SharePoint. Make sure that all Aquaforest products are whitelisted for all SharePoint addresses.

• 365 IP ranges(opens in a new tab)

• Whitelisting on the Firewall(opens in a new tab)

SharePoint Account Permissions

For the account used to connect to the site, ensure that it also has full permissions to read, save and edit data within SharePoint.

• Permission configuration(opens in a new tab)

Multifactor Authentication

If the account has MFA enabled, you will need to generate an app password, as our applications cannot log in with anything that would request a code or open a webpage. If an app password cannot be generated due to internal policy, it might be worth it to have a special account created where this policy can be disabled.

• Set up an app password(opens in a new tab)

Modern Authentication/ OAuth2

Some environments require accounts to also have extra security which comes in the form of “Modern Authentication” or “OAuth2” and as such need a few extra steps to get working with 3rd party applications.

• Setting up OAuth2 for 3rd party applications(opens in a new tab)

Throttling

Some environments have a limit to how much data can be passed through in a certain time frame, either as a network speed limitation (Such as QoS) or a hard cap on data. If this is limit is too strict, it can slow down or even cause errors in some applications. It is best to either disable throttling to the product or take into account how it may affect it.

• If the environment is throttled and causing issues, Searchlight’s concurrent document counting is usually set to 8. It can be reduced by changing the number in the following line in the config:

• More information here(opens in a new tab)

Diagnostic tool

If you are still encountering issues, you can also download the Diagnostic tool to help work out where the issue is. If the diagnostic tool fails and does not help you, you can then send the logs to us and we can raise a ticket for you.

• Diagnostic tool download(opens in a new tab)

Email Authentication

For emails, when using SMTP, ensure that the authentication method chosen matches your environment and that if authentication is required, make sure that the account has suitable permissions and security to allow 3rd party applications to send emails.

• You can find more information here(opens in a new tab)