Can I test if SurfMatch is working?

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Question: Sometimes I don't see a recently visited web site on my Domain Allow List. How can I tell if SurfMatch is working?
Asked by Michael Putzel

Answer
The SurfMatch feature can be tricky to test, because several mechanisms suppress the feature, or at least prevent you from seeing the entry on your Allow List. For example:

• Web sites on your Domain-Exclude list are excluded from SurfMatch
  
• Any site that you logged into recently, even if you removed it from your Allow List are sensed by the server as a "user-override"
  
• Accounts accessed from multiple PCs have complex interaction rules and synchronization of client-side data may be delayed between PCs

With this in mind, here is a method that successfully tests the SurfMatch feature.

Test the SurfMatch Feature
Generally, you can get SurfMatch to add newly visted domains to your Domain-Allow list in just 2 or 3 steps. But this more careful process ensures an entry in every situation. It determines if the feature works properly.

• Make sure that vqME 4.5 or higher is running on your PC (Click the red 'V' next to your clock and look for the version along the left edge of the slide-up menu).
  
• Ensure that the SurfMatch feature is turned on (it should be checked above the 'V')
  
• Make sure that you have not disabled client side Java script. (This is rare). This page will tell you.
  
• Check your browser to ensure that the plug-in is installed.
  
• Think of a web site which you can log into with a registered user name. It must be a domain that you have never logged into before from this or any PC since you began using vqME. For example, create a new account somewhere or ask a friend to log into a store from which he makes purchases. This rules out several possible interactions, because the server performs an intentionally delayed synch with any PC that has had access to your account. This is done, so that the SurfMatch list can be downloaded back into a new PC when you add one to your account. Check your Domain lists (view-all tab) and check that it does not appear on any Domain list.
  
• Log into the new domain. Make sure that it is a standard Windows password log in. Make sure the browser indicates https: and shows the secure lock icon.
  
• Now post data with a SUBMIT or BUY button and make sure the site moves to the next page.
  
• Don't close your browser, but leave the site by clicking on your own home page, or visit google.com (do this in the same browser window or tab).
  
• Verify that you are no longer in a secure session (without https or a padlock) and than close your browser completely.
  
• Check your vqME Domain lists. The domain you logged into should be on your Domain Allow list with a very recent time stamp. If it is not, this suggests a problem with your account.

Trace the Step that Failed
If the above test fails, isolate the the cause: Either the browser plug-in failed or your firewall/router is blocking the port on which we upload data to your Allow List. This quick test will tell you which of these is failing:

• Right click Start and then Explore. Look in the left frame for the folder C:\Program Files\Vanquish-vqME and then look in the main window. Right-click on Surfmatch.ini and choose Open with » Notepad. If this part of the test succeeded, the last line in this file will be a scrambled version of the domain name that you just visited. The scrambling method is very simple...Each letter in the domain name are raised by one character. So if you visited the domain Bunk1.com, you will see this entry: cvol2.dpn. Close the file without saving any changes.
  
  If you do not see the expected entry, then the browser plug-in was not installed, is not enabled, or is not functioning properly. vqME version 4.5 and higher offers separate plug-ins for all recent versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox.
  
  If you do see the entry but the domain was not added to your vqME Domain-Allow List, then your firewall or router is blocking access to an important port. Perform the next test...
  
  
  • Open a command window: Start » Progs » Accessories » Command
    
    
  • Type: Telnet vqme.com 8080 <enter> (Telnet is installed on Windows PCs)*
    Then type: Test <enter>
  
  If you see any response from our server (typically, a screen full of gibberish), then port 8080 is not blocked by your PC or your local network equipment. This indicates that the test succeeded

What Next?
We have never encountered a situation where both of these tests succeed and yet SurfMatch fails to upload the new domain on your Domain Allow List. If you believe that this is the case, contact our staff to discuss the matter.

* Telnet is typically installed with Windows, but once in a while, I have noticed that it is missing from a PC. You can find it on your Windows install CD.