Card Terminal Troubleshooting

When you take a card payment with an Ingenico Lane 5000, Petsoft talks to the terminal through Elavon Commerce Web Services (CWS), a small program running on the Windows computer the terminal is plugged into. If that conversation never starts, the payment dialog shows:

We were unable to communicate with the terminal. Please ensure the device is plugged in, turned on, and that the necessary software is running.

When the Petsoft Certificate Update Agent can tell what is wrong, the message begins with its diagnosis, for example "This card terminal has been deactivated in Petsoft." or "This computer can't reach the internet." It may also say "The certificate agent is checking this computer now; press Try Again in a minute." In that case, wait a minute and click Try Again before you work through the checks below.

Nothing was charged. Work through the checks below in order, then click Try Again. Each one takes a minute or less, and together they cover almost every cause we see.

nota

This guide is for terminals installed by following Ingenico Lane 5000 Setup.

1. Use the computer the terminal is connected to

Petsoft can only reach the terminal from a browser running on the same Windows computer that Commerce Web Services is installed on. Opening the invoice on a laptop, tablet, or another front-desk PC and choosing the terminal will always fail with this message, even though everything is switched on.

If you have more than one terminal, each has its own computer. Pick the payment option whose Name matches the terminal in front of you.

Only one Windows user should be signed in to that computer. Shared Remote Desktop or terminal-server sessions are not supported.

2. Check the terminal itself

Verify that the card terminal is powered, the Welcome screen is visible on the terminal, and the USB cable is securely connected to the computer running Petsoft. A dark screen means it has no power — reseat the power adapter and the USB terminal cable at both ends. If the screen shows an error, hold the power button to restart the terminal and wait for it to return to the Welcome screen.

3. Check the two tray icons

Both the Petsoft Certificate Update Agent and Elavon CommerceWebServices show an icon in the Windows notification area (the system tray, near the clock — click the ^ arrow if they're hidden).

Both icons should be present. If either is missing, the software is not running or not installed on this computer.

If the Petsoft Certificate Update Agent icon is missing, open the Start menu and select Petsoft Certificate Update Agent. You do not need to restart the computer. If the CommerceWebServices icon is missing, restart the computer; it starts automatically with Windows. If either is still missing afterwards, that software is not installed on this computer: reinstall it by following step 2 (CommerceWebServices) or step 3 (Certificate Update Agent) of the installation guide.

4. Confirm CommerceWebServices is running

1. Right-click the CommerceWebServices icon and select Show....
2. Verify that both Service and CWS say Running, that Port says 9790, and that a value is present in Card Reader. An empty Card Reader means CWS can't see the terminal — go back to step 2.
3. If the status is Stopped, click Restart, wait about 30 seconds, then click Try Again in Petsoft. The Certificate Update Agent also starts a stopped service on each check, so Check and repair now (step 5) does the same.

The CommerceWebServices status dialog with the service running and the terminal detected.

5. Check the Petsoft Certificate Update Agent

Your browser will only talk to Commerce Web Services over a secure connection, and the Certificate Update Agent is what keeps that certificate installed and current. If the certificate is missing or has expired, the browser refuses the connection and Petsoft shows the message above.

Each check also repairs this computer where it can: it restores the Commerce Web Services keystore settings in the Windows registry (for example after Commerce Web Services was reinstalled), starts the Commerce Web Services service if it is stopped, checks that localpos.red.petsoft.com points to this computer, and checks that Commerce Web Services answers. It runs every day at 3:00 AM, after installation, and when you select Check and repair now.

1. Right-click the Petsoft Certificate Update Agent icon. The top of the menu shows Status and Last checked. Status: Online means the agent reached Petsoft and the certificate is in place.
2. If the status is anything other than Online, or Last checked is more than a few days old, select Check and repair now, wait for it to finish, then click Try Again in Petsoft.
3. If the problem persists, select Open logs folder (C:\ProgramData\Petsoft\Certificate Update Agent\logs), open the most recently updated file, and send its contents to Petsoft Support (step 7).

Tray status messages

Status	What it means	What to do
Online	The agent reached Petsoft and every check passed.	Nothing. If payments still fail, continue with step 6.
Unable to connect	The computer has internet, but the agent could not reach Petsoft.	Check the firewall (below), then select Check and repair now.
No internet connection	The computer is offline.	Restore the internet connection, then select Check and repair now.
Device key not recognized	Petsoft does not recognize the device key entered during installation.	Ask Petsoft Support for the correct device key. Uninstall Petsoft Certificate Update Agent from Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps, then install it again with the new key (step 3 of the installation guide). Running the installer again without uninstalling keeps the old key.
Inactive	This card terminal has been deactivated in Petsoft.	Contact Petsoft Support.
Card terminal software problem	Commerce Web Services is not answering, or a setting it needs could not be repaired.	Check CommerceWebServices (step 4), then select Check and repair now. If the status stays, uninstall and reinstall Commerce Web Services (step 2 of the installation guide) and select Check and repair now again. If it still stays, send the logs to Petsoft Support (step 7).
No card terminal connected	Commerce Web Services is working but cannot see the card terminal. Only Check and repair now reports this.	Check that the terminal is powered on and connected by USB (step 2), then select Check and repair now.

While a check runs, the status shows Verifying. A newly installed agent shows Not checked yet until its first check finishes.

"Unable to connect" in the Certificate Update Agent

If the agent reports Unable to connect, the Windows Firewall may be blocking it. Open the Start menu and type Allow an app through the Windows Firewall. Click Change Settings if the list is greyed out, then Allow another app and browse to C:\Program Files (x86)\Petsoft\Petsoft Certificate Update Agent\PetsoftCertificateUpdateAgent.exe. Under Network Type, ensure both Domain and Private are checked.

If you added a firewall exception for an earlier version of the agent, add it again for this path. Earlier versions were installed in a different folder, so the old exception no longer applies.

6. Check the browser

Two browser settings can block the connection even when everything on the computer is running.

Local Network permission

In Chrome and Edge, the Local network permission is needed to communicate with the card terminal; if it is Blocked, connections are refused. Open the three-dot menu and select Settings, then Privacy and security > Site settings > View permissions and data stored across sites, filter by petsoft.com, open Permissions, and ensure Local network is set to Allow.

"Hostname not found"

Petsoft reaches Commerce Web Services through the name localpos.red.petsoft.com, which points to this computer (127.0.0.1). Some routers and internet providers block names that point to 127.0.0.1, and the browser then reports Hostname not found.

The Certificate Update Agent repairs this on its own. When it finds the name blocked, it adds this line to the Windows hosts file (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts):

127.0.0.1 localpos.red.petsoft.com # Petsoft Certificate Update Agent

IT staff should expect this change. Select Check and repair now to run the repair immediately, then click Try Again.

If the problem continues, set the computer or router to use a public DNS server, such as Google (8.8.8.8). In Chrome and Edge you can also bypass the Windows DNS by enabling Secure DNS under Privacy and security > Security and selecting the provider Google (Public DNS).

Chrome's Secure DNS setting with Google Public DNS selected.

7. Still not working? Contact support

If the payment still fails after the checks above, gather the details below, then create a Support Ticket (fastest response) or email support@petsoft.com:

• The facility, the payment option name you selected, and the invoice number
• Which steps above you tried, what the Certificate Update Agent's Status shows, and its most recent log file from Open logs folder
• The CommerceWebServices logs: right-click its tray icon and select Logs...
• The browser console error: open the invoice, press F12 (or three-dot menu > More tools > Developer tools), select the Console tab, and click Try Again. Any error appears in the console — copy it into the ticket.

The CommerceWebServices Logs dialog.

The browser console showing the underlying connection error when a payment is attempted.

Petsoft Support can see the terminal's connection details and certificate history from their side. In the meantime, you can still take the payment by keying the card into a virtual terminal payment option, or by recording a cash or check payment.

tip

A terminal that fails with a different message — a decline, a canceled transaction, or a "communicating with the terminal" timeout — did reach Commerce Web Services. Those are transaction problems rather than connection problems: retry once, and if it repeats, open a support ticket with the invoice number.

Summary

Check	What it rules out
Same computer as the terminal	Browser on a different device
Terminal screen lit, USB cable seated	Power or cable
Both tray icons present	Software not started or not installed
CommerceWebServices Running, port 9790, Card Reader detected	Service stopped, terminal not detected
Certificate Update Agent shows Status: Online	Missing or expired certificate, firewall, deactivated terminal
Browser Local network Allow, DNS resolving	Browser or network blocking the connection
Support ticket with logs and console error	Anything Petsoft Support has to fix from their side