Problems starting the desktop Process Designer (deprecated)

Resolve problems starting the desktop Process Designer, for example during login, by using various techniques such as correcting invalid connection information or logging errors that are captured with log4J or java.util.logging.

You might encounter an error message similar to this one when you start Process Designer:
Unable to establish a connection with the Process Center.

When you start Process Designer, you must log in using your Business Automation Workflow user name and password. If you do not already have a user account, contact your administrator. When you log in, you are connected to the Workflow Center designated during installation of Process Designer.

To determine your connection status, check the lower right corner of the Process Designer. This area of the Designer interface displays status conditions.
Table 1. Indicator colors that describe status conditions on the Designer interface
Indicator color Connection to Workflow Center server status
Green Good connection
Yellow Slow connection that might cause issues with concurrent edits
Orange Even slower connection and more potential issues with concurrent editing
Red No connection; check with your administrator to ensure the Workflow Center server is up and running
If you see a connection error after you log in, try one of the following tasks:
  • Confirm that you are using the correct user name and password.
  • Confirm that Workflow Center is running by accessing it through a browser using the URL in the form http://hostname:port/ProcessCenter. The default port is 9080.
  • Check the eclipse.ini file (in the Process Designer installation directory) to confirm that the Workflow Center connection information is correct:
    1. Find the installation folder of Process Designer on your local computer, for example C:\IBM\ProcessDesigner\v8.5.
    2. Open the eclipse.ini file and locate -Dcom.ibm.bpm.processcenter.url. Ensure that the URL prefix (http://hostname:port) is the same as the Workflow Center URL prefix.
  • Confirm that your Process Designer version matches the Workflow Center version. If your administrator upgraded Workflow Center, you need to upgrade Process Designer to the same version by accessing Workflow Center from a browser and downloading Process Designer.
    If the two versions are different, you might see a message similar to the following message: 
    The versions of Process Center("BPM8501-20130922-000036") and Process Designer ("BPM8500-20130525-092636") do not match.
  • If you see a blank white Process Designer view or the view does not display fully, or if you see an HTTP error, press F5 to refresh. If the display continues to be blank, enable a security option as described in Process Designer window is blank.
  • If you have a firewall or proxy server, or are running a service that forwards the ports, check that communication to make sure the required ports are open. For information about Workflow Center ports that are accessed by Process Designer, see the table in the topic Connections from IBM Process Designer to Workflow Center.