FAILED to Synchronize - General transport failure. - socket timeout error

Usage and Config Platform
1

I have BigFix 9.5.6.63, in a Test Environment.
I installed BESAgent on my Centos 7 with BESAgent-9.5.6.63-rhe6.x86_64

and I get the following error, an unclear why.

Thank you,

FAILED to Synchronize - General transport failure. - socket timeout error - gather url -    
http://BigFix:52311/cgi-bin/bfenterprise/BESGatherMirror.exe?url=http://BigFix:52311/cgi-bin
/bfgather.exe/actionsite&Time=22Jan10:20:53&rand=6b58c21e&
ManyVersionSha1=da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709
Encryption: optional encryption with no certificate; reports in cleartext
[ThreadTime:10:20:53] SetupListener success: IPV4/6
GatherHashMV command received.
At 10:23:54 -0600 - actionsite (http://BigFix:52311/cgi-bin/bfgather.exe/actionsite)
Failed downloading 'http://BigFix:52311/bfmirror/bfsites/manydirlists_2   
/__fullsite_536fb6934062440c464ca2eef82b0be8e6b36cc8' as '__TempUpdateFilename'
At 10:23:54 -0600 -
FAILED to Synchronize - General transport failure. - socket timeout error - gather url - http://BigFix:52311     
/cgi-bin/bfenterprise/BESGatherMirror.exe?url=http://BigFix:52311/cgi-bin/bfgather.exe/actionsite&
Time=22Jan10:22:24&rand=554c3b13&
ManyVersionSha1=da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709
Processing action site.
At 10:26:24 -0600 -
FAILED to Synchronize - General transport failure. - socket timeout error - gather url - http://BigFix:52311
/cgi-bin/bfenterprise/BESGatherMirror.exe?url=http://BigFix:52311/cgi-bin/bfgather.exe/actionsite&
Time=22Jan10:24:54&rand=cfa4e4cb&
ManyVersionSha1=da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709
At 10:32:54 -0600 - actionsite (http://BigFix:52311/cgi-bin/bfgather.exe/actionsite)
Failed downloading 'http://BigFix:52311/bfmirror/bfsites/manydirlists_2
/__fullsite_536fb6934062440c464ca2eef82b0be8e6b36cc8' as '__TempUpdateFilename'
At 10:32:54 -0600 -
FAILED to Synchronize - General transport failure. - socket timeout error - gather url - http://BigFix:52311   
/cgi-bin/bfenterprise/BESGatherMirror.exe?url=http://BigFix:52311/cgi-bin/bfgather.exe/actionsite&
Time=22Jan10:31:24&rand=a2457642&
ManyVersionSha1=da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709"
2

you may want to check the basic connectivity from the client to server on port 52311. Also try the link mentioned in the log on a browser and see if it works or gives you an error.

3

Thank you for your reply, The connectivity seems fine. I can access the URL’s, from another system.

4

Can you curl from that box to the server? Maybe try “curl http://BigFix:52311/rd” assuming “BigFix” is your root. You will also get those transport errors is DNS doesn’t resolve.

5

Hello, yes, If I curl , I don’t get any errors.

6

So then it can’t be a firewall issue. Have you tried a uninstall/reinstall? Perhaps the masthead is messed up?

1 Like
7

Check which Relay you’re using. In the client log look for
Beginning Relay Select. The next few lines should indicate which Relay you’ve selected. I’ve seen a (very small) number of cases where a Relay is responding to the client, but not properly gathering the site contents.

The clients kept trying to use the relay, as long as it’s responding the clients wouldn’t failover even though the relay had nothing to say to them.

The “gather url” messages you’re seeing will reference your root server’s name (from the masthead), even when your client is actually trying to gather the sites from a relay.

1 Like
8

Hey Jason, I believe this is what your are referring to it seems ok. except maybe the key exchange ?

Registration Server version 9.5.6.63 , Relay version 9.5.6.63
Relay does not require authentication.
At 15:37:40 -0600 -
Failed automatic client authentication key exchange with server message: General transport failure.
Relay selected: BigFix.products.net.local. at: 10.5.19.95:52311 on: IPV4 (Using setting IPV4ThenIPV6)
PollForCommands: Requesting commands
PollForCommands: commands to process: 2

9

Check whether you can retrieve sites from the Relay using curl or your browser. Here’s an example to grab “Patches for Windows”

http://your_relay_here:52311/cgi-bin/bfenterprise/besgathermirror.exe?url=http://sync.bigfix.com/cgi-bin/bfgather/bessecurity

1 Like
10

Here’s another URL to try on the relay, to pull the current Master Action Site from your deployment:

http://your_relay_here:52311/cgi-bin/bfenterprise/besgathermirror.exe?url=http://your_masthead_server_here:52311/cgi-bin/bfgather.exe/actionsite

11

I tried both, and it says : no file or directory exists

12

Sounds like the problem might lie with your Relay then.
Under the Relay directory, check for a log file and see whether it’s having trouble gathering the sites.

1 Like
13

Hello Jason, this may be a stupid question. But, I don’t recall installing a Relay. I had bigfix running and working on a previous build, for testing purposes. Then, we decided to create a build for Development\PQA. I didn’t think a relay was required, and I don’t recall installing it before.

Thank you for your help.

14

Maybe you’re not using a relay at all. In this excerpt from the client log you posted, is “BigFix.products.net.local” (or it’s original name) the hostname of your root server?

15

Hey Jason, yea that is my hostname of my root server. I started over with a new server, with 9.5.7.90. and I get the same exact issue.

1 Like
16

The root server itself is also a relay, though not exactly the same as a regular relay.

You should have a bigfix client installed on the root server itself. Can you check the logs of the client on the root server to see if it has these same issues?

17

Hello jgstew, yes, the logs in root server are fine, without issue. I did try another system. A windows 7 system, and It it works fine without any issues. Seem to be my CentOS system.

In my console, you see the CentOS system, not reported, but the Win7 has.

Capture
Capture698Ă—104 2.51 KB

Error message from the CentOS

Failed automatic client authentication key exchange with server message: General transport failure.
Relay selected: BigFix.Products.Net.Local. at: 10.5.18.171:52311 on: IPV4 (Using setting IPV4ThenIPV6)
At 05:43:43 -0600 -
PollForCommands: Requesting commands
At 05:45:13 -0600 -
PollForCommands: GetURL failed
Entering Service Loop.
Starting Service Loop.
A2AServer::Start().
At 05:46:43 -0600 -
FAILED to Synchronize - General transport failure. - socket timeout error - gather url -
http://BigFix.Products.Net.Local:52311/cgi-bin/bfenterprise/BESGatherMirror.exe?url=http:
//BigFix.Products.Net.Local:52311/cgi-bin/bfgather.exe/actionsite&Time=26Jan05:45:13&
rand=45216947&ManyVersionSha1=da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709
Encryption: optional encryption with no certificate; reports in cleartext
[ThreadTime:05:45:13] SetupListener success: IPV4/6

18

I’m out of suggestions, think you’ll have to go the PMR route. I expect it’s something in the network stack on your client (IP4/IP6, routing, name resolution, firewall, proxy), but the thread looks like we’ve eliminated most of that.

19

if possible, restore your besclient.config from before the upgrade to a different location like /tmp/
Check these settings:
egrep -a1 -i “C_code|RelayServer|Relay_Control” /tmp/besclient.config_restored_pre_upgrade
compare with the current settings.

egrep -a1 -i “C_code|RelayServer|Relay_Control” /var/opt/BESClient/besclient.config.

If it was working before the upgrade, then its unlikely a Firewall/port issue.
Is it possible this device is also a relay, i think you get a warning when upgrading client code on a relay?

20

There’s a lot of things going on in that log that are problematic. It does look like there is some form of communication issue between your centos and root server as in one log above it did get some traffic (the PollForCommands) but the rest failed. Could there be some firewall or something between them interfering?