How To Fix the Error “Connection Reset by Peer”

Have you gotten error messages like “Connection reset by peer” or “Socket write error?” Maybe you’re curious about what causes them and what they mean.

This article will explain these error messages and why we receive them.

What Does it Mean?

A “connection reset by peer” error means the TCP stream was closed, for whatever reason, from the other end of the connection. In other words, the TCP RST was sent and received, but the connection is closed.

This issue may happen when you send a packet on your end of the connection, but the other end doesn’t recognize the connection. It’ll send back a packet with an RST bit to close the connection.

The error can happen when the peer crashes. Other times, it’s due to poorly-written applications that don’t shut their TCP connections properly.

A possible solution to this is editing the hosts.deny file. Type or paste this line for those using nano on a Debian-based system.

sudo nano /etc/hosts.deny

Look for your local IP address or host name in the file.

1. Log in to your remote server.
   
2. After accessing the file and clearing the IP or hostnames, save and exit.
   
3. Try to reconnect using SSH.
   
4. Type this line as a precaution:

sudo nano /etc/hosts.allow

• Open this file and add your hostname and IP address.
• Save and exit the file.
• Try to establish an SSH connection again.

It’s essential to remember that once you enable these settings, you restrict the ability to maintain or control remote servers. Only proceed after understanding the risks.

Modify Fail2ban

Fail2ban protects users from brute-force attacks, and attempting to connect multiple times may fool the software into thinking you’re an attacker. As a result, you need to configure the file and add the IP or IP ranges to the white list.

1. Access your remote server.
   
2. Enter “sudo nano /etc/fail2ban/jail.conf”.
   
3. Once you’re in the file, add the IP address or range to the “ignoreip =+ line”.
   
4. Save and exit.

From then on, Fail2ban will let you through.

Check sshd_config

If the error persists, the problem may lie in the sshd_config file. Try these steps to resolve the issue.

1. Enter “tail -f /var/log/auth.log” to read the latest log entries.
   
2. Once you find clues, type and execute “sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config”.
   
3. Edit the file so your system can accept more connections.
   
4. Save the file.
   
5. Restart the sshd service.
   

Unless you’re familiar with the variable, try not to edit it. It may result in an unreachable server. Should none of these solutions work, contact your host for assistance.

Connection Reset by Peer with a Socket Write Error

Sometimes you could have issues connecting to a remote computer, and you’ll receive the “Connection reset by peer socket write error.” Several possible causes exist, such as abruptly terminated connections, the socket receiving a command to close, and more.

The first order of business is finding out whether your server is reachable.

1. Open the Command Prompt.
   
2. Type “ping” along with the server’s address. Execute the command.
   
3. Run “tracert” and the server address to see if the request is successful.
   
4. Execute “telnet” and enter the server address to see if the local machine ports are open.
   
5. Should the connection fail, you must run SDEINTERCEPT and diagnose the problem.
   

Occasionally, this error comes with “SocketException.” It occurs when data is written or read to or from a closed socket connection. Below are some possible root causes.

• Firewalls closing the socket connections
• A slow network connection
• Lengthy idle connection
• Application errors

A slow connection may be alleviated by setting a higher socket timeout period. That will prevent any sockets from closing before connections are possible.

As for firewalls, you can either turn them off or configure them to prevent a SocketException.

The best solution for idle connections is sending heartbeat messages. These are periodic and prevent server idling, which makes the server stop and save resources.

One of the best solutions to a SocketException is to surround or throw it with a try-catch block. Close the connection to the server and start a new one. You may resolve the error this way.

Strangely, Adobe claims you can ignore the error.

Connection Reset by Peer with a cURL Command

A cURL error 56 is sometimes encountered by clients when trying to connect to the server. It’s usually because the server fails to receive any incoming network information. The following are more precise causes:

• Idle server connections
• URL whitespace
• Restrictions in the firewall

A server upgrade, cURL update, and firewall configuration usually fix the idling server issue. It’s also helpful to set the Maximum Transmission Unit to 1500 bytes, the default value.

A problematic URL is enough to trigger cURL 56 errors too. Simply updating the repository should restore the server’s functionality.

Whitespace is also easily removed. The command to do that does remove the whitespace without distinction. However, if the URL does have intentional whitespace, it should be left alone.

Contact your host for assistance if none of these solutions are helping.

Additional FAQs

What is a SocketException?

A SocketException is when a socket error occurs. Both Socket and Dns classes throw this error when the network isn’t configured correctly.

Why are sockets closed?

Should your server sockets be closed, it may be due to a terminated connection, but there isn’t a specific provided reason. The Driver isn’t aware or sure of what happened to the connection.

What is a cURL error?

There are many cURL errors, but they often result from outdated PHP or cURL versions. They don’t have anything to do with SSLs but are a problem with the server. You usually won’t notice anything on your website’s front end.

Back to Normal

Connection reset by peer errors come in various forms, and it’s impossible to cover them all in one article. However, some of the solutions above tend to help address commonly-encountered problems. If all else fails, it’s best to consult a professional or host.

Which of these errors have you run into? Do you know of other solutions? Let us know in the comments section below.