A Guide to Fix “An Existing Connection was Forcibly Closed by the Remote Host” Error on Microsoft Exchange Server 2013
Microsoft has developed a vast range of server-based products such as Windows Server, SQL server, Exchange server, etc. that are used by various organizations to meet their business goals. Microsoft Exchange Server is one of those products that help the organizations to send or receive emails over through a safe and secure channel. In this blog, you will learn about the Microsoft Exchange Server, and the error “An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host” that may appear while using it.
Microsoft Exchange Server is a mail server developed to provide faster and more efficient emailing system to its users. Most of the business communication occurs on emails primarily. Therefore, it is highly important to use a secure medium, or channel to ensure secure communication. Microsoft Exchange Server provides that secure channel to the companies.
However, sometimes the server may start experiencing problems due to the improper configuration, and users may receive errors while using their mailboxes. In that situation, you must take an immediate action; otherwise you may lose your productive hours. You can contact a reliable computer support company, or a certified PC technician to resolve this issue. However, you can also read this blog to understand the symptoms and causes of a common error “An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host" error. You can also learn a few PC troubleshooting tips that you can use to resolve it.
Symptoms of the Error
When your mailbox is running on Microsoft Exchange Server 2013, you may realize that the connections to POP3 or IMAP4 have stopped working. Additionally, the following error message may appear on the PC screen:
“Microsoft.Exchange.Monitoring.ProtocolException: Authentication failed.
The connection is being closed. Unable to read data from the transport connection: An
existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host.Server response while making
connection:[]. ---> System.IO.IOException: Unable to read data from the transport
connection: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host. --->
System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the
remote hostThe related service are started, no error/warning events in system or
application log.”
Cause of the Error
The error may occur on the PC screen due to the inactive state of both ‘PopProxy’ and ‘ImapProxy’ components. With the help of the following command, you can verify the status of both the components:
“Get-ServerComponentState <ServerName>”
What Can You Do?
Once this error appears on your PC screen, you can consult with your exchange server support technicians. You can also search online for various troubleshooting methods provided by the online computer experts. However, you may need a computer or a server expert to perform the PC troubleshooting steps that are present online. Therefore, consult with your company’s IT helpdesk to resolve this exchange server issue before performing any other troubleshooting steps by yourself.
How to Resolve This Error?
If there is no server support technician or helpdesk available, then you can also try the troubleshooting steps mentioned in this blog. As stated earlier, the error occurs due to the Inactive state of ‘PopProxy’ and ‘ImapProxy’ components. Therefore, you may need to change the status for the components from ‘Inactive’ to ‘Active.’
Refer the following steps to change the status for both components:
Step 1: First, you need to find the requester that made the ‘PopProxy’
component ‘Inactive.’ Use the following command to find the requester:
“Get-ServerComponentState -Identity <ServerName> -Component PopProxy).LocalStates”
For example: Check the image below in which ‘HealthAPI’ is the requester that changed the state of ‘PopProxy’ to ‘Inactive.’
Step 2: Now, you need to change the status of ‘PopProxy’ component from
‘Inactive’ to ‘Active.’ Use the following command to change the status:
“Set-ServerComponentState -Identity <ServerName> -component PopProxy -state Active -requestor HealthAPI”
For example:
After changing the status of the components from ‘Inactive’ to ‘Active,’ you may not receive the same error again while using the mailbox. However, if the error appears again, then you can check with your company’s IT helpdesk for any suggestions.
Conclusion
After executing the commands mentioned in this blog, you may not receive the same error message that will also save your valuable time and other business resources. If you still face problems on your exchange server after performing the various troubleshooting steps, then you should connect to an online computer support technicians who are experts in handling these annoying exchange server issues.
