AppScan Presence troubleshooting

Troubleshooting tasks for errors found when working with the AppScan Presence.

Startup errors

Error Cause Solution
Another instance of this AppScan Presence installation is already running. An instance of AppScan Presence is already running from the same directory.
  • Windows: Open the Task Manager and find processes running Presence.exe.
  • Linux: Type ps aux in the command line and look for a process titled Presence.

Key errors

When you create a new presence, a unique file named presence.key is created and placed inside the downloaded ZIP file. This key is used to identify the Presence.

In most cases, problems with the key can be resolved by generating a new key through the AppScan on Cloud website, and placing it in the Presence directory. If this does not work, create a new AppScan Presence.

Error Cause Solution
Presence Key expired. Please renew the key file and place it in the AppScan Presence directory. The AppScan Presence key expires after a certain amount of time, or when a new key is created for this presence instance. Renew Presence key file and place it in the Presence directory, or create and download a new Presence.
Presence Key not found. Please verify the key file is located in the AppScan Presence directory, or download a new key file from the 'HCL AppScan on Cloud' website. The file presence.key was not found in the AppScan Presence directory. Renew AppScan Presence key file and place it in the AppScan presence directory, or create and download a new AppScan Presence.
Presence Key invalid. Please download a valid key file from the 'HCL AppScan on Cloud' website and place it in the AppScan Presence directory. The file presence.key in the AppScan Presence directory is invalid. Renew AppScan Presence key file and place it in the AppScan presence directory, or create and download a new AppScan Presence.
Presence was deleted from the 'HCL AppScan on Cloud' website. Please create a new Presence (download and install). The AppScan presence has been deleted. Create and download a new AppScan Presence.
Presence Key in use. Please generate a new key file from the 'HCL AppScan on Cloud' website, or exit the instance of AppScan Presence that is currently using this key. A key file can only be used by one instance of AppScan Presence at a time. Two common causes for this error are:
  • The AppScan Presence directory was copied to a different machine, or a different directory on the same machine, and both instances were run at the same time.
  • The AppScan Presence process was aborted in the last few minutes, and the server mistakenly thinks that the Presence is still online.
 Avoid installing the same instance of AppScan Presences on two directories or machines.

If you stopped and then restarted the AppScan Presence process, wait 5 minutes and try again.

Connection errors

The machine running AppScan Presence must have a connection to the following addresses on port 443: If a proxy is required to access these addresses, make sure to configure it in the appsettings.json file located in the OutgoingProxyEndpoint section of the AppScan Presence directory (see Configuring the HCL AppScan Traffic Recorder).

The AppScan Presencee uses ad hoc, self-signed SSL/TLS certificates. Verify that your company’s gateway does not interfere with SSL/TLS connections in a way that will prevent the presence from connecting to the server.

Error Cause Solution
Failed to connect to the internal proxy (<host:port>) with the following error: <error message> AppScan Presence was unable to connect to the outgoing proxy server. Verify that the outgoing proxy host and port are properly configured in the appsettings.json file in the "OutgoingProxyEndpoint" section.
Unable to authenticate with outgoing proxy server. Please configure the outgoing proxy username and password in appsettings.json. AppScan Presence failed authentication with the outgoing proxy that was defined in the appsettings.json file located in the AppScan Presence directory. Verify that the outgoing proxy credentials are properly configured in the appsettings.json file in the "OutgoingProxyEndpoint" section.
Error connecting to server. If problem persists, please verify you have a working Internet connection. If a proxy is required, please configure it inappsettings.json and then re-start AppScan Presence. AppScan Presence could not connect to the AppScan on Cloud server located at https://cloud.appscan.com Verify that the address cloud.appscan.com is reachable from this machine, that it is not blocked by your company’s firewall, and that the firewall does not interfere with the SSL traffic from the server.

If a proxy is required, make sure it is properly configured in the "OutgoingProxyEndpoint" section of the appsettings.json file located in the AppScan Presence directory.

Tunnel startup errors

  • Web application scans: Make sure the machine has access to the tested server.
Error Cause Solution
Failed to connect to the internal proxy (<host:port>) with the following error: <error message> AppScan Presence could not connect to the internal proxy that was configured in the appsettings.json file. Verify that the internal proxy host and port are properly configured in the appsettings.json in the "InternalProxyEndpoint" section and that the current machine has access to this proxy server.
Checking Starting URL: <starting point URL>
Followed by one of these:
  • Warning: received invalid HTTP response
  • Warning: received HTTP response status: <HTTP error status>
  • Warning: failed with the following error: <error message>
 When running a web application scan, the AppScan Presence attempts to access the application’s Starting URL to make sure the machine has access to the website being tested. These warnings indicate that this test failed, however the scan will still start. If the scan fails, verify that the machine running the AppScan Presence has access to the website being tested. If a proxy is required, configure it in the "InternalProxyEndpoint" section of the appsettings.json file located in the AppScan Presence directory.
Tunnel client failed to start AppScan Presence failed to start the private site scanning process. Consult the AppScan Presence logs and contact Support.

Tunnel connection errors

When starting a scan, the AppScan Presence will create a new "tunnel" between itself and the scanning agent. This tunnel is used to connect the scanning agent or the mobile testing device to the backend server. The tunnel requires access to the IP addresses listed in System Requirements.

The tunnel uses ad hoc, self-signed SSL/TLS certificates. Verify that your company’s gateway does not interfere with SSL/TLS connections in a way that will prevent AppScan Presence from connecting to the server.

Error Cause Solution
Failed to connect to the internal proxy Tunnel could not connect to the internal proxy configured in the appsettings.json file. Verify that the internal proxy host and port are properly configured in the appsettings.json in the "Internal Proxy Settings" section and that the current machine has access to this proxy server.
Failed to connect to the outgoing proxy Tunnel could not connect to the outgoing proxy configured in the appsettings.json file. Verify that the outgoing proxy host and port are properly configured in the appsettings.json in the "OutgoingProxyEndpoint" section and that the current machine has access to this proxy server.
Failed to connect to the scanning agent Tunnel could not connect to the remote scanning agent. Verify that the IP addresses listed in System Requirements are open.

If a proxy is required, make sure it is properly configured in the "OutgoingProxyEndpoint" section of the appsettings.json file located in the AppScan Presence directory
SSL errors were encountered while connecting to the scanning agent Connection to the scanning agent failed due to errors in the SSL handshake between the presence and the agent. Verify that the gateway that connects this machine to the internet does not tamper with the SSL/TLS handshake in any way. The AppScan Presence uses a self-signed, ad hoc set of SSL/TLS certificates which changes with every scan, and tampering with them will cause the connection to fail.

Miscellaneous errors

Error Cause Solution
Failed to update required component <component name>. Please consult AppScan Presence logs. AppScan Presence was unable to download and install an update for the specified component. Make sure the user account running AppScan Presence has write permissions to the AppScan Presence directory as well as the system’s temp directory. If problem persists, consult the AppScan Presence logs and contact support.