InstaSafe | Windows ISA App is stuck on Connecting state

Windows ISA App is stuck on 'Connecting' state

This Article highlights the steps to be taken in case the ISA App on Windows is unable to connect and is stuck in a 'Connecting' state.

Issue

The ISA App on Windows fails to connect as expected and the ISA App UI indicates that it is stuck in a 'Connecting' state.



Based on the available internet connectivity and the security checks configured, the ISA App typically takes 30-45 seconds to connect on Windows devices with a major part of this time taken by the network adapter to assign a virtual IP for the ISA connection. In some cases, the ISA App remains stuck in a 'Connecting' state beyond a reasonable time frame indicating that it is unable to establish connectivity with the InstaSafe Controllers.

Solution

There could be several reasons why the ISA App fails to connect as expected, and remains stuck in a 'Connecting' state. The reason could be determined by looking at the error message(s) in the ISA App Log File.

Please refer this KB Article for assistance with locating the ISA App Log File and interpreting the Logs: https://support.instasafe.com/portal/en/kb/articles/isa-app-logs

The most common reason for such a situation to arise is a network block. The ISA App would be unable to connect as expected if it is unable to communicate with the InstaSafe Controllers, and the ISA App Log File would display the message as shown below:

UDPv4 link remote: [AF_INET]<103.220.168.102><1234>
Server poll timeout, restarting
SIGUSR1[soft,server_poll] received, process restarting

In the above example, the ISA App is attempting to connect to the InstaSafe Controller with Public IP 103.220.168.102 on UDP Port 1234, and is unable to do so indicated by the message 'Server poll timeout'.

The typical causes for the network block and their corresponding solutions are mentioned below:
  1. Block from the ISP: Some ISPs may arbitrarily block or interfere with traffic towards the InstaSafe Controllers. Making use of an alternate available internet connection (from a different provider) would help
  2. Block from the Network Firewall: When connecting from a Corporate Network, certain internet traffic might be blocked by the Firewall or a similar network device. The IT Team would need to allow the outbound InstaSafe Traffic, in order for the ISA App to connect
  3. Block from an End-point Protection Software: Some tools installed on the end-user machines with a Network Protection component (Firewall, Traffic Monitoring and Filtering, etc.) might also drop the traffic initiated by the ISA App. Appropriate steps might need to be taken to allow the traffic and possibly even add the ISA App to the Exclusion List


In case the issue persists after following the above mentioned steps, please contact your organization's IT Team.

If you are an Admin of the organization's ISA Account and need assistance, contact InstaSafe Support.