Network Management

Information service error: A call to SSPI failed, see inner exception in the SolarWinds Platform

The article describes what needs to be done when encountering the error about SSPI call failing.

First published date

10/17/2018 6:01 PM

Last published date

9/18/2025 9:24 PM

Overview

The Business layer is unable to connect to SWIS and the Information Service v3 logs display the following error:

Error 1:

ERROR SolarWinds.InformationService.Contract2.InfoServiceProxy - (null)     An error occurrred opening a connection to the orion communication 
service.
System.ServiceModel.Security.SecurityNegotiationException: A call to SSPI failed, see inner exception. ---> 
System.Security.Authentication.AuthenticationException: A call to SSPI failed, see inner exception. ---> System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: The 
Local Security Authority cannot be contacted


Error 2:

2023-06-21 04:23:04,559 [45] ERROR SolarWinds.HighAvailability.Kernel.Communication.SlaveServiceProxy - Error occurred during second Synchronize init and call.
System.ServiceModel.Security.SecurityNegotiationException: A call to SSPI failed, see inner exception. ---> System.Security.Authentication.AuthenticationException: A call to SSPI failed, see inner exception. ---> System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: The handle specified is invalid

SWIS 
===
2023-06-21 04:23:09,016 [143] ERROR SolarWinds.Orion.PubSub.Implementation.SubscriptionManager - (null) (null)     An error occurred while removing the subscription 'LA.LicenseLeaseChangeSubscriber_LeaseChanged.Engine'.
System.ServiceModel.Security.SecurityNegotiationException: A call to SSPI failed, see inner exception. ---> System.Security.Authentication.AuthenticationException: A call to SSPI failed, see inner exception. ---> System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: The handle specified is invalid

 

Product section

Orion Platform

Cause

The error is caused by changes made in Windows updates. See Microsoft KB 3081320, MS15-121: Security update for Schannel to address spoofing: November 10, 2015 

Resolution

Resolution 1:

  1. Click Start > Run.
  2. Enter regedit in the Open box on the SolarWinds Platform Server, and then click OK.
  3. Locate and then click the following subkey in the registry:
    HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\Schannel
  4. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
  5. For the computer that is receiving the connection request, enter DisableServerExtendedMasterSecret: REG_DWORD for the name of the DWORD, and then press ENTER.
  6. Right-click the new DWORD entry, and then click Modify.
  7. Enter 1 (or any non-zero value) in the Value data field to disable the TLS extension.
  8. Restart the Orion Services.

 

Further information is available from StackOverflow:

Can't connect to the SSL server that use only ephemeral ciphersuites (The Local Security Authority cannot be contacted) 

This error can also be generated when TLS 1.0 is not enabled on the Orion Server. In particular, not having TLS 1.0 can generate these types of errors:

  • "A call to SSPI failed, see inner exception" when NTA is trying to connect to the Flow  Storage Database
  • "A call to SSPI failed, see inner exception ... The client and server cannot communicate, because they do not possess a common algorithm" when HA pool members are attempting to synchronize.

TLS compatibility with SolarWinds Platform products

TLS compatibility with SolarWinds Platform products


Resolution 2:

"Cannot generate SSPI context" error when using Windows authentication to connect SQL Server