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Serv-U 15.4.2 Upgrade and Hotfix 2 Troubleshooting Guide

This article discusses issues that may possibly encountered after upgrading to Serv-U MFT version 15.4.2 and applying hotfixes and how to fix them

First published date

6/12/2024 2:47 PM

Last published date

7/1/2025 8:47 PM

Overview


Upgrading the Serv-U application to version 15.4.2 should be straight forward and easy but there are some issues that were reported to SolarWinds support. 

Listed below are some behaviors that may happen after upgrading to Serv-U 15.4.2 base version, or applying the hotfixes,
 
  • Server Identity related concerns
  • Missing Domain information after upgrading to Serv-U version 15.4.2 (for Windows deployment).
  • File upload/download or folder permission issues
  • Serv-U MFT License Expired or Trial Ended Status
  • Serv-U Gateway License Expired or Trial Ended Status
  • Cannot log in through HTTP and/or HTTPS due to: "Error: Operation was not successful, a parameter was invalid"
  • Cannot log in through HTTPS, or the Web Client. Shows a spinning circle, or successfully logs in after refreshing the Web Client page.
  • Cannot connect through HTTPS (Web Client) or SFTP (port 22)
  • Cannot connect through SFTP or port 22 (using legacy applications, Java-based applications, or non-RFC compliant connections)

 

Product section

Serv-U Managed File Transfer & Serv-U FTP Server

Resolution


Server Identity related concerns

Missing Domain information after upgrading to Serv-U version 15.4.2 (for Windows deployment).

  • Starting Serv-U version 15.3.2, the default service account used by the Serv-U service will be changed from Local System to NETWORK SERVICE. The Local System service account has FULL permission to all the files and folders inside the server. The NETWORK SERVICE service account might not have proper permissions to read the Serv-U folders and files, especially the Serv-U.Archive file which contains all the Domain configuration and settings. The Serv-U.Archive file is by default found in C:\ProgramData\RhinoSoft\Serv-U
  • Confirm what is the service account used by the Serv-U service
  • For Windows deployments, run services.msc and take note of the service account used by the Serv-U MFT File Server service. 
  • If it is using NETWORK SERVICE, follow the troubleshooting guide here - Running Serv-U under NETWORK SERVICE
  • If the service account used is a Domain Administrator account, ensure that Domain Admin account has FULL permissions to all the folders that Serv-U is accessing such as Home Directories, folders where SSL certificate or SSH Keys are saved, Log file folders

File upload/download or folder permission issues

  • Go to the Domain logs and check if there are errors about Serv-U not being able to access certain directories or files
  • Confirm what is the service account used by the Serv-U service
  • For Windows deployments, run services.msc and take note of the service account used by the Serv-U MFT File Server service. 
  • If it is using NETWORK SERVICE, follow the troubleshooting guide here - Running Serv-U under NETWORK SERVICE
  • If the service account used is a Domain Administrator account, ensure that Domain Admin account has FULL permissions to all the folders that Serv-U is accessing such as Home Directories, folders where SSL certificate or SSH Keys are saved, Log file folders

Serv-U MFT License Expired or Trial Ended Status

Gateway License Expired or Trial Ended Status

Cannot log in through HTTP and/or HTTPS due to: "Error: Operation was not successful, a parameter was invalid"

Cannot log in through HTTPS or Web Client. Shows a spinning circle, or login is successful after refreshing the Web Client page.

  • This is an identified issue with Serv-U version 15.4.2.126. This is fixed by applying the 15.4.2 Hotfix 1 patch. The fix is also included in Hotfix 2.
  • Ensure that the Serv-U version is 15.4.2.126
  • See the instructions from article Serv-U 15.4.2 Hotfix 2 Release Notes to properly apply Hotfix 2.

Cannot connect through HTTPS (Web Client) or SFTP (port 22)

  • Go to the Domain logs and check if there are errors about Serv-U not being able to access the SSL certificate file or SSH private key
  • For these kinds of errors, see the File upload/download or folder permission issues guide above
  • Follow the troubleshooting guide here - Unable to open private key file after upgrading to Serv-U 15.4.x
  • If permissions are already set properly for the SSL certificate or SSH key folders and the problem persists, contact SolarWinds support

Cannot connect through SFTP or port 22 (using legacy applications, Java-based applications, or non-RFC compliant connections)




Tips and Gotchas

  • Serv-U 15.4.2 Hotfix should only be applied inside the Serv-U MFT server. The Serv-U Gateway application does not need any hotfixes applied
  • The Serv-U Gateway application does not have a console or interface. The Gateway configuration is managed inside the Serv-U MFT Management Console (Global > Server Details > Serv-U Gateway tab).
  • The default self-signed SSL certificate and SSH host key in Serv-U will change coming from version 15.3.1 to 15.3.2 or higher. This means that end users connecting through SFTP using an automated application or scheduled system will be unable to connect since those applications will need to cache or trust the new SSH host key. The best solution is creating your SSH host key before upgrading to 15.3.2 or higher. Follow this guide
  • 15.4.2 Hotfix 2 REQUIRES base version 15.4.2.126. If Serv-U is on an older version than 15.4.2, upgrade to 15.4.2 first, then apply hotfix 2.
  • If Hotfix 1 or 2 is already applied while on an older version, upgrade to version 15.4.2 first, then proceed with applying the hotfixes
  • Serv-U 15.4.2 is compatible only with the Linux versions listed below. Do not attempt to upgrade if the OS versions are not on the list below, as Serv-U will not work properly. See Serv-U 15.4.2 System Requirements
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) v.8
    • CentOS 7, 8
    • OpenSUSE 15.5
    • Rocky Linux 8
    • Ubuntu 20.04 and 22.04
    • Debian 12
  • Serv-U build versions for reference
  • 15.4.2.126 Base version 
  • 15.4.2.147 with HF1
  • 15.4.2.157 with HF2