**Issue:** After invoking SVN on the command line on a firewalled server, nothing visible happens for 15 seconds, then the program quits with the following error:
svn: E170013: Unable to connect to a repository at URL 'SVN.REPOSITORY.REDACTED' svn: E730054: Error running context: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host. **Investigation:** Internet research on the above errors did not uncover any pertinent information (hopefully they will now) Process Tracing (procmon) showed a connection attempt to an Akamai (cloud services) server after the SSL/TLS handshake to the SVN Server. The hostname for the server was not shown in Process tracing. Reverse DNS lookup showed a184-51-112-88.deploy.static.akamaitechnologies.com or a184-51-112-80.deploy.static.akamaitechnologies.com as the hostname, and the IP was either 184.51.112.88 or 184.51.112.80 (2 entries in DNS cache). Packet capture tool (MMA) showed a connection attempt to the hostname ctldl.windowsupdate.com after the SSL/TLS Handshake to the SVN server. The windows Crypto API was attempting to connect to Windows Update to retrieve Certificate revocation information (CRL - certificate revocation list). The default timeout for CRL retrieval is 15 seconds. The timeout for authentication on the server is 10 seconds; as 15 is greater than 10, this fails. **Resolution:** Internet research uncovered the following: (also see picture at bottom) Solution 1: Decrease CRL timeout Group Policy -> Computer Config ->Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Public Key Policies -> Certificate Path Validation Settings -> Network Retrieval https://subversion.open.collab.net/ds/viewMessage.do?dsForumId=4&dsMessageId=470698 support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2625048 blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2010/05/14/3409948.aspx Solution 2: Open firewall for CRL traffic support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2677070 Solution 3: SVN command line flags (untested) serverfault.com/questions/716845/tortoise-svn-initial-connect-timeout - alternate svn command line flag solution. **Additional Information:** Debugging this issue was particularly difficult. SVN 1.8 disabled support for the Neon HTTP RA (repository access) library in favor of the Serf library which removed client debug logging. [1] In addition, the SVN error code returned did not match the string given in svn_error_codes.h [2] Also, SVN Error codes cannot be mapped back to their ENUM label easily, this case SVN error code E170013 maps to SVN_ERR_RA_CANNOT_CREATE_SESSION. 1. stackoverflow.com/questions/8416989/is-it-possible-to-get-svn-client-debug-output 2. people.apache.org/~brane/svndocs/capi/svn__error__codes_8h.html#ac8784565366c15a28d456c4997963660a044e5248bb3a652768e5eb3105d6f28f 3. code.google.com/archive/p/serf/issues/172 **Suggested SVN Changes:** 1. Enable Verbosity option on the command line for all operations 2. Add error ENUM name to stderr 3. Add config flag for Serf Library debug logging. Nothing in this message is intended to constitute an electronic signature unless a specific statement to the contrary is included in this message. Confidentiality Note: This message is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, transmission, dissemination or other use, or taking of any action in reliance upon this message by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited and may be unlawful. If you received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete it from your computer.
