Understanding GlobalProtect Log Error: Port 4767 Failure
Log Message Found in `PanGPA.log`:
Failed to connect to server at port:4767
Correct Interpretation
✅
Correct Meaning:
The
PanGPA
process failed to connect to the
PanGPS
process on port 4767.
📘 Explanation: GlobalProtect Agent Architecture
To understand this error, it's important to know the two main components of the GlobalProtect agent running on an endpoint:
-
PanGPA (GlobalProtect App):
This is the process responsible for the
user interface (UI)
that the end-user interacts with. It shows connection status, notifications, etc.
-
PanGPS (GlobalProtect Service):
This is a
background system service
that runs with higher privileges. It handles the core VPN functionalities, including:
-
Communicating with the GlobalProtect Portal to retrieve configurations.
-
Communicating with the GlobalProtect Gateway to establish the VPN tunnel (IPsec/SSL).
-
Managing network routes and tunnel traffic.
-
Collecting Host Information Profile (HIP) data.
Inter-Process Communication
The user interface process (PanGPA) needs to communicate with the background service (PanGPS) to display status, receive commands (like connect/disconnect), and get configuration details. This communication happens **locally** on the endpoint using the loopback interface (
127.0.0.1
) over **TCP port 4767**.
Therefore, the error message
Failed to connect to server at port:4767
in the `PanGPA.log` (the log for the UI process) indicates that the
PanGPA process could not establish a local connection to the PanGPS service on its designated port.
Common Reasons for this Error:
-
The PanGPS service is **not running** or failed to start.
-
The PanGPS process has **crashed**.
-
Local firewall software on the endpoint is blocking communication on TCP port 4767 (less common for loopback traffic).
-
File corruption or permission issues related to the GlobalProtect installation preventing the service from running or listening correctly.
-
Resource exhaustion on the endpoint preventing the service from responding.
Why Other Interpretations Are Incorrect
1. Failed to connect to the GlobalProtect Gateway on port 4767
-
❌ The connection between the agent (specifically PanGPS) and the remote GlobalProtect Gateway typically occurs over standard ports like **TCP/443** (for SSL VPN) or **UDP/4501** (for IPsec ESP NAT-T). Port 4767 is only used for local communication *within* the agent.
2. Failed to connect to the GlobalProtect Portal on port 4767
-
❌ Similar to the gateway, the connection between the agent (PanGPS) and the remote GlobalProtect Portal occurs over **TCP/443** (HTTPS). Port 4767 is not involved in portal communication.
3. The PanGPS process failed to connect to the PanGPA process on port 4767
-
❌ The communication flow is initiated by PanGPA (the UI) *to* PanGPS (the service). PanGPS listens on port 4767; it doesn't actively try to connect *to* PanGPA on that port.
Troubleshooting Steps
-
Check if the "PanGPS" service (or similarly named GlobalProtect service) is running in the endpoint's services list (e.g., `services.msc` on Windows, `launchctl list | grep com.paloaltonetworks.globalprotect.gps` on macOS).
-
Try restarting the PanGPS service.
-
Reboot the endpoint computer.
-
Check for errors in the `PanGPS.log` file for clues about why the service might not be running or listening.
-
Consider reinstalling the GlobalProtect client.
-
Check for conflicts with local security software (firewall/antivirus).
Mermaid Sequence Diagram: GPA-GPS Communication
sequenceDiagram
participant User
participant PanGPA as PanGPA (UI Process)
participant PanGPS as PanGPS (Service Process)
participant OS as Endpoint OS
User->>PanGPA: Interacts (e.g., clicks Connect)
PanGPA->>OS: Attempt Local TCP Connection to 127.0.0.1:4767
OS->>PanGPS: Forward connection attempt to listening service
alt PanGPS Running & Listening
PanGPS-->>OS: Accept Connection
OS-->>PanGPA: Connection Established
PanGPA->>PanGPS: Send Command (e.g., Get Status, Connect)
PanGPS-->>PanGPA: Send Response (e.g., Status Info)
else PanGPS Not Running OR Not Listening on 4767
OS-->>PanGPA: Connection Failed (e.g., Connection Refused)
PanGPA->>PanGPA: Log Error: "Failed to connect to server at port:4767"
PanGPA-->>User: Show Error/Status (e.g., "Service not running")
end
✅ Summary: The error `Failed to connect to server at port:4767` in `PanGPA.log` indicates a local communication breakdown on the endpoint between the GlobalProtect UI (PanGPA) and its background service (PanGPS), most often because the PanGPS service is stopped or malfunctioning.
📚 References