Checkout fails with PEC EC=8 error when using zScaler with Harvest

Products

• CA Harvest Software Change Manager
• CA Harvest Software Change Manager - OpenMake Meister

Issue/Introduction

When performing checkout or check-in operations in CA Harvest SCM, the transaction fails with the following error: 
E03020134: Unable to establish a remote connection (PEC ec=8)

The environment is behind a Zscaler network. Workbench browsing remains functional, but file transfer operations time out or fail to establish a connection.

Environment

• CA Harvest Software Change Manager v14.5.01
• Zscaler Private Access (ZPA)

Cause

Zscaler AppConnector health reporting probes open ports to verify connectivity. When these probes hit the Harvest direct connection ports, the ports enter an inconsistent state (typically CLOSE_WAIT), rendering the connection unusable for actual data transfer.

Resolution

To ensure compatibility between Harvest and Zscaler, exclude the Harvest port range from health monitoring:

1. Identify the Harvest direct connect port range by checking rtserver.cm (located in the PEC standard directory**). Look for the following entry:
   setopt direct_connect_port_range [StartPort],[EndPort]
2. Coordinate with the Data Networking Team to add the Harvest servers to an application segment where health reporting/health checks are disabled for the identified port range and port 5101.
3. Exclude the same port range from any active security scanners (such as Nessus) to prevent secondary probe interference.
4. Restart the Harvest Broker service after network changes are applied.

Targeted to be fixed in a future release. Subscribe to this article (see How to subscribe to a Knowledge Document) to receive updates regarding the fix status.

Additional Information

**PEC standard directory is found:

• Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\CA\SharedComponents\pec\standard
• Linux/Unix: /opt/CA/SharedComponents/pec/standard

See also:

Need compatibility with zScalar networking system