Error: 0x2501C2 TLS/SSL handshake failure prevents BCAAA failover on Edge SWG
Article ID: 446993
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
You experience a loop connecting the BCAAA agent yet the authentication realm health check remains healthy (green).
This issue typically occurs after a switch to an alternate BCAAA server, resulting in a Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) handshake failure with error 0x2501C2.
Environment
Edge SWG (ProxySG)
SGOS versions prior to 7.3.22.1 and 7.4.6
IWA-BCAAA Authentication Realm
Cause
This issue occurs due to a software defect tracked under ID SG-39720.
When a configuration change or failover switches the active target to an alternate BCAAA server that lacks the required SSL certificate, a TLS handshake failure occurs. However, because the underlying Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) handshake succeeds on port 16101, the Edge SWG appliance misinterprets the BCAAA server as healthy. The appliance logic fails to recognize the TLS/SSL handshake failure (0x2501C2) as a trigger to fail back to the primary BCAAA server, leaving connections trapped on the misconfigured alternate server.
Resolution
Workaround
To clear the stuck authentication state and force the appliance to return to the primary server, you must temporarily remove the secondary server IP:
Navigate to your IWA Realm configuration.
Remove the secondary BCAAA server IP address.
Apply the changes to force the appliance to reset and return to the primary server.
Re-add the secondary BCAAA server IP address to the configuration.
Apply the changes.
Permanent Solution
To permanently resolve this issue, you need to complete both of the following actions:
Import the missing certificate to the alternate BCAAA server to resolve the TLS validation error.
Upgrade SGOS to version 7.3.22.1, 7.4.6, or higher, which fixes the failover logic for SSL/TLS errors.
Additional Information
For more details regarding BCAAA server failover behaviors, see the following resources:
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