proxy to your real X display). PuTTY also sends the server the details it needs to enable clients to connect, and the server should put this mechanism in place automatically, so your X applications should just work.
A common reason why people see one of these messages is because they used SSH to log in as one user (let's say ‘fred’), and then used the Unix su command to become another user (typically ‘root’). The original user, ‘fred’, has access to the X authentication data provided by the SSH server, and can run X applications which are forwarded over the SSH connection. However, the second user (‘root’) does not automatically have the authentication data passed on to it, so attempting to run an X application as that user often fails with this error.
If this happens, it is not a problem with PuTTY. You need to arrange for your X authentication data to be passed from the user you logged in as to the user you used su to become. How you do this depends on your particular system; in fact many modern versions of su do it automatically.
10.14 ‘Network error: Software caused connection abort’
This is a generic error produced by the Windows network code when it kills an established connection for some reason. For example, it might happen if you pull the network cable out of the back of an Ethernet-connected computer, or if Windows has any other similar reason to believe the entire network has become unreachable.
Windows also generates this error if it has given up on the machine at the other end of the connection ever responding to it. If the network between your client and server goes down and your client then tries to send some data, Windows will make several attempts to send the data and will then give up and kill the connection. In particular, this can occur even if you didn't type anything, if you are using SSH-2 and PuTTY attempts a key re-exchange. (See
section 4.19.2
for more about key re-exchange.)
(It can also occur if you are using keepalives in your connection. Other people have reported that keepalives fix this error for them. See
section 4.13.1
for a discussion of the pros and cons of keepalives.)
We are not aware of any reason why this error might occur that would represent a bug in PuTTY. The problem is between you, your Windows system, your network and the remote system.
10.15 ‘Network error: Connection reset by peer’
This error occurs when the machines at each end of a network connection lose track of the state of the connection between them. For example, you might see it if your SSH server crashes, and manages to reboot fully before you next attempt to send data to it.
However, the most common reason to see this message is if you are connecting through a firewall or a NAT router which has timed the connection out. See
question A.7.10
in the FAQ for more details. You may be able to improve the situation by using keepalives;
see
section 4.13.1
for details on this.
Note that Windows can produce this error in some circumstances without seeing a connection reset from the server, for instance if the connection to the network is lost.
10.16 ‘Network error: Connection refused’
This error means that the network connection PuTTY tried to make to your server was rejected by the server. Usually this happens because the server does not provide the service which PuTTY is trying to access.
Check that you are connecting with the correct protocol (SSH, Telnet or Rlogin), and check that the port number is correct. If that fails, consult the administrator of your server.
10.17 ‘Network error: Connection timed out’
This error means that the network connection PuTTY tried to make to your server received no response at all from the server. Usually this happens because the server machine is completely isolated from the network, or because it is turned off.
Check that you have correctly entered the host name or IP address of your server machine. If that fails, consult the administrator of your server.
Unix also generates this error when it tries to send data down a connection and contact with the server has been completely lost during a connection. (There is a delay of minutes before Unix gives up on receiving a reply from the server.) This can occur if you