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Troubleshoot connecting to a project

TFS 2018

Troubleshoot Azure DevOps Server connectivity

Here's a list of the most frequently reported connection problems and what to do about them. Complete the list in the order indicated.

  1. Verify that you have the required permissions. If the errors that you receive indicate read-only or blocked actions, you might not have permissions to act on the data.
  2. Verify that your computer is connected to the network and that it can access network resources.
  3. Verify that Azure DevOps Server isn't offline. Check with your Azure DevOps Server administrator.
  4. Check whether your project was moved to another project collection in Azure DevOps Server. If it was moved, you must create a connection to the new server name.

TF31002: Unable to connect

If you determine that you're receiving this error from one computer but not others, or others aren't receiving this error, then check the following resolutions.

Problem Resolution
Your password expired. Verify that you entered your user ID and password correctly, and that your password didn't expire.
You entered an incorrect server URL. Verify that you entered the server URL correctly including the server name, port number, and protocol (http/https). For more information, see Connect to projects.
The configuration changed. If the configuration for the on-premises Azure DevOps Server changed, you must create a new connection. You might also need to clear the client cache.
You work remotely and need to connect to an Azure DevOps Proxy server to check in files to Azure DevOps Server version control. Configure Visual Studio to connect to Azure DevOps Proxy.
You're connecting to a later version of Azure DevOps Server than your Visual Studio client version. Your version of Visual Studio or Team Explorer might be incompatible with Azure DevOps Server. You might need to install one or more GDR packs. For more information, see Requirements and compatibility.
Your firewall is blocking Azure DevOps services. See Allow a program to communicate through Windows Firewall.
Visual Studio stops responding when you run a query in Visual Studio. Your computer might be configured to bypass the proxy server. Verify the configuration of the BypassProxyOnLocal setting on your computer. For more information, see BypassProxyOnLocal Configuration.

Several users can't connect to Azure DevOps Server

If the problem occurs on more than one computer, contact your administrator to confirm whether the server is operational and available on the network.

As an administrator, check the event logs for the application-tier server to try to pinpoint the problem. Also, you can use the following table to determine whether the server is misconfigured. In the table, problems that are more likely to occur appear first. Try the resolutions in the order in which they appear, which increases the chance that you can solve the problem quickly.

Problem Resolution
The TFSService account password expired or is incorrect. Many services for Azure DevOps Server stop running when the service account expires. For more information, see Change the service account or password for Azure DevOps Server.
The application-tier server for Azure DevOps Server is unavailable. Verify whether each required service is running. If a required service isn't running, you must restart it. If necessary, set it to start automatically. For more information, see Stop and start services, application pools, and websites.
The network is unavailable. Verify whether your network is operational.
A website identity for Azure DevOps Server is configured incorrectly. Verify or correct the server binding assignments that are made to websites for Azure DevOps Server.
Access to a website for Azure DevOps Server is restricted. Verify or correct restrictions that are made to those websites that are based on IP addresses and domain names.
The firewall or ports are configured incorrectly. Verify or correct port binding assignments for websites and port assignments for the firewall. First, you should open the administration console for Azure DevOps Server, display the Application Tier page, and review the URL assignments. If necessary, select Change URL to modify the URL of a website. Next, you should verify the port assignments for Internet Information Services (IIS) and the ports that are allowed through the firewall. For more information, see Review Server Status and Settings and Verify or Correct Port Assignments.
Trust relationships between domains aren't configured correctly. If a group of users can't access Azure DevOps Server, you might have trust issues between domains.
When users connect to different versions of Azure DevOps Server from Visual Studio, they can get the TF31002 error. This error can occur because the GUIDs for one version are the same as another version of Azure DevOps Server. The local client cache gets confused because it tries to maintain the same GUID-based local cache for both versions.

To fix, run the TFSConfig ChangeServerID command. See TFSConfig ChangeServerID command.

Connect to Azure DevOps Server with Secure Sockets Layer

If you connect to an Azure DevOps Server instance that has Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) configured, install a certificate and clear the client cache. For more information, see Set up HTTPS with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for Azure DevOps Server - Configuring client computers.

Clear the cache on client computers

When the on-premises Azure DevOps Server configuration changes, such as when you move or split a project collection, clear the cache.

  1. Sign in to your client computer for Azure DevOps Server by using the credentials of the user whose cache you want to clear.

  2. Close any open instances of Visual Studio.

  3. Open a browser and go to one of the following folders, depending on the operating system your computer runs on:

    • Windows 10 Drive:\Users<i>UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Team Foundation\6.0\Cache

    • Windows 8 Drive:\Users<i>UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Team Foundation\4.0\Cache

    • Windows 7 or Windows Vista Drive:\Users<i>UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Team Foundation\2.0\Cache

  4. Delete the contents of the Cache directory, including all subfolders.