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RDS no longer working in ColdFusion 2016 on IIS

August 8, 2016

While setting up my first ColdFusion 2016 server I came across an interesting problem with RDS.

My problem was that I could not get RDS to connect via ColdFusion Builder 3.

The error when I would attempt a test connection:

Unable to contact RDS Server "[Remote Server]". This can be caused by incorrect configuration on either the client or the server.

Please verify your connection details below or check your servers documentation on how to enable RDS for your server.

The HTTP request to talk to your server returned with the following message:
Error executing RDS command. Status Code: 404, Reason : Not Found

First I made sure RDS was enabled via the ColdFusion Administrator.Having had some previous experience with RDS troubleshooting I knew that ColdFusion Builder made HTTP calls to /cfide/ folder on the server.  I reviewed the web connector configuration file (%CFUSION%\config\wsconfig\1\uriworkermap.properties) for my default site and found this entry:

!/CFIDE/*

Removing the “!” and running an IISReset command instantly enabled the RDS connection.

In order to continue to secure the ColdFusion Administrator folders I added these entries to the uriworkermap.properties file:

!/CFIDE/administrator/* = cfusion
!/CFIDE/adminapi/* = cfusion

Some things to remember when troubleshooting RDS:

  • In CF2012+ RDS is only enabled by default in the Development Profile during setup
  • RDS uses port 80 to make HTTP connections to the ColdFusion server. Tools that inspect HTTP traffic can be invaluable in troubleshooting.
  • RDS is NOT secure and SHOULD NOT be enabled on PRODUCTION servers

4 Comments

Joe
JoeOctober 15, 2016 at 9:45:10 pm

Hi - the error you described and eventually fixed matches mine. I am running a different stack.

Ubuntu 16.04/Apache2.4/Coldfusion 11

I am developing in CfBuilder 2016 in windows 7.

I get the same error.

The file (%CFUSION%\config\wsconfig\1\uriworkermap.properties) does not include the !/CFIDE/* as you describe, so that didn't resolve the issue for me.

Do you have any other ideas why the 404 error may be thrown?

I verified that RDS is enabled and that I'm using the correct password.

Jason Holden
Jason HoldenOctober 16, 2016 at 8:47:18 am

@Joe

It looks like you found the solution to your problem in another blog post:

https://www.jasonholden.com/blog/index.cfm/2014/8/22/Coldfusion-RDS-404-error-on-OSX

Brandon Wood
Brandon WoodApril 26, 2024 at 11:47:00 am

I am having an issue with the 404 error after updating CF. I uncommented the CFIDE in the uriworkermap.properties file and reattached the sites in the IIS web connector tool. The administrator and RDS worked before the update. Now, I can't reach either the admin site from an outside URL (gives a 404 - File or directory not found.) or from CF Builder 2018. Both show 404 errors. I have the CFIDE virtual folder pointing to the right place in the CF web root directory but nothing. Can you help in any way from here?

Jason Holden
Jason HoldenMay 4, 2024 at 4:27:21 pm

@Brandon, what version of ColdFusion were you on?

What version did you update to?

Depending on your version you shouldn't need to have an actual CFIDE virtual folder in IIS.

A couple of things you can review/try:
1. Make sure that you've run the web connector on the default website (If it has been then consider using the Web Connector to remove the connection, delete any virtual folder mappings and request mappings left behind, then use the web connector to setup a fresh connection.)
2. Try to connect using the servers IP
3. Confirm that you can access the site locally (i.e. from the site host server)

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An information technology professional with twenty four years experience in systems administration, computer programming, requirements gathering, customer service, and technical support.