This article explains the typical causes behind the "Failed to connect to services" error and offers solutions.
The initial section is for novice users, presenting a simple technique using a Caldera tool to address this issue. The second part targets users with an IT background, detailing various reasons for this error and suggesting corrective measures.
Restart services with CalderaDock
- Close PrimeCenter.
- Open CalderaDock.
- Go to the home page.
- Launch Services utility.
- Select PrimeCenter, click on Restart , then .
- Now you can relaunch PrimeCenter.
Tips & tricks
Don't hesitate to restart the service 2-3 times if the error persists. Try even to click Stop , then Start .
The most common reasons for this error in order of importance
This section is intended for advanced users with an IT background.
1. Windows firewall
This message may appear if the Windows Firewall is enabled and blocks the CalApiSvc (Caldera API service). See PrimeCenter and firewall.
To quickly confirm if it is firewall related:
- Disable the firewall.
- Restart services using CalderaDock.
- Start PrimeCenter.
- Enable the firewall.
Info - For Windows OS users
You may also need to stop the Caldera API service in Task Manager, as restarting services doesn't always seem to stop it if it's in an error state. Then restart services from CalderaDock.
Also check for other firewall software as there may be other firewall software in use. The calapisvc.exe must be whitelisted.
C:\Program Files\CalApiSvc\bin\calapisvc
2. The service is not running
For Windows OS:
- Open the Task Manager.
- Check for Caldera API Service.
- If it's not running, check to see if there's anything in the C:\Program Files\CalApiSvc folder.
If the folder is empty, you must reinstall PrimeCenter.
If there is some content, continue with this article. Then check the Task Manager again. You should see the Caldera API Service running.
3. The service is running and it still fails to connect
-
Check the Primecenter session ID in the session file C:\Users\name_of_user\AppData\Roaming\PrimeCenter\session
Tips & tricks
- AppData is a hidden folder, so enable hidden items in your file explorer to make it visible.
- Type %appdata% in File Explorer to get to the user-specific roaming directory.
-
The session number is linked to the actual session you should see under: C:\Users\name_of_user\AppData\Local\calapisvc\sessions.
If it is not the same ID, the error may come from here.
When there is no session under C:\Users\name_of_user\AppData\Local\calapisvc\sessions:
- Rename C:\Users\name_of_user\AppData\Roaming\PrimeCenter\session file to session_old for example.
- Restart services from CalderaDock.
- A "fresh" session should be created under C:\Users\name_of_user\AppData\Local\calapisvc\sessions.
If the ID is the same, the error is not coming from here.
Potential errors that may occur after "Failed to connect to service" have been resolved
The license is not registered
If PrimeCenter tries to open but complains that the license is not registered, even though it is correctly connected via CalderaDock:
- Rename the license.json file. Find it in the following folder:
- For Windows OS: C:\Users\name_of_user\AppData\Roaming\Caldera\prime-center\license.json
- For macOS: /Users/name_of_user/Library/Application Support/caldera/prime-center/license.json
- Restart services via CalderaDock.
- Re-attach the license in CalderaDock.