Error messages and status codes

linscp shows the same error texts as WinSCP, since both share the same core. This page groups the frequent ones by cause. Quoted texts are shortened; look for the words shown.

Network errors

Message contains	Meaning	What to do
does not exist, unknown error on host lookup	The host name cannot be resolved.	Check the name and your DNS or VPN.
Connection refused	Nothing listens on that port.	Check port and protocol; is the server running?
timed out	No answer; traffic is probably dropped.	Check firewalls and security groups.
No route to host	Your network cannot reach that address.	Check the address, VPN and routing.
Connection reset by peer, Software caused connection abort	The connection was cut, by the server or something in between.	Look at the server’s logs; try again; check for a proxy or firewall that closes idle connections.
Host is not communicating	The server stopped answering mid-session.	Wait or abort; raise the timeout, or turn on keepalives under Advanced… › Connection.
Server unexpectedly closed network connection	The server ended the session, often during login.	Check the server’s log; it may limit connections or refuse your address.

For details on each, see connection and login problems.

Login errors

Message contains	Meaning	What to do
Access denied	The server rejected the user name or password.	Retype both; check the account with the administrator.
Server refused our key	The key is not authorized for this user.	Add the public key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys; check the user name.
Too many authentication failures	The agent offered too many keys.	Pick the key file and stop using the agent for this site.
Unable to use this private key file, wrong type	The file is not a private key linscp can read.	Choose the private key, not the .pub file; let linscp convert it to .ppk.
Potential security breach	The server’s host key changed.	Stop. Confirm the new key with the administrator first. See host keys.
does not match pattern	The fingerprint given with -hostkey is wrong.	Copy the fingerprint again; see sessions and credentials.

SFTP and SCP start-up errors

Message contains	Meaning	What to do
Cannot initialize SFTP protocol	The server has no SFTP subsystem, or it failed to start.	Enable SFTP on the server, or use SCP.
Received too large … SFTP packet	Text from a shell start-up file reached linscp instead of SFTP data.	Remove output (such as echo) from the account’s non-interactive start-up files.
rejected SFTP connection, but it listens for FTP	The server speaks FTP, not SSH.	Change the site’s protocol to FTP (preferably with TLS).
exit status 1 (or 0, 127, 255)	The SSH command for SCP failed.	Check that scp exists on the server and that the shell does not print text.
return code 127	A command, often scp, is not installed on the server.	Install it, or switch to SFTP.

File operation errors

Message contains	Meaning	What to do
Permission denied	The server user may not read or write there.	Check the file’s owner and mode; work in a folder you own.
error occurred while setting the permissions and/or timestamp	The upload worked, but you may not change mode or time, for example on a file you do not own.	Turn off setting permissions or keeping the timestamp in the transfer settings, or check Ignore permission errors.
could not be renamed to target file name	The temporary upload file could not replace the target.	Check permissions on the folder, or turn off resume and temporary names for this transfer.
General failure / Error code: 4	The server reported an error without details.	Look at the server’s own log; often a full disk or quota.
Error listing directory	The folder cannot be read.	Check its permissions; for FTP, try toggling passive mode.
Unexpected directory listing line	An FTP server uses a listing format linscp does not understand.	Report the listing line in a bug report.

FTP connection mode errors

Transfer channel can't be opened or a message about active mode means FTP’s second connection failed. Switch Passive mode on (or off) under Advanced… › Connection. See FTP and FTPS settings.

SFTP status codes

SFTP servers answer each request with a numeric status. linscp shows it in error details and logs.

Code	Name	Usual cause
0	OK	Success.
1	EOF	End of file or of a listing; normally not an error.
2	No such file	The path does not exist.
3	Permission denied	Owner or mode prevents the operation.
4	Failure	Anything else: disk full, quota, folder not empty, server policy.
5	Bad message	The server could not parse a request.
6	No connection	No connection to the server (client side).
7	Connection lost	The connection dropped.
8	Operation unsupported	The server does not implement that request.

Servers using SFTP version 4 or later can send more specific codes, such as “no space on file system” or “directory not empty”.

FTP reply codes

FTP replies start with three digits. The first digit tells you the outcome:

• 1xx, 2xx, 3xx: progress or success.
• 4xx: a temporary failure; trying again may work. 421 means the server is closing the connection (often too many users); 425 means the data connection could not open; 450 means the file is busy or unavailable.
• 5xx: a permanent failure. 530 means not logged in (wrong credentials); 550 means the file is missing or access is denied; 553 means the file name is not allowed.

Errors not listed here

Search the issues, then ask as described in getting help and reporting bugs.