How to deal with server component error: There was an error reading from the pipe: The pipe has been ended.

This error is one of the hardest network errors to debug, so if you experience this, it is vital that you follow these steps.

The first possible cause of this is if any of our server processes ("B1Connector" & "B1Connector.DiApiWorkerClient") terminate unexpectedly for any reason. If you experience this error please check Windows Task Manager after experiencing it (but before restarting the server), to see if those two processes are running. Also, check the Windows Event Viewer for any errors related to those two processes.

A second possible cause could be security software blocking our server. First please follow this article to ensure your firewall is not blocking CRM for Outlook from outbound connections, and check if you have any highly restrictive security policies on the server itself preventing our two processes from communicating internally.

A third possible cause could be earlier crashed processes retaining locks on the communication pipes we use. Again check with Windows Task Manager that both our processes are running and that only one instance of each is running. Ultimately at this point, if nothing above has helped restarting the server becomes necessary to ensure nothing lingers to block the connections.

If a restart doesn't help, we recommend - if viable - to try an installation on a new machine with no other software installed prior to the server component. Remember that our server component does not have to be installed on either the SAP server or SQL server machine. Just remember to shut down the CRM for Outlook server on the primary machine first.

Finally, if possible installing a fresh SAP demo database could help troubleshoot any issues that might be database specific. Also reinstalling SAP DI-API could help if the current installation is causing timeouts due to not working correctly.

If none of the above helps it's imperative that you provide us with as much information as possible when you contact support. Enable Extended Debugging on the clients and send us both client and server logs when the error occurs. Send us the Windows Event Viewer logs from the server as well. If it's possible to reliably reproduce this error send us detailed step-by-step instructions on how to do so (and/or record a video of how you do it). Make sure you describe the circumstances of the problem accurately.

• What environment is the server running on?
• What version of Windows server, and what other services are installed on this server
• Anything else that might be specific to your setup?
• Does it happen occasionally, several times a day or constantly?
• Does it happen for one user, some users or all users? Does it happen at particular times of day?
• Any other details you can add.

Anything you can add will help us as we cannot expect to be able to reproduce the error ourselves, so we will rely on your details to locate any problems if they exist.