Description

Cataloging and Acquisitions GUI users receive the "Failed to read reply" message when there is more than one person using the pc_server at a time.  The problem occurs most commonly in connection with timeout, but occurs at other times as well.   If there's just one person using pc_server_6nnn, the error doesn't occur.  

There are no messages in the pc_server log at the time the error appears on the PC; it's a communication problem.  

None of the causes described in the article Failed to read reply" in GUI **MASTER RECORD**, including end-point protection software or campus IT limitations on certain ports, applies.

Resolution

Extensive analysis using wireshark on both the PC and on the server failed to determine the cause.    A successful workaround was to start a separate pc_server for each Technical Services user -- in this case, 20 separate pc_servers on 20 different ports.   

Note:  The  "setenv PC_NUM_SERVERS" (the number of child processes for each pc_server) in $alephe_root/pc_server_defaults was reduced from 5 to 3; the idea being that with just a single user per pc_server, there would be less need for child processes.   This worked OK.