1582182 : dCache filecopy "SSL handshake failed"

Created: 2026-03-06T10:28:37Z - current status: new

Anonymized Summary:

A user reports intermittent failures during gfal-filecopy operations when transferring job outputs to dCache. The issue occurs in approximately 1 out of 8 attempts and manifests as an SSL handshake failure (unexpected eof while reading). Key observations: - The problem is non-deterministic and affects transfers to multiple directories. - VOMS proxies are confirmed valid, and retries often succeed. - The issue is independent of the worker/login node used.

Suspected Cause: Possible instability in one of the dCache door nodes handling authentication/SSL handshakes.

Suggested Solution/Next Steps: 1. Check dCache Door Status: - Verify if specific dCache door nodes are experiencing SSL/TLS issues (e.g., misconfigured certificates, network instability). - Monitor logs for dcache-cms-webdav-wan.desy.de to identify patterns in failures.

  1. Temporary Workaround:

  2. Implement retry logic in scripts to automatically resubmit failed transfers (since retries often succeed).

  3. Contact Support:

  4. Report the issue to the experiment-specific support team (e.g., naf-cms-support@desy.de for CMS users) with details of the error and observations.
  5. If unsure, escalate to uco@desy.de for further investigation.

Sources Used: 1. NAF Support Contacts (for experiment-specific support channels).