You are here: Home / Cisco / Cisco:ASDM Unconnected sockets not implemented – Updated

Cisco:ASDM Unconnected Sockets Not Implemented – Updated

6th January 2009 by 19 Comments

A recent update to Java Runtime V6 Update 10 or later will cause an error. There are two solutions to the problem.

“ASDM is unable to continue loading. Click OK to exit from ASDM.
Unconnected sockets not implemented.”

When you get the error message:

“ASDM is unable to continue loading. Click OK to exit from ASDM.
Unconnected sockets not implemented.”

It will look something like this:

asdm-unconnected-sockets.jpg

Solution 1

Download the latest ASDM version from Cisco and update the version on the device and the software on the your OS.

asdm-unconnected-sockets-2.jpg

As you can see this is an interim patch, and seems to work OK.

asdm-unconnected-sockets-3.jpg

Solution 2

Downgrade your Version of Java to provide support – I got the following useful tips from The Network Guy. He makes an important point to disable the automatic updates so that version is not upgraded AND the Java Icon ONLY APPEARS in CLASSIC view.

“I had a question about where to download JRE6u7, so here it is:

http://java.sun.com/products/archive/j2se/6u7/index.html

Go to this page, and click the “Download JRE” link, then select your platform and language, and you should be presented with the online and offline installers.
Also, remember to disable automatic updating of your Java engine by going to “Control Panel” > “Java” icon > “Update” tab > and uncheck “Check for updates automatically”. The “Java” icon appears in the control panel only when it is in “classic view”, both in XP and Vista.”

Solution 3

Use the downloadable version (sometimes known as the JNLP). However, for this to work correctly you will have to install the Java Web Start utility. This put a Java start program into memory at boot time so that it can detect and initiate the Java runtime when you select the JNLP:// URI type. Its possible that you have this already (I don’t allow this program to run because it uses resources that makes Windows even slower – this problem does not occur on Mac OS X)

asdm-unconnected-sockets-4.jpg

Selecting “Install Java Web Start” will go to Java website and download the software. Otherwise the window will show something like “Download the Applet” and run. This will work.

Wrapup

One day Java clients will go away, but until then problems like this are going to continue and we are going to see more of it from Cisco. It may be worth taking some time to understand how Java works on your desktop, in the same way that you understand how Putty or other favourite shell client works.

Filed Under: Cisco, Operation Tagged With: ,
About Greg Ferro

Greg Ferro is a Network Engineer/Architect, mostly focussed on Data Centre, Security Infrastructure, and recently Virtualization. He has over 20 years in IT, in wide range of employers working as a freelance consultant including Finance, Service Providers and Online Companies. He is CCIE#6920 and has a few ideas about the world, but not enough to really count.

He is a host on the Packet Pushers Podcast, blogger at EtherealMind.com and on Twitter @etherealmind and Google Plus

  • http://www.cordys.com Andre-NL

    Option 1 works fine for me! Thanks.

    • Richard

      Option 2 work fine for me; i uninstall java Version 11 and left only the Version 6 update 5.

      Thanks for your help.

  • Ishan-UAE

    Option 2 works fine for me! Thank you very much for your very detailed explanations with graphics which made it very easy to make a choice. Keep up the good work…

  • emetesh

    Option 1 worked great. Thanks for contributing that!

  • Lirria

    *sigh* would rather do option 1 but I can’t get to the download site to get the files and my support contract thru a different (read non cisco) is being tardy at providing me support.

    Oh well – back to version 6.7 for me I think.

    But thank you for the information, great that there are so many options!

    Lirria

  • http://www.comframe.com Justin

    Thanks a ton for this info! Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results – Albert Einstein
    I guess that makes me insane becuase I just kept trying to login thinking the problem would somehow change or fix itself.
    Thanks again for the info!
    J

  • Pete

    Write once for many clients, huh? I am amazed at the slavish following this language has. Between the vulnerabilities and backward compatibility issues, Java is shown be thrown on the heap of obsolescent technology.

    • http://etherealmind.com Greg Ferro

      I hear you. Java is not one of my favourite things either.

  • Tony Green

    My ASA5505 is 6 months old. I have no service contract – why should I? I only want a firewall for training.

    I go to the trouble of registering on their site but still can’t download the upgrade.

    Cisco sucks so bad!

    • http://etherealmind.com Greg Ferro

      Cisco would say that they are a software company, more like apple , less like microsoft. In this case, java (unsurprisingly) is the fault not cisco, so asking them to rpovide a patch for free is bit of a stretch.
      However, cisco does provide free software when vulnerabilities are found, so they arenít completely evil.

      If you look at teh security announcement you should be able to get the latest version for free.

  • John

    Thanks for the help.

    Don’t most hardware companies give firmware updates for free. Why doesn’t Cisco ?

  • http://etherealmind.com Greg Ferro

    Cisco would say that they are a software company, more like apple , less like microsoft. In this case, java (unsurprisingly) is the fault not cisco, so asking them to rpovide a patch for free is bit of a stretch.

    However, cisco does provide free software when vulnerabilities are found, so they aren’t completely evil.

  • http://www.yonahruss.com/ Yonah Russ

    Hi,
    Do you know if there is an updated ASDM that works with JRE6u13?
    Also, your instructions for the JNLP client don’t work for me.

    In any case I’ve posted instructions on my blog which doesn’t require a downgrade and should always workaround this issue in the future: http://www.yonahruss.com/2009/04/cisco-asdm-unconnected-sockets-not.html

    • http://etherealmind.com Greg Ferro

      While your solution is a good one, it means that unless you reconfigure your Java client again in the future, you will be stick using the old version for all ADSM. If you ever decide to uninstall the old version, then you will b totally screwed since Java is not intelligent enough to work out what to do and will fail.

      There I would not recommend you solution.

      I don’t know about JRE6u13, I stopped using Windows now and only use MAC OSX, so no longer have to put up with Windows problems.

  • Matt Moore

    This is resolved in asdm v6.1(5.51). See bug CSCsv12681.

    From: http://tools.cisco.com/Support/BugToolKit/search/getBugDetails.do?method=fetchBugDetails&bugId=CSCsv12681

    Symptom:
    While loading ASDM, a dialog is displayed that says: “ASDM cannot be loaded. Click OK to exit ASDM. Unconnected sockets not implemented”

    This occurs when using Java 6 Update 10 or later.

    Conditions:
    ASDM version 5.0 or later running on ASA, PIX or FWSM and using Java 6 Update 10 or later.

    Workaround:
    Use Java 6 Update 7.

  • http://gregsowell.com Greg

    Many thanks sir. I installed 607 and in java control panel chose to use it for applications.

  • Jeff

    I rolled back my JRE to version 6 update 7 and now ASDM begins to launch and then hangs… any thoughts?

    • http://etherealmind.com Greg Ferro

      You might need to clear your Java cache. There are a lot of options in the Java Control Panel that might also show you all the different versions of Java that you have installed. Spend some time in there tidying things up might be a good idea.

  • Kat Amsterdam

    After fighting with 1.6.13
    I upgraded Java 6 to build 1.6.0_16-b01 and low and behold the ASDM manager opened up instantly.
    So apparently Sun has fixed the backwards compatibility issue in 1.6.16