Fatal error occurred during protocol handshaking when entering web server via browser

Neo4j Graph Platform Server
1

After a default installation of Neo4j 4.4 Community Edition over RedHat 9.0 or over a VirtualBox machine with RedHat 9.0 or Debian 11 or Centos 9, it occurs a NullPointerException when just entering via browser into 'http://localhost:7474'. It does not occur with Neo4j 4.3 or lower versions and only occurs when refreshing the web page or entering into 'localhost:7474' when already exists storage cookies in browser. When entering first time into 'http://localhost:7474' in privacy mode browser it does not happen, but once the storage cookie exists in browser then it occurs after refreshing or just entering into 'localhost:7474'. The DB seems to work fine, only that exception in debug.log. This is what is installed:

  • Red Hat 9.0
  • OpenJDK 11
  • Neo4j 4.4.19 installed via yum
  • No SSL certificate installed

The exception is:

ERROR [o.n.b.t.p.ProtocolHandshaker] Fatal error occurred during protocol handshaking: [id: 0x40505dde, L:/10.0.2.15:7687 - R:/10.0.2.2:50918]
java.lang.NullPointerException: null
	at io.netty.buffer.Unpooled.copiedBuffer(Unpooled.java:363) ~[netty-buffer-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at org.neo4j.bolt.transport.DiscoveryResponseHandler.channelRead(DiscoveryResponseHandler.java:60) ~[neo4j-bolt-4.4.15.jar:4.4.15]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:379) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:365) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.fireChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:357) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.handler.codec.MessageToMessageDecoder.channelRead(MessageToMessageDecoder.java:103) [netty-codec-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:379) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:365) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.fireChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:357) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.CombinedChannelDuplexHandler$DelegatingChannelHandlerContext.fireChannelRead(CombinedChannelDuplexHandler.java:436) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.handler.codec.ByteToMessageDecoder.fireChannelRead(ByteToMessageDecoder.java:327) [netty-codec-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.handler.codec.ByteToMessageDecoder.channelRead(ByteToMessageDecoder.java:299) [netty-codec-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.CombinedChannelDuplexHandler.channelRead(CombinedChannelDuplexHandler.java:251) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:379) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:365) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.fireChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:357) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.handler.codec.ByteToMessageDecoder.handlerRemoved(ByteToMessageDecoder.java:255) [netty-codec-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.handler.codec.ByteToMessageDecoder.decodeRemovalReentryProtection(ByteToMessageDecoder.java:517) [netty-codec-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.handler.codec.ByteToMessageDecoder.callDecode(ByteToMessageDecoder.java:449) [netty-codec-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.handler.codec.ByteToMessageDecoder.channelRead(ByteToMessageDecoder.java:279) [netty-codec-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:379) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:365) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.fireChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:357) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at org.neo4j.bolt.transport.pipeline.AuthenticationTimeoutHandler.channelRead(AuthenticationTimeoutHandler.java:58) [neo4j-bolt-4.4.15.jar:4.4.15]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:379) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:365) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.fireChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:357) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.DefaultChannelPipeline$HeadContext.channelRead(DefaultChannelPipeline.java:1410) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:379) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannelHandlerContext.invokeChannelRead(AbstractChannelHandlerContext.java:365) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.DefaultChannelPipeline.fireChannelRead(DefaultChannelPipeline.java:919) [netty-transport-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.epoll.AbstractEpollStreamChannel$EpollStreamUnsafe.epollInReady(AbstractEpollStreamChannel.java:800) [netty-transport-classes-epoll-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.epoll.EpollEventLoop.processReady(EpollEventLoop.java:487) [netty-transport-classes-epoll-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.channel.epoll.EpollEventLoop.run(EpollEventLoop.java:385) [netty-transport-classes-epoll-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.util.concurrent.SingleThreadEventExecutor$4.run(SingleThreadEventExecutor.java:995) [netty-common-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.util.internal.ThreadExecutorMap$2.run(ThreadExecutorMap.java:74) [netty-common-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at io.netty.util.concurrent.FastThreadLocalRunnable.run(FastThreadLocalRunnable.java:30) [netty-common-4.1.77.Final.jar:4.1.77.Final]
	at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:829) [?:?]

Thanks in advanced.
Regards.

2

Perhaps there is a old driver version cached, can you try shift-reload the page in your regular browser?
Or clear session storage if that doesn't help.

3

Hi Michael, thanks for the reply. I already tried that but no luck. Tried with Chrome and Firefox and also different computers, but no luck.

4

It seems that it hits the bolt port with http requests (no websocket).

Could it be that you have any browser extension that sends preflight http requests to an endpoint a page tries to talk to?

can you disable all of them and see if it still happens?

5

Hi Michael,
I've disabled all extensions but same result :( I even tried with the browser that has got the server in which es installed Neo4j (that do not have any extensions) and same exception. Even some other colleagues tried to install Neo4j 4.4 locally over VirtualBox using a fresh Debian 11, RedHat 9.0 and CentOS 8 and same exception. It looks like version 4.4 produces that exception; maybe related with security, I do not know. With version 4.3 it does not occur the exception.

6

Which subversion of 4.4 are you using?

7

I'm using 4.4.19, but I also tried 4.4.0, 4.4.9 and 4.4.18.

8

Our colleagues found the issue, it's about discovery endpoint pinged by browser.

I might have misunderstood you. So while the exception is in the log you can still use Neo4j Browser with that database?

9

Hi Michael,

Yes, we can use the DB although the exception appears in the log.
Fantastic you discover it!! To solve it I should have to make something in the browser or in the config file? Is it a kind of issue of that version 4.4?

10

Hi Michael,

We can use the db although the exception log. What can be done to avoid that exception appears in log? Is an issue of version 4.4? That exception is something to worry about?

Regards.