Proxy server got bad address from remote server (verify the server is running)

Error Message

In some instances, when attempting to create an administrative connection to an ArcGIS Server remote service in ArcMap or the Catalog pane, the following error is returned:

Error:   
Proxy server got bad address from remote server (verify the server is running).

Cause

This error occurs when the Desktop client cannot reach ArcGIS Server. Additionally, using invalid credentials also returns this error. It has also been observed that this error may be returned when trying to connect to the server via HTTP, even though the security settings were set to "HTTP or HTTPS".

Solution or Workaround

There are several solutions to troubleshoot the error.

• Use valid credentials to access the server.
• Users must have permission to connect to the ArcGIS Server site to perform administrative and publishing functions. Refer to ArcGIS Help: Restrict access to ArcGIS Server.
• Try a different type of server connection, for example, either Administrative connections, Publisher connections or User connections to see if the behavior changes. For more information, refer to ArcGIS Help: Connection types.
• Test the ArcGIS Server URL in a web browser to see if the REST or Admin page can be accessed.
• Test the connection the ArcGIS Server by connecting via the IP address.
• If using the ArcGIS Web Adaptor for the server connection, and administrative connections are not enabled through the ArcGIS Web Adaptor, connect via port  6080 or 6443.
• In some scenarios, users may be using a Windows domain account. In this case try using a different user account, such as the primary site administrator (PSA) account. For more information, refer to ArcGIS Help: Accounts used by ArcGIS Server.
• In cases where the server is federated with Portal for ArcGIS, update the current server connection to use the a same credentials as Portal for ArcGIS.
• In situations where this error is returned when trying to connect via HTTP, resetting the security configuration to "HTTP only" may resolve the issue.