Troubleshooting Test Error #204700 (HTTP403 Forbid)

Question / Issue: I received Test error #204700 named "HTTP403 Forbid" (or "HTTP403 Forbidden"). What does this really mean?

Symptoms/Cause: This test error occurs when your server forbids our test station access to the URL you're testing. This is because the URL is restricted and requires valid login which either failed or no login info was provided for us to use. This error will cause a test failure.

Answer / Solution: Here are some steps that may assist you in troubleshooting this test error:

1. Ensure that the URL entered in the monitor is correct.
2. Check to see if the URL that you're testing is accessible by a normal web browser. It may be necessary to clear cache/temporary internet files to ensure your browser is attempting to download a fresh copy of the page and is not retaining login information that you were previously prompted for.
3. If any changes have occurred to your server that correlate with the time this error began, permissions to the files on your server may have been set incorrectly or changed. Checking your server's log files may aid you in troubleshooting this further.
4. If you are aware that the URL you're trying to test requires login info, ensure that it is supplied in the monitor's settings and that the credentials provided work in a normal web browser.
5. Make sure you're using the correct type of authentication. For Form authentication, you'll need to use our Post Data field. For Basic Authentication, you'll need to use our HTTP Login fields.

Setting up a login can be very complicated. If you’re having trouble getting your login to work, please contact our Help Desk. Our representatives can get you set up quickly.

Updated on: 10/10/2022