FME Flow HTTP Status 404 error

Symptom

HTTP Status 404 messages occur when accessing the FME Flow web interfaces.

Incorrect deployment of WAR files

The .war files may have been installed in the wrong directory. Also, Antivirus, Cyber Security & Malware Protection software (e.g. McAfee, FireEye) can sometimes prevent the successful installation of the WAR files.

Resolution 1

Check that there are no other processes using the FME Flow Web Application port on the system where FME Flow is installed. The default ports are typically either 80 or 443, but may vary depending on your FME Flow configuration. 

To check which ports are in use on the system, run the following command from the command line: 

netstat -aon

This will list all the ports currently in use on the system. Check for the entry for the port your FME Flow is configured to run on. For example, if FME Flow uses port 80, look for an entry like this: 0.0.0.0:80 If an application other than FME Flow is using that port, you will need to either stop that application or change it to use a different port or change the port that FME Flow uses . 

Resolution 2

Check that you've used the correct install directory and that a folder exists for each WAR file.

Temporarily disable the Antivirus, Cyber Security & Malware Protection software and then install FME Flow. Your IT department can help with this. Your IT department may be have a way to configure the Antivirus software to allow installation and still run at the same time (we are unable to provide this advice).

Resolution 3

Redeploying the WAR files inside FME Flow's tomcat directory can help clear this problem especially if this has started happening after installing or updating antivirus software on the system.

To do this, on the machine where the FME Flow Web Application Server is installed, go to Services and stop the service. Then open the following directory: <ServerInstallDirectory>\Utilities\tomcat\webapps\

Make a back up copy of all the folders inside there, and delete them from the webapps folder (leaving only the set of .war files inside). Finally, start the FME Flow Web Application Service again. It should automatically re-create the folders inside. Now check to see if you can access the FME Flow homepage once again.

Incorrect Reverse Proxy Configuration

If a separate web server and serlvet container are being used i.e. IIS and Tomcat or Apache and Tomcat, the filter in the connector may be incorrect which causes the request to be forwarded to the servlet container to deal with it even though the file is on the web server.

Resolution

Review the documentation on reverse proxy setup and follow the steps as described.

Incorrect Port Specified

When you installed FME Flow you choose a port that the web server runs on. If this has since changed the links in the start menu will point to the wrong port.

Resolution

Manually change the URL to match your web server.
http://<host>:<port>/fmeflow

Incorrect User Permissions

After you have installed FME Flow if you change the 'Log on As' account in Services if the new user does not have the correct permissions to access the FME Flow folder you will not be able to access the FME Flow Web Interface.

Resolution

Find the FMEFlow folder in C:\Program Files, Right Click and select 'Properties'. Under the Security tab select 'Edit...' and add your new user ensuring they have Full control permissions checked.