When using a Spire Virtual Appliance, you may encounter a connection error that prevents Spire from communicating with the server. This article explains what the error means and how to resolve it using Hyper-V.

Error Message

You may see the following error message:

[WinError 10060]
A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or the established connection failed because the connected host has failed to respond.

Cause

This can occur when one starts up the Spire Desktop before starting up the Spire Virtual Appliance or starting up both the Spire Desktop and Spire Virtual Appliance.  In this case ensure the Spire Virtual Appliance says it is running in the Hyper-V Manager before starting up the Spire Desktop. 


Another situation the error typically occurs when the IP address or subnet of the Spire Virtual Appliance does not match the subnet of the workstation attempting to connect. When the virtual machine is isolated on a different network, communication fails.

You can confirm this by performing one or both of the following checks:

  • Ping the hostname of the Spire Virtual Appliance. If the hostname cannot be resolved or reached, this indicates a network mismatch.

  • Open Hyper-V Manager, select the spire_server virtual machine, and review the Networking details. Compare the virtual machine’s IP subnet to the computer’s IP subnet. If they differ, this is the source of the issue.

Resolution

If the cause IP address or subnet of the Spire Virtual Appliance does not match the subnet of the workstation, the simplest and recommended solution is to configure an External Virtual Network Switch in Hyper-V. This allows the Spire Virtual Appliance to use the same network as the host computer.

Configure an External Virtual Switch

  1. Open Hyper-V Manager.

  2. In the left pane, under Actions, select Virtual Switch Manager.

  3. Choose New virtual network switch, select External, and click Create Virtual Switch.

  4. Under Virtual Switch Properties:

    • Name: Optional, but use a descriptive name for easier identification.

    • Connection type:

      • Select External network.

      • Choose the network adapter used by the computer for internet or LAN access.

      • Check Allow management operating system to share this network adapter.

  5. Click Apply to save the changes.

Assign the Virtual Switch to the Spire Server

  1. Return to the main Hyper-V Manager window.

  2. Select the spire_server virtual machine and click Settings.

  3. Under Hardware, select Network Adapter.

  4. Assign the newly created External Virtual Switch.

  5. Click OK to save the configuration.

Summary

The WinError 10060 message with a Spire Virtual Appliance is almost always caused by a network mismatch between the virtual machine and the host system. Configuring an External Virtual Network Switch ensures both systems are on the same subnet and restores proper communication.

If the issue persists after completing these steps, verify DNS resolution and confirm no firewall or security software is blocking network traffic.