Splunk App for DB Connect - Cannot Communicate With Task Server

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Updated:September 28, 2026

Document ID:SPLK044370

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Applicability

Splunk Apps and Add-ons Splunk Enterprise Splunk Cloud

Description

When logging into Spunk, and see error messages in the UI for the DB Connect App :

Cannot communicate with task server, please check your settings.

The DB Connect server won't be initialized, and errors are available in splunkd about the splunk_app_db_connect.

Investigation

When seeing the following message for the DB Connect App:

"Cannot communicate with task server"

Check Splunkd logs (on Search & Reporting app) for errors

index=_internal splunk_app_db_connect

1.) Unable to Initialize Modular Inputs

ERROR ModularInputs - Unable to initialize modular input "server" defined inside the app 
"splunk_app_db_connect": Introspecting scheme=server: script running 
failed (exited with code 127).

or

2.) __init__.py module errors

Cannot communicate with task server, please check your settings. 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <response> <messages> <msg type="WARN">Traceback 
(most recent call last): File "/opt/splunk/bin/rest_handler.py", line 79, in &lt;module&gt; 
print splunk.rest.dispatch(**params) File "/opt/splunk/lib/python2.7/site-packages/splunk/
rest/__init__.py", line 149, in dispatch module = __import__('splunk.rest.external.%s' % 
parts[0], Non, parts[0]) File "/opt/splunk/etc/apps/splunk_app_db_connect/bin/dbxproxy.py", 
line 7, in &lt;module&gt; from dbx_settings import Settings File "/opt/splunk/etc/apps/
splunk_app_db_connect/bin/dbx_settings.py" line 10, in &lt;module&gt; import splunklib.client
as client File "/opt/splunk/etc/apps/TA-Proofpoint-TAP/bin/splunklib/__init__.py", line 18, 
in &lt;module&gt; from splunklib.six.moves import map ImportError: No module named six.moves 
</msg> </messages> </response>

The first error message, Unable to Initialize Module Inputs, need to check the following:

A.) Verify the JRE is Installed

If this is a new installation, make sure you have followed the prerequisites and installed Oracle Java JRE 8 or OpenJDK 8. Execute java -version to confirm it is running.

B.) Validate the DB Connect App configuration for the JRE Path

If Java JRE installed or this is in an instance where DB Connect was previously working, check the Java configuration by going to the:

GUI:

DB Connect Settings (Splunk Web GUI), and verifying that JRE Installation Path is the JRE path (JAVA_HOME) in your OS. (You'll want to make sure it's the JRE path and not the JDK path.) The JRE directory is usually inside the JDK.

e.g. Go the DB Connect App in Splunk. Then select Configuration> Settings >General to view the JRE Path setting.

a.) Make sure the path is correct and/or exists (it may be misconfigured or have a typo, other times it's possible the path can be wiped out in the case of a VM restarting or someone uninstalling or moving the JRE)

CLI:

The configuration file dbx_settings.conf can also be checked (or created) in the local directory inside the DBX app in order to check or add the absolute javaHome path in case the GUI is not available.

The above steps may be required in case the JAVA_HOME environment variable is empty. Another option is to check or change the value for $JAVA_HOME on the host machine(s) to be correct instead of setting it up in DB Connect.

Splunk may need to be restarted if the JRE is installed while it's running.

C.) Verify Splunk has appropriate permissions to the JRE Path and App Folder

Check that Splunk has access and permissions on the Java installation directory and the DB Connect app directory.

If needed, change ownership recursively for the Java directory and splunk_app_db_connect directory:

chmod -R 755 <jre_path_folder>
chown -R splunk:splunk <jre_path_folder>  #do this only if you've installed the jre 
in a specific location that only Splunk needs access tochown -R splunk:splunk $SPLUNK_HOME       #if the splunk_app_db_connect folder 
doesn't have the appropriate permissions

D.) Check that port 9998 is open

Use the "netstat" command which also shows that Java is the one listening on that port. The port could be blocked by a third party application, such as a firewall or iptables.

Change to a different open port if needed.

netstat -plunt | grep 9998
tcp6       0      0 127.0.0.1:9998     :::*        LISTEN      26739/java

Running the following command in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/splunk_app_db_connect

grep -RHwin 9998

reveals which port is being used in config/dbx_task_server.yml and other scripts.

E.) Check execute 'x' permissions for the app scripts

Verify that the execute permissions for scripts are correct in: $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/splunk_app_db_connect/linux_x86_64/bin
If not, you can set them with the appropriate chmod command.

F.) Restart Splunk

If any changes were made along the way to the is point, a restart of Splunk after changing the configuration may be all that's needed.

The second error message, __init.py__ module errors, and you see a different app in the path listed for the __init.py__ module failing import splunklib.client as client File, then most likely you're facing issue DBX-4623 which was fixed in version 3.1.4 of the DB Connect App.

G.) Splunk License

For error messages like the one below:

ERROR ExecProcessor [19428 ExecProcessor] - message from "/opt/splunk/etc/apps/splunk_app_db_connect/bin/dbxquery.sh" action=dbxquery_server_start_failed error=com.splunk.HttpException: HTTP 401 -- call not properly authenticatedERROR ExecProcessor [19428 ExecProcessor] - message from "/opt/splunk/etc/apps/splunk_app_db_connect/bin/server.sh" action=task_server_start_failed error=com.splunk.HttpException: HTTP 401 -- call not properly authenticated

Verify the Splunk license on the instance in which the db_connect_app is installed, make sure it is valid and properly installed. Restart Splunk service once the license is applied.

Additional things to check or verify:

1.) The Java process owner

Run the following commands to determine who is running Java and check if the Task Server responds:

ps aux | grep -i java
splunk 26739  0.1  7.8 7829640 629484 ?  Sl Sep05 38:53 /home/splunk/java8/jdk1.8.0_181/
jre/bin/java -Ddw.server.applicationConnectors[0].port=9998 -jar 
/opt/splunk/etc/apps/splunk_app_db_connect/linux_x86_64/bin/../../jars/server.jarcurl --noproxy localhost -k http://localhost:9998/api/taskserver
{"status":"RUNNING","schedulerStatus":0,"message":"task server is running","info":
{"ProcessName":"26739@somehostname.splunk.com","Uptime":"1202063071", "javaVMName":"Java
HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM","javaVersion":"1.8.0_181","TotalMemory":"243793920",
"javaVendor":"Oracle Corporation","javaSpecificationVersion":"1.8","MaxMemory":"1823473664",
"FreeMemory":"124765344"},"serverId":"4444-b0ab-a49990dac5fe"}[

2.) The Monitoring Console

Use the Health Check in Splunk Monitoring Console:

Go to Settings in Splunk, Monitoring Console, Health Check, (Select from the drop-down) App: Splunk DB Connect.

3.) DB Connect App Permissions

Verify the app permissions for the DB Connect App in "Manage Apps".

4.) Roles and Capabilities

The user/role inside Splunk should have DB Connect capabilities. Otherwise, you will see in a red banner:

"WARN insufficient permission to access this resource"

Create a new test user with DB Connect admin role in case it does not have the capabilities and it is managed via LDAP.

5.) Custom SSL

Verify there is no custom SSL configuration included in server.conf as this can break the configuration to the Task Server if not properly accounted for. You can try comment out any custom configs for testing with defaults.

6.) App File corruption

If all else fails, you can backup the entire DB Connect App directory, delete it and reinstall the App again if any file corruption is suspected.

Resolution

Based on the error message experienced, there are two paths of investigation to follow.

It can be determined quickly, possibly experiencing known issue DBX-4623, fixed in version 3.1.4 of the DB Connect App. Seeing __init.py__ module errors and a different app referenced in the path. Using an older version of DB Connect (pre 3.1.4), upgrade or downgrade/disable the conflicting app.

If experiencing "Unable to initialize module input" errors, then most likely it's a configuration or environment issue. The steps in the investigation should help figure out where the problem is.

Splunk App for DB Connect - Cannot Communicate With Task Server

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