Second Life gives me an error message that says "Verifying Protocol Version," or "Cannot resolve domain name," or "Cannot find server"

This article is part of the Extended Second Life Knowledge Base that includes advanced and specialized information. This information was originally provided by Linden Lab, but is not actively maintained nor guaranteed to be accurate. Linden Lab does not certify nor assume any responsibility for this information.

See the official Second Life Knowledge Base for the most current information.

This problem usually takes the form of:

When I log into Second Life...

• ... it gets to Verifying Protocol Version and stops.
• ... it says it Cannot resolve domain name.
• ... it says it Cannot find server someservername.lindenlab.com.

What's wrong?

This error usually means that Second Life's network connection is completely blocked by your computer or your local network setup. In the vast majority of cases, this means that a firewall (such as your router), firewall software, or internet security software is blocking Second Life's network access. (Firewalls and internet security software frequently block most network uses that are not web browsers, instant messengers, etc.)

If you're running a firewall or firewall/internet security software, you may have to reconfigure or disable it to use Second Life.

If you're using wireless networking, you may need to use a wired connection.

If you're on a business or university internet connection, you may need to contact your network administrator to verify that you can make non-web connections to the Internet. Specifically, you need to make both UDP and TCP connections inbound and outbound, on network ports 443 and 12020 to 13050 (inclusive). If your network cannot provide the proper connection, you may be unable to connect to Second Life.