When I try to download messages using Agent newsreader, it always bombs out because Avast only allows 8 concurrent connections and Agent uses up to 20. All other antivirus programs I’ve used, AVG, Symantec, etc. don’t have this problem, but with Avast, I have to disable it in order to download messages. This makes Avast kinda useless for this application. Is there any way to increase the number of connections and if so, how?
James
[s]Hi jdeloach,
[s]This is a bit of a guess, so I may well be wrong…
Is it the internet mail provider?
If you left click the avast! tray icon → more details → internet mail → customise → Heuristics tab → slide the slider to custom.
Then go to the heuristics - advanced tab (you will have to click the right arrow in the tabs at the top) and then increase the absolute count to the required value.
I think this is what you mean, though as I said, I could be wrong…I often am…:P[/s]
-Scott-[/s]
I was wrong…haha 
See below
avast allows 20 concurrent connections, for the most part that is sufficient. The problem is that something else is gobbling up all the available connections, commonly remnants of an other AV, news aggregater or security application, etc…
Please post the full text of the email error message as that commonly identifies what process is using all the connections.
Increasing the concurrent connections is possible but may not resolve the problem if what is gobbling all the connections just eats more of them. If Agent (is this forte agent ?) uses a maximum of 20 then it should work if you increase the connections limit to say 40-50, see below.
The default concurrent connection limit is 20 (for mail & news together). If the limit was exceeded, you would see the line Closing connection due to MaxConnections into aswMaiSv.log file. This limit exists not to save resources, but to prevent connection looping in strange configurations, so the user can increase it without worry to, for instance, 50. The value 0 disables the limit.
@ Scott
Your suggestion is only related to multiple emails sent in a time perion, not the actuall connections.
I see…
Well, it was a guess really…but at least you know the real answer
More info and settings: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=1647.msg10267#msg10267
Yes, I am using Forte Agent 5.0. Here is the error message that I receive from Forte Agent that led me to believe that avast limited concurrent connections to less than 20: “Error reported by server: 502 concurrent connections limit in avast exceeded(pass:0, processes:agent.exe[20]).”
Maybe there is something else causing the problem, but I think I will modify the .ini file and see if the error goes away. It’s very annoying when downloading several new messages and I get this error. If I keep trying to download them it will finally complete.
James
I don’t know Forte Agent, but, maybe, it could be excluded from scanning.
Yes agent.exe is taking ‘all’ of the 20 concurrent connections, so avast can’t get any connections and can’t check the email that is why the error is displayed.
Modifying the avast4.ini file should work, provided that agent.exe uses a max of 20. When you have made the changes and saved them you will need to terminate and restart the Internet mail provider so it uses the new avast4.ini settings or reboot.
Its an email client so you don’t want to exclude it from email scans even if it can be done using the IgnoreProcess option in avast4.ini.
Thanks, adding the line, MaxConnections=50, to the avast4.ini file seems to have fixed the problem.
James
You’re welcome.