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Why is the Nexus Repository 2 user interface broken?

Peter
Updated

Diagnose The Problem

The most common reasons the Nexus Repository 2 UI interface may appear broken are:

  • the browser is serving files from it's internal cache. Clear the browser cache and restart the browser.
  • the organization filters Nexus Repository requests through a proxy server or firewall software configured outside of the browser software, and this firewall software is serving stale or manipulated content. It may even be blocking certain content. You need to work with your IT department to prevent manipulating requests to/from Nexus.
  • the browser uses a proxy server to access the Nexus host. You haven't configured your proxy server in your browser settings properly. Check with your IT department.
  • the browser has a proxy server configuration, but for the Nexus host, you need to bypass using this proxy server by adding the Nexus Repository 2 host to your "bypassed host" settings. Confirm with your IT department and your Browser vendor documentation.
  • the browser is using an https connection to Nexus Repository 2 and your organization filters https through a proxy/firewall software that is replacing the real Nexus Repository certificate with its own. Your browser does not trust this new certificate. Configure your browser to trust the certificate after working with your IT department.
  • the browser vendor or version is unsupported. Browser vendors are releasing new versions all the time and we actively test with the latest versions released at the time Nexus was released. Internet Explorer is particularly nasty, even if it is a supported version, because your IT department may be manipulating it's browsing policies to prevent using Nexus properly. Check Nexus system requirements for supported versions and confirm any browsing policies with your IT department.
  • Nexus is configured to force the base URL, and this base URL does not match the URL you are using in your browser. Report this problem to your administrator. Usually, forcing the base URL is not needed.
  • Nexus may require it's own proxy server configuration so that the UI works as an end user might expect. For some reason this is not setup yet or there are problems with the proxy server being used on the server side. Verify with your Nexus administrator.
  • a reverse proxy (nginx, httpd) is fronting the real Nexus Repository server, and this reverse proxy is manipulating HTTP headers or cookies sent from Nexus in such a way as to break the UI of Nexus. Verify the reverse proxy configuration with your Nexus administrator.

Report the Problem

There may be an actual bug in our software. Oops!

  1. Check the release notes and bug tracker for already fixed issues.
  2. Examine your browser's Developer/Network Console and look for any requests that responded with 4xx or 5xx error codes ( some are normal, like those for the Outreach and LVO plugins ).
  3. Record a screencast of how to reproduce the problem.
  4. Report any new findings to Sonatype Support and we will work with you to resolve the problem.

Advanced Network Troubleshooting for IT Staff

If you are familiar with ssh concepts and how Nexus Repository 2 is already setup in your organization, you may find this test useful to validate that Nexus is working properly despite any intermediate network hops.

Create an ssh tunnel to your nexus server.

Run the following to start a tunnel (this assumes you are running nexus on the default 8081 port on your server with hostname 'servername')

ssh -L 8081:localhost:8081 servername

The above command will open an ssh tunnel to servername:8081 and forward all traffic to your local machine on port 8081 to that tunnel. At this point, if accessing nexus via http://localhost:8080/nexus begins to work, then you know that some intermediate network configuration is blocking your access to nexus.

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