> Source: [sk183631](https://support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/sk183631)

# sk183631 - SmartConsole fails to connect on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 with the "0x2ef3" error after upgrading to R81.20 Jumbo Hotfix Take 79 or higher

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Solution ID | sk183631 |
| Date Created | 2025-07-17 |
| Last Modified | 2025-07-22 |
| Technical Level | General |
| Products | Security Management Server |
| Versions | R81.20 |

## Symptoms

- * After an upgrade of Security Management Server to R81.20 Jumbo Hotfix Take 79 or higher, SmartConsole fails to connect on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2.
* SmartConsole fails to open with "*Error: 0x2ef3 - A connection with the server could not be established*".

## Cause

Support for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 has been officially removed, as documented in the [R81.20 Release Notes.](https://sc1.checkpoint.com/documents/R81.20/WebAdminGuides/EN/CP_R81.20_RN/Default.htm) SmartConsole uses TLS and system-level Windows cryptography libraries. These older operating systems no longer meet the minimum security requirements enforced in [Jumbo Hotfix Accumulator for R81.20](https://sc1.checkpoint.com/documents/Jumbo_HFA/R81.20/Default.htm) and higher versions.   
The "*0x2ef3*" error is a Windows error code indicating a low-level connection failure, in this case, caused by unsupported OS cryptography.

<br />

## Solution

Upgrade the computer running SmartConsole to one of the supported Windows versions:  

* Windows 10 (64-bit)
* Windows 11
* Windows Server 2016
* Windows Server 2019
* Windows Server 2022

<br />

See the full list of requirements for Check Point R81.20 here: [SmartConsole Requirements - R81.20](https://sc1.checkpoint.com/documents/R81.20/WebAdminGuides/EN/CP_R81.20_RN/Content/Topics-RN/Requirements.htm?tocpath=Requirements%7C_____0#Requirements).

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