SupportAssist blocking TCP port 8883

Question

Support assist has recently been blocking my use of TCP port 8883. I can see using TCPView that a service is listening on this port, and have managed to narrow it down to the 'Dell SupportAssist' service. If I disable this service, the port is released. This problem appeared only recently. My SupportAssist version is 3.8.1.23. I suspect that a change in a recent update has triggered this behavior. The problem is that port 8883 is a standard port for secure MQTT communication, which is now in conflict with SA. Does anyone know why SA is binding to this port and how this may be changed?

myles18 · Answer

I just discovered that SA uses ports 8883, 8884, 8885, or 8886 to communicate with Dell support. Is there any way to prevent it from using one of these particular ports?

speedstep · Answer

There is support for this its not FREE from DELL or MICROSOFT.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/member/shop/premium-support-plus/ab/premium-support-plus

Premium Support Plus includes:

24x7 direct access to expert hardware and software phone support
Onsite support after remote diagnosis
Repairs for accidental damages like drops, spills and electrical surges
Collaborative help to resolve everyday software issues
Personalized help with software for more complex issues, or for help with setting data backup, parental controls, and more
International support – help that travels with you
Parental control software support
SupportAssist technology-enabled features to:
- Proactively find issues and contact Dell while notifying you
- Predict problems before they start
- Remove viruses and malware
- Optimize PC performance automatically

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/iot-hub/iot-hub-devguide-protocols#

The standard AMQP protocol uses port 5671, and MQTT listens on port 8883.
Use of these ports could cause problems in networks that are closed to non-HTTPS protocols.

Use MQTT over WebSockets, AMQP over WebSockets, or HTTPS in this scenario.

For information about how these protocols support specific IoT Hub features, see Device-to-cloud communications guidance and Cloud-to-device communications guidance.

The following table provides the high-level recommendations for your choice of protocol:

Table 1

Protocol	When you should choose this protocol
MQTT MQTT over WebSocket	Use on all devices that do not require to connect multiple devices (each with its own per-device credentials) over the same TLS connection.
AMQP AMQP over WebSocket	Use on field and cloud gateways to take advantage of connection multiplexing across devices.
HTTPS	Use for devices that cannot support other protocols.

SupportAssist for PCs

Premium Support Plus includes:

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