Title: WP HTTP Error: Couldn't resolve host Last modified: August 19, 2016 --- # WP HTTP Error: Couldn't resolve host * Resolved [chrisncohen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chrisncohen/) * (@chrisncohen) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/) * I’ve got a brand new install of WPMU on a server here with no plugins or any data to speak of. When I go to the dashboard home page I’m getting the “WP HTTP Error: Couldn’t resolve host” in the wordpress.org RSS feeds section. I can’t add rss feeds in the sidebar widget either. nslookup, ping, and dig all work fine from that server. Additionally, when I went to install the buddypress plugin by searching for it in the plugin installer in the wp-admin area I got this error:“ An Unexpected HTTP Error occurred during the API request.” The section called“ Popular tags” on that page (wp-admin/plugin-install.php) was also empty. Any help would be appreciated. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 23 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/page/2/?output_format=md) * Thread Starter [chrisncohen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chrisncohen/) * (@chrisncohen) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1580951) * this script does not work on that same site: * * Thread Starter [chrisncohen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chrisncohen/) * (@chrisncohen) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1580955) * Actually, it works, it just returns the following: * Error: Couldn’t resolve host ‘www.randolphcollege.edu’ * [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/) * (@esmi) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1580965) * It sounds me like you have a server configuration issue and the server is refusing to contact external sites. * Thread Starter [chrisncohen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chrisncohen/) * (@chrisncohen) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1580984) * This works from the command line: curl [http://www.google.com/](http://www.google.com/) returns the source from that page. * Thread Starter [chrisncohen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chrisncohen/) * (@chrisncohen) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1580988) * also, ping, dig, and nslookup are working fine from that server. * [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/) * (@esmi) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1580990) * Sever configuration is not my area of expertise but it looks like cUrl isn’t enabled for PHP if it will run from commandline but not from a script. So it’s either a PHP setup issue or something that sits between PHP & the server shell is mis-configured and is blocking external calls. * I’ll see if I can get a few of the regulars with more server admin experience to drop into this thread and lend a hand. * [Eric Mann](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ericmann/) * (@ericmann) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1580998) * Can you create a phpinfo page and link that to this post so we can see what’s currently configured? Just create a page called phpinfo.php which contains the following line: * `` * And upload it to your site via FTP. This will tell us a little about how your server is configured and whether or not cURL is enabled. * Thread Starter [chrisncohen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chrisncohen/) * (@chrisncohen) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1580999) * I’d appreciate that greatly. FYI when I run the php script above with an ip address in it, it returns valid headers, which suggests that cURL is enabled and working fine. (e.g. the line curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, ‘[http://72.14.204.104’](http://72.14.204.104’););) * additionally, this works fine inside PHP on that server: * print gethostbyname(‘bugs.php.net’); * returns “128.39.198.38” * Thread Starter [chrisncohen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chrisncohen/) * (@chrisncohen) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1581000) * [http://at.randolphcollege.edu/info.php](http://at.randolphcollege.edu/info.php) * [Eric Mann](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ericmann/) * (@ericmann) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1581007) * Looking at your configuration, and reading your latest post about how cURL works via IP but not hostname, I’m at a total loss. I’d recommend posting your situation on either serverfault.com or superuser.com and seeing if a pro over there can help (then make sure you copy the solution over here for people who might need it as well). * The thing that bothers me the most is that this is an .edu site … some educational institutions have complex server setups that break WordPress very easily … I’m hoping you’re not in that boat, too. * [Andrea Rennick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrea_r/) * (@andrea_r) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1581008) * Are you running an upgraded MU install? Or did you install 3,.0 fresh? * [Andrew Nacin](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nacin/) * (@nacin) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1581010) * You should download the Core Control plugin, [http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/core-control/](http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/core-control/), and test out the HTTP transports. * [Eric Mann](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ericmann/) * (@ericmann) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1581012) * +1 to Andrew’s suggestion. * [Mark Ratledge](https://wordpress.org/support/users/songdogtech/) * (@songdogtech) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1581024) * If there’s a difference between using the domain and the IP, and coupled with the fact that it’s a subdoman, I’d say it sounds like DNS. Might be time for serverfault, as suggested. * Thread Starter [chrisncohen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chrisncohen/) * (@chrisncohen) * [15 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/#post-1581033) * It’s a fresh install of MU. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 23 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘WP HTTP Error: Couldn't resolve host’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [multisite](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/multisite/) * [WP HTTP Error](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/wp-http-error/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 23 replies * 7 participants * Last reply from: [TelbitConsulting](https://wordpress.org/support/users/telbitconsulting/) * Last activity: [15 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp-http-error-couldnt-resolve-host/page/2/#post-1581321) * Status: resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics