# Header message of length [] received but the packetSize is only []

> The AJP request header exceeds Tomcat's configured packetSize. Add a packetSize attribute to the connector in server.xml to resolve it.

URL: https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/cascade-administration/errors/header-message-of-length-received.html
category: Cascade Administration
article-type: reference
content-kind: faq
release-availability: all
tags: errors
updated: 2026-10-06

## Problem

The size of the request header exceeds what's configured for the application.

## Solution

Edit your *tomcat/conf/server.xml* configuration file and add a `packetSize="65536"` attribute to the appropriate connector. For example, change:

```xml
<Connector port="8009" protocol="AJP/1.3" redirectPort="8443"/>
```

to

```xml
<Connector packetSize="65536" port="8009" protocol="AJP/1.3" redirectPort="8443"/>
```

If you are proxying with Apache over AJP you will want to also add a `ProxyIOBufferSize` directive to your `VirtualHost` that is set to the same value. This ensures both Apache and Tomcat are configured to use the same values. Example:

```xml
ProxyIOBufferSize 65536
```