diff --git a/artemis-core-client/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/client/impl/ClientSessionFactoryImpl.java b/artemis-core-client/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/client/impl/ClientSessionFactoryImpl.java
index 0803782e9e..0e04387026 100644
--- a/artemis-core-client/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/client/impl/ClientSessionFactoryImpl.java
+++ b/artemis-core-client/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/client/impl/ClientSessionFactoryImpl.java
@@ -516,6 +516,11 @@ public class ClientSessionFactoryImpl implements ClientSessionFactoryInternal, C
          // this is just a debug, since an interrupt is an expected event (in case of a shutdown)
          ActiveMQClientLogger.LOGGER.debug(e1.getMessage(), e1);
       }
+      catch (Throwable t) {
+         //for anything else just close so clients are un blocked
+         close();
+         throw t;
+      }
    }
 
    /**
@@ -902,18 +907,19 @@ public class ClientSessionFactoryImpl implements ClientSessionFactoryInternal, C
 
             //we check if we can actually connect.
             // we do it here as to receive the reply connection has to be not null
+            //make sure to reset this.connection == null
             if (connection != null && liveNodeID != null) {
                try {
                   if (!clientProtocolManager.checkForFailover(liveNodeID)) {
                      connection.destroy();
-                     connection = null;
+                     this.connection = null;
+                     return null;
                   }
                }
                catch (ActiveMQException e) {
-                  if (connection != null) {
-                     connection.destroy();
-                     connection = null;
-                  }
+                  connection.destroy();
+                  this.connection = null;
+                  return null;
                }
             }
 
diff --git a/artemis-core-client/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/impl/netty/NettyConnector.java b/artemis-core-client/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/impl/netty/NettyConnector.java
index 355202f5ed..6853b79b57 100644
--- a/artemis-core-client/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/impl/netty/NettyConnector.java
+++ b/artemis-core-client/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/impl/netty/NettyConnector.java
@@ -665,6 +665,7 @@ public class NettyConnector extends AbstractConnector {
                ch.writeAndFlush(request);
 
                if (!httpUpgradeHandler.awaitHandshake()) {
+                  ch.close().awaitUninterruptibly();
                   return null;
                }
             }
diff --git a/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/server/RemotingService.java b/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/server/RemotingService.java
index 6079be4758..631a71a6c0 100644
--- a/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/server/RemotingService.java
+++ b/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/server/RemotingService.java
@@ -76,6 +76,11 @@ public interface RemotingService {
     */
    void pauseAcceptors();
 
+   /**
+    * Pauses the acceptors so that no more connections can be made to the server
+    */
+   boolean isPaused();
+
    /**
     * Freezes and then disconnects all connections except the given one and tells the client where else
     * it might connect (only applicable if server is in a cluster and uses scaleDown-on-failover=true).
diff --git a/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/server/impl/RemotingServiceImpl.java b/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/server/impl/RemotingServiceImpl.java
index ba3d0b0775..d2cde4b4d6 100644
--- a/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/server/impl/RemotingServiceImpl.java
+++ b/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/remoting/server/impl/RemotingServiceImpl.java
@@ -113,6 +113,8 @@ public class RemotingServiceImpl implements RemotingService, ServerConnectionLif
 
    private ServiceRegistry serviceRegistry;
 
+   private boolean paused = false;
+
    // Static --------------------------------------------------------
 
    // Constructors --------------------------------------------------
@@ -192,6 +194,8 @@ public class RemotingServiceImpl implements RemotingService, ServerConnectionLif
          return;
       }
 
+      paused = false;
+
       // The remoting service maintains it's own thread pool for handling remoting traffic
       // If OIO each connection will have it's own thread
       // If NIO these are capped at nio-remoting-threads which defaults to num cores * 3
@@ -316,6 +320,8 @@ public class RemotingServiceImpl implements RemotingService, ServerConnectionLif
       if (!started)
          return;
 
+      paused = true;
+
       for (Acceptor acceptor : acceptors.values()) {
          try {
             acceptor.pause();
@@ -326,6 +332,11 @@ public class RemotingServiceImpl implements RemotingService, ServerConnectionLif
       }
    }
 
+   @Override
+   public synchronized boolean isPaused() {
+      return paused;
+   }
+
    @Override
    public synchronized void freeze(final String scaleDownNodeID, final CoreRemotingConnection connectionToKeepOpen) {
       if (!started)