A quick search on the web for this error message indicates that it might be an issue with the protocol you're using to connect to the target server (HTTP or HTTPS). If you modify the server in the Staging application and check the URL, does it contain the correct protocol to connect to the target server?
Is there any hardware/software between the two servers that could be interfering with the request, such as anti-virus, load-balancing, firewall, etc.?