Troubleshooting "RPC Server is Unavailable" in Windows (224370)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
This article was previously published under Q224370

SYMPTOMS

When you perform any of the following server-based tasks, you may receive an "RPC server is unavailable" error message:
  • Replication
  • Winlogon
  • Enable trusted relationships
  • Connect to domain controllers
  • Connect to trusted domains
  • User authentication
NOTE: You may also get the error "RPC server is unavailable" running Dcpromo on a member server. This can occur if you have only one DC and it does not have file and printer sharing enable on its network card.

CAUSE

This issue can occur for any of the following reasons:
  • The RPC service may not be started.
  • You are unable to resolve a DNS or NetBIOS name.
  • An RPC channel cannot be established.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type the following line in the Open box, and then click OK:

    net start rpcss

    Test to see if this resolves the issue. If the issue still occurs, continue to the next step.
  2. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories,and then click Command Prompt.
  3. At the command prompt, type ping servername, where servername is the server, NetBIOS, DNS, or GUID name that you want to test for connectivity.

    If there is a connection issue with one of these computers, contact your network administrator to resolve the issue. If the issue still occurs, continue to the next step.
  4. Use the Netdiag tool that is included in the Microsoft Windows Support Tools (included on the Windows CD-ROMs) to determine if the domain controller is working correctly. You can perform a network trace using the MSRPC, DNS, NBT, LDAP, or TCP protocols.

    If there is an issue with the domain controller, contact your network administrator to resolve the issue. If the issue still occurs, continue to the next step.
  5. Use the Netdom tool that is included in the Windows Support Tools to verify network trust relationships and reset or establish a connection to a server.

MORE INFORMATION

It may be required to create secondary DNS zones for correct name resolution between several domains or forests. On the Primary DNS server for each domain, create a secondary zone for the domain that you are trying to generate a trust with. For example, create secondary zones that are similar to the following zones:
  • Domain1 DC1.Domain1.com - Hosts DNS Primary Zone for Domain1.com
  • Domain2 DC1.Domain2.com - Hosts DNS Primary Zone for Domain2.com
These two zones may receive the following message when a trust is generated or validated:
RPC Server is unavailable
To resolve this problem, configure the secondary zones in the following way:
  • Domain1 DC1.Domain1.com - Hosts DNS Primary Zone for Domain1.com & Secondary Zone for Domain2.com
  • Domain2 DC1.Domain2.com - Hosts DNS Primary Zone for Domain2.com & Secondary Zone for Domain1.com
When DNS name resolution is correctly configured for both domains, communication between the domains functions as you expect.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:12/15/2004
Keywords:kbenv kberrmsg kbnetwork kbprb KB224370
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.