Error Message: The RPC Server Is Unavailable

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

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

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 2000 Resource Kit 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 2000 Resource Kit to verify network trust relationships and reset or establish a connection to a server.
   
   If the primary domain controller (PDC) for the domain cannot be found, the domain name is not being resolved properly. Contact your administrator to resolve the issue.
   
   If the PDC is found, the RPC communication channel is functioning. You can use the Netdom tool to reset or establish a connection to another server.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbenv kberrmsg kbnetwork kbtool
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb