WBAdmin - The RPC server is unavailable

Hi.

My Name is David B.

Independent Advisor I'd like to help.

In this case, possible causes of the error "The RPC server is not available" include:

• RPC service stopped: If the RPC service on the server is not running, obviously the client will not be able to contact you.

• Name resolution problems: The name of the RPC server may be resolving the wrong IP address, which means that the client contacts the wrong server or tries to contact an IP address that is not currently in use. Alternatively, the server name may not be resolving anything at all.

• Traffic blocked by the firewall: A firewall or other security application on the server, or the application of a network firewall between the client and the server, can prevent traffic from reaching the server on TCP port 135.

• Connectivity problems: The client may not contact the server due to a general network problem.

Now, to fix it, do the following:

• Open the services console on the server.

• Locate the remote procedure call service (RPC) and make sure it is running.

Note: The remote procedure call (RPC) location service does not necessarily have to be running.

• If the service stops, try to start it manually.

From the client computer, ping the server by name to verify that the name resolves with the correct IP address. If you do, name resolution is probably not the cause of the problem, and the rest of the steps in this section can be omitted.

If the client and server are members of an Active Directory (AD) domain, DNS is used for name resolution. Verify that the client and server are using the correct DNS servers, which must be within the domain and will usually be domain controllers. If the correct DNS servers are being used, use the DNS management console on those servers to verify that the RPC server has the correct DNS records. If necessary, the ipconfig / registerdns command can be used on the RPC server to re-enter your DNS records. If no AD domain is present, WINS can be used for name resolution.

The ipconfig / all command lists, among other things, the WINS servers being used by the RPC server. Check the WINS database on these servers to verify that the records on the RPC server are correct. If necessary, the nbtstat -RR command can be executed on the RPC server to re-enter your WINS records. Traffic blocked by the firewall, in this case:

• Check the Windows firewall settings on the RPC server. If the firewall is enabled, make sure that traffic on TCP port 135 is enabled to pass.

• If the server is running Windows Server 2003, the Windows firewall may not handle the RPC dynamic port assignment correctly. In this case, it may be necessary to disable the Windows firewall or restrict the ports used by RPC.

• If the server is running Windows Server 2008 or later, verify that the Windows firewall service is running. The Windows firewall in Windows Server 2008 and later versions should handle RPC traffic properly and by default, however, in case it needs to be configured manually, see the following TechNet article for instructions: Allow incoming network traffic that you use Dynamic CPR.

• If the Windows firewall must be completely disabled in Windows Server 2008 or higher, do not stop the Windows firewall service. Instead, follow the steps described in How to properly shut down the Windows firewall on Windows Servers 2008 and higher.

• If an external firewall software, another security application or a firewall network is in use, consult the application or device documentation to determine if it can be configured to handle RPC traffic.

• If the firewall software, another security application or network device cannot be configured to properly handle RPC dynamic traffic, the port range used by RPC can be restricted, and this range can then be opened in the firewall or application of security. To restrict the port range used by RPC, see How to configure dynamic RPC port mapping to work with a firewall.

Regards...