If your PC is trying to communicate with another PC on the network, you may have come across the following error message: Thankfully, this can be fixed with some troubleshooting techniques to bring you back on track to perform your task. This article gives a brief introduction so that you fully understand what RPC is, and you can then proceed to perform several troubleshooting tasks in the given order to fix the issue.
What is Remote Procedure Call (RPC)?
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is a protocol that allows Windows components to communicate either with a remote server or between different apps and programs on the same computer. RPC uses dynamic ports to communicate with a server, depending upon the type of service. However, it does still use a primary, static port, with which the initial RPC connection is established. This is TCP port 135. When a Windows PC, which is the client, attempts to communicate with a server, it requests a dynamic port number on the TCP port 135. The server then responds to the client’s requests and provides an IP address and dynamic port number for the service requested. The client machine then performs all further communication with the service on the provided port. This occurs during a typical and successful RPC connection. However, if you come across an error as mentioned above, it can be due to several different reasons.
Causes of RPC Server is Unavailable
The “RPC Server is unavailable” error can be encountered due to any and all of the following reasons:
RPC and/or relevant services are not running.Incorrect time/time zone settings.Domain Name Server (DNS) is unable to resolve the request and may provide an incorrect IP address.Firewall is blocking communication.Network connectivity issues.
Now that we understand the potential cause of the error, let us show you how to fix it.
How to Troubleshoot RPC Server is Unavailable
Run RPC and Associated Services
One of the causes of an unsuccessful RPC connection is that the RPC or any of the services required for the connection are disabled. Therefore, we need to check if they are enabled and if not, enable them. Perform the following steps to check and enable the relevant services on a Windows computer: Once all the mentioned services are running, check to see if you encounter the same error message again. If you still do, perform the following troubleshooting methods: Note: If you are unable to start these services, resort to the last solution given in this post to perform the Windows Registry trick.
Configure Correct Date and Time
Ensure that your system has the correct date and time configuration for a successful RPC connection. Here is how:
Fix Domain Name Server Issues
If the methods given above have not resolved your issue, then it may be possible that the Domain Name Server (DNS) on your network may not be configured correctly, and thus your machine is unable to communicate with the remote device. You can rule this out by pinging the remote device by its name. Here is how: If you find the IP address of the remote device is correct, then the DNS is not the issue, and you can move on to the next section in this post. However, if you find that the IP address is incorrect, then the problem needs to be fixed. If your computer is connected to a domain and both the server and the client machines are connected to an Active Directory (AD), you can verify that both of them are using the correct DNS server, which is usually the Domain Controller (DC) itself. If you do not have the right to confirm, consult with your organization’s IT officer. If the DNS server is also the correct one, you can try re-registering the DNS records by resetting the TCP/IP stack on the client computer. On the server, you can use the ipconfig /registerdns in the Command Prompt to re-register DNS records.
Allow Traffic Through Firewall
It may be possible that the Windows native or a third-party firewall may be blocking remote communication between the client and the server machines for a successful RPC connection. You can check if the firewall is blocking any ports. If so, perform the following steps to allow it: If this does not work for you, you can also temporarily disable Windows Firewall and then try to establish the connection again. However, if you are using a third-party firewall or security application, then you may need to configure it to allow the RPC service through it or uninstall the tool using dedicated uninstallers.
Check Network Connection
It may be possible that your computer’s network configuration is incorrect which is why it is unable to communicate with the remote server, hence prompting an error message. Check your network card’s configuration through the following steps: Once you are sure that your computer’s network configuration is correct, you can also use PortQuery to confirm that the TCP port 135 is listening. Here is how: If the status returns as “listening,” it means that the TCP port 135 is open and your connection is sound.
Enable Relevant Services from Windows Registry
If you are unable to start the relevant services using the method discussed above, or none of these troubleshooting methods have worked to resolve your issue, you can perform the following steps to fix the “RPC server is unavailable” issue. Misconfiguration of critical values in the system’s registry could be fatal for your operating system. Therefore, we insist that you create a system restore point before proceeding forward with the process. Now check to see if you are able to perform the task that you initially wanted to without seeing the error prompt.
Closing Words
We certainly hope that the above methods to resolve the “RPC server is unavailable” error have been helpful. However, if you still encounter this issue, it may be possible that certain Windows Registry items have been corrupted. You can try and fix your operating system using the SFC, DISM, and CHKDSK utilities. If that does not work, you may need to perform a fresh installation of your Windows operating system to fix the issue.
