Troubleshooting: Password Reset Fails with "The RPC Server Is Unavailable"

Version Affected: All
 
 

Overview

A Password Reset realm can fail to change a user's password with the error:

Password was not changed Exception: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation. - The RPC server is unavailable. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800706BA)

Cause

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) port 135 is not reachable between the SecureAuth appliance and the target server, even when the RPC services on the appliance itself are running normally.

Resolution:

1. Confirm the RPC services are running locally on the appliance: open services.msc and check that Remote Procedure Call (RPC) and RPC Endpoint Mapper both show a status of Running.

2. Test whether port 135 is reachable from the appliance to the target server, for example using telnet target-server 135.
3. If the connection fails, open port 135 on the network firewall between the appliance and the target server. The appliance's own local Windows Firewall has port 135 open by default, so this is typically an external network or firewall block rather than a local one.
4. Once the appliance can reach port 135 on the target server, retry the password reset.

SecureAuth Knowledge Base Articles provide information based on specific use cases and may not apply to all appliances or configurations. Be advised that these instructions could cause harm to the environment if not followed correctly or if they do not apply to the current use case.

Customers are responsible for their own due diligence prior to utilizing this information and agree that SecureAuth is not liable for any issues caused by misconfiguration directly or indirectly related to SecureAuth products.