The RPC Services May Hang Intermittently with "RPC Server Unavailable" Error Messages (302323)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition 4.0 SP6a
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 SP6a
This article was previously published under Q302323

SYMPTOMS

You may receive "RPC Server Unavailable" error messages intermittently on the server when you are running programs (such as Event Viewer) that use Remote Procedure Call (RPC). These error messages occur on servers that use two network adapters that are configured for fault tolerance.

This problem is known to occur with the Intel family of fault-tolerant network adapters.

CAUSE

There is a problem in Ndis.sys with unloading the network monitor driver (either Bhnt.sys or Nmnt.sys) when it is loaded in conjunction with network adapter teaming drivers.

RESOLUTION

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that this article describes. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later: 
   Date         Time   Version        Size     File name  Platform
   ---------------------------------------------------------------
   24-Jul-2001  12:38  4.0.1381.7097  121,872  Ndis.sys   x86

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, rename the network monitor driver (either Bhnt.sys or Nmnt.sys) in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Drivers folder, and then reboot the computer. This prevents the driver from being loaded.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/19/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbprb kbQFE KB302323
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