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Q171781: DNS Server Fails to Start Due to Unavailable RPC Server Error

Article: Q171781
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): WinNT:4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbnetwork
Last Modified: 09-AUG-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 
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IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry.
Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if
a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring
the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key"
Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS
========

After your Microsoft Windows NT Domain Name Service (DNS) server starts, you may
receive one or more of the following event log error messages:

  Event ID: 157
  Source: DNS
  Description: DNS Server is not root authoritative and no cache file specified.
  A cache file must be specified when the DNS server is not authoritative for
  the root domain. The cache file must contain NS record(s) for root DNS
  servers and corresponding A record(s) for the root DNS servers. Otherwise,
  the DNS server will be unable to contact the root DNS server on startup and
  will be unable to answer queries for names outside of its own authoritative
  zones.

  Event ID: 7023
  Source: Service Control Manager
  Description: The Microsoft DNS Server service terminated with the following
  error: The system cannot find the file specified.

  Event ID: 3
  Source: DNS
  Description: The DNS Server has shutdown.

You may also see your DNS server in the server list of the DNS Manager with a red
X on it, indicating that the DNS service is unavailable, and you may see the
following message in the DNS Manager:

  The RPC Server is unavailable.

CAUSE
=====

This behavior can occur when the registry key that determines whether your DNS
server initializes from a boot file or from the registry has not been updated
properly.

RESOLUTION
==========

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may
require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that
problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use
Registry Editor at your own risk

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And
Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete
Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in
Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

1. Start Registry Editor (regedt32.exe) and locate the following subkey:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dns\Parameters

2. Edit the following value as appropriate:

  Value Name: EnableRegistryBoot
  Value Type: REG_DWORD
  Data:       1 or 0  (1 for registry boot, 0 for boot file)

3. Quit Registry Editor.

This value is set to 1 when the first zone is created, and by default the boot
file's information is then migrated into the registry. When resetting this
registry value back to zero, it disables the DNS server from booting or
initializing from the registry. If the DNS Server does not boot from the
registry, then it must initialize from a boot file. A backup boot file can be
found in the following location:

  %SystemRoot%\System32\Dns\Backup

Copy the backup boot file to the %SystemRoot%\System32\Dns folder, and then
restart the DNS service.


STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 4.0. We are
researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base as it becomes available.
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Keywords          : kbnetwork 
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNT400search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400
Version           : WinNT:4.0

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