The RPC server is unavailable – SQL Server 2017 installation error

During the installation of SQL Server 2017(Or other versions), we can get an error “The RPC server is unavailable” at the very last step of the installation process while executing the action “DReplayControllerConfigAction_install_postmsi_Cpu64“. “The RPC server unavailable error” might also occur at the “Server Configuration” step during the installation process. However, typically this error occurs when we try to install SQL Server on a Remote/Virtual Machine.

Below is the screenshot of the RPC error you may get during the installation of SQL Server 2017 on a remote machine:

The above error message stops the installation process at the final step and when we click on “Retry” button, it keeps prompting the same error message again and again. If you do not get any appropriate solution, this solution might help you to resolve this RPC error which has occurred due to the domain name issue on the remote machine. Typically, this error occurs when SQL Server fails to authenticate the service accounts which is required in order to start the services during the installation process.

The RPC server is unavailable – Solution

To fix this error, we need to configure the DNS primary suffix which might not be configured correctly at the remote machine/VM. To configure it, follow these steps:

Step 1:

Go to control panel and click on the “Network and Sharing Center” option.

Step 2:

It will bring the “Active networks connections” screen which looks as below. Now, click on the “Active internet connection” (“Ethernet 2” in this image).

Step 3:

The additional properties window for the selected network will be opened. Now, click on the “Properties” button.

Step 4:

The Networking properties of the selected network will be opened. Now, select the “Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP/IPv4)” option and click on the “Properties” button again.

Step 5:

The below window will appear. Click on the “Advanced” button to open the advanced TCP/IP settings.

Step 6:

Now, go to the “DNS” tab and select the “Append these DNS suffixes (in order)” radio button. Then, click on the “Add” button and enter your full domain name. Once the domain name is added in this list, click on the “Ok” button.

Now, go to the error message dialog box and click on the “Retry” button to retry it. The setup should resume smoothly if the problem is related to the DNS name resolution. This setting will add the DNS suffix with the domain name with the Service Account.

Thanks for the reading. Please share your inputs in the comment section.