OSD Task Sequences failing on Install Software RPC error

[jbudd0649]

We are a small school district in northern VA, every summer we wipe and reload all of our Windows PC's so that the students and staff have a fresh PC at the beginning of the year. Each school has a task sequence unique to their building for software programs. All software is being deployed via the package model during the TS. I recently upgraded our server to CM 2503. We do not use intune nor do we have any type of cloud presence. We have been imaging PC's this way for years. This issue just started after upgrading to version 2503. We are experiencing a high rate of failure deploying the task sequences. When I look at the smsts logs I am getting error 800706ba. The error happens randomly, one PC will fail on Office 2021, and another will fail on adobe reader. There isn't a consistent failure on one specific package. I have tried re-distributing all of my software packages and I have verified that there are no firewalls between the clients and my SCCM server and DP's. We did notice that the Task Sequence fails less frequently on PC's that are directly connected to a core switch. In many of our buildings we have a lack of network drops, so we utilize the ethernet pass through on the back of our cisco phones to provide a connection to the staff PC. If we plug the PC directly into the wall drop instead of the phone our chances of a successful TS completion is much better, but still not perfect. Again, this is a brand new problem after upgrading to 2503. I have attached a snippet of the smsts log. Obviously this could be network related, but since this just started with the latest version of SCCM, I am just trying to rule out any issues that could be caused by the SCCM environment before I go to my network team.

SMStslog.log

[anyweb]

Using CMTrace error lookup, I can see that the error message is actually an RPC server is unavailable

I asked Google (ai) what this could be,


The "RPC server is unavailable" error (0x800706BA) in SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager) typically indicates a problem with communication between the SCCM server and a client machine. This usually stems from network connectivity issues, firewall restrictions, or incorrect service configurations. 

 

Here's a breakdown of potential causes and solutions:

1. Network Connectivity Issues:

• Verify Network Connectivity:

  Ensure that the SCCM server and the client machine can communicate over the network. Try accessing the client machine from the server using its hostname or IP address in Windows Explorer (e.g., \\clientname\c$ or \\192.168.1.10\c$). 

   

• Check DNS Settings:

  Incorrect DNS settings can cause name resolution issues, preventing the server from finding the client. Verify that the DNS settings are correct on both the server and client. 
• Time Synchronization:

  Ensure the time and time zone settings are synchronized between the client and server. Inaccurate time can also cause communication problems. 

2. Firewall Restrictions:

• Firewall Configuration:

  Firewalls, both on the client and potentially on the network infrastructure, might be blocking the necessary ports for RPC communication. Specifically, verify that ports 135 (TCP and UDP) and the dynamic RPC port range are open. 

• Outbound Traffic Inspection:

  Some firewalls with outbound traffic inspection capabilities might be blocking RPC traffic. Check if any such rules are in place. 

3. Service Issues:

• RPC Services:

  The Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service and other related services, like the "DCOM Server Process Launcher" and "Remote Registry" services, must be running on both the client and server.
• Service Configuration:

  Ensure that these services are set to start automatically (Automatic) after a system restart. 

4. Account Permissions:

• User Account Permissions:

  Verify that the account used for the SCCM connection has the necessary permissions to access the client machine and its resources.
• DCOM Permissions:

  Check DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) permissions on the client machine, as they might be preventing the connection. 

5. Troubleshooting Steps:

• Restart RPC Services:

  Restart the RPC service on both the client and server to reset its state. 

• Reboot the Client:

  After making configuration changes, reboot the client machine to ensure the changes are applied. 
• Use wbemtest.exe:

  Test WMI connectivity to the client machine using the wbemtest.exe tool. This can help isolate whether the issue is WMI-related or broader RPC communication problem. 
• Deploy Recast Agents:

  If using Recast Software's Right Click Tools, deploying their agents can help resolve RPC communication issues. 

In Summary: The "RPC server is unavailable" error in SCCM is often a network or configuration issue. By systematically checking network connectivity, firewall settings, service states, and account permissions, you can identify and resolve the problem.