KBA10018: Patch Status service error messages

The error message "(0x80004005): The RPC server is unavailable" indicates an issue when communicating through named pipes on device. A potential reason for this issue is due to antivirus software or other security application blocking communication between the N-able N-central agent and the n-able.MSP.RpcServer windows service.

To troubleshoot

• Verify that the N-able.MSP.RpcServer windows service is running. For example, enter the command:

wmic path n-able.MSP.Rpc% get caption,name,status,startmode,started,startname /format:list

This will return:

Caption=n-able RPC Server
Name=n-able.MSP.RpcServerService
Started=TRUE
StartMode=Auto
StartName=LocalSystem
Status=OK

Check the C:\ProgramData\n-able\n-able.MSP.RpcServerService\log\RpcServer.log log file and verify that it doesn't contain any errors.

Run following Powershell command on the affected machine:

[System.IO.Directory]:GetFiles("\\.\\pipe\\")

OR

powershell "get-childitem \\.\pipe\\ | Where {$_.Name -eq 'CacheService'}"

powershell "get-childitem \\.\pipe\\ | Where {$_.Name -eq 'n-ableRpcServerService'}"

The output of this command should contain following entries:

\\.\\pipe\\n-ableRpcServerService

\\.\\pipe\\CacheService

If the output contains these entries, it means that PME services are up and running and are listening to incomming requests. If it doesn't contain these entries, then it means that there is some issue with the n-able.MSP.RpcServer windows service.

• If you verified, that n-able.MSP.RpcServer windows service is up and running, then it may be something in the environment blocking the communication. This could be caused by an application which is not working correctly. Restart the device to clear stalled activities on the device.

This can be an environmental problem. For example, this error can occur when the WUA is having difficulty connecting to the update server. Check your firewall, anti-virus, and proxy setting to ensure that the site http://download.windowsupdate.com is reachable from the device.

For more information on the error codes, see the Windows Update error code list at https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/938205/windows-update-error-code-list.

If this issue persists, see the Generic Error section below.

A timeout error occurs when the WUA does not finish a scan within a predefined amount of time. The default is 30 minutes. The N-able N-central agent forcibly aborts the scan.This can be due to a slow connection, long scan times or resource issues on the device. To resolve this error:

• Check device resources (CPU, RAM) and update if possible.
• With older operating systems such as Windows 7, there can be large dependency chain due to a large number of installed patches. A WUA scan can take several hours. Check for existing Service Pack or Cumulative Updates to install the latest updates one at a time.
• Check for WUA errors in WindowsUpdate.log. For more information, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/938205/windows-update-error-code-list.
• Contact Technical Support to increase the timeout of the agent.

The timeout of WUA scan can influence subsequent processes with the N-able N-central agent. You should only increase the timeout duration only after a complete analysis of the environment.

If this issue persists, see the Generic Error section below.

For generic errors, use the Microsoft Troubleshooter (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/10164/fix-windows-update-errors) to determine the corrective action.

If errors persist, rename the SoftwareDistribution folder on the device.

Renaming the folder ensures the contents are retained should you need to roll back if you encounter any issues. Deleting the SoftwareDistribution folder contents deletes the history of installed patches and dates with no recourse for recovery.

1. Click Control Panel > Admin Tools > Services.
2. Stop the Windows Agent Service service and Windows Agent Maintenance service.
3. Stop the Automatic Updates service.
4. Rename (backup) log file C:\windows\windowsupdate.log file to windowsupdate.log.old.
5. Rename the folder C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution.old.
6. Click Control Panel > Admin Tools > Services.
7. Start the Windows Agent Service service and Windows Agent Maintenance service. The Automatic Updates service will be started automatically if needed.