DFSR replication failing (Event ID 5012) on large volumes - Need static RPC/Timeout configuration steps

Question

DFSR replication failing (Event ID 5012) on large volumes - Need static RPC/Timeout configuration steps

No.1 Schezo 0

Hello,

I've tried following the various instructions on the Microsoft Learn self-help site, using standard troubleshooting forums (less than helpful generic advice, attempts to apply basic fixes resulted in the same drops), and researching Event ID 5012 just tries to redirect to standard RPC connection troubleshooting guides again.

Our DFSR has completely stopped replicating large volumes between our data centers, and we specifically need to modify the DFSR RPC timeout parameters (RPCPortAssignment) and configure static RPC ports for replication. Could somebody please give me the exact configuration steps or a direct guide from a technical specialist who can help me resolve this issue.

0 comments

1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi No.1 Schezo,

To fix this, you must assign a static RPC port and adjust the system's network heartbeat. Open an elevated Command Prompt on your DFSR servers and execute the command dfsrdiag StaticRPC /port:50000 /Member:YourServerName, replacing 50000 with an approved high port for your network. This command binds the DFSR service to a predictable port, allowing your network administrators to create a dedicated, static firewall rule between the data centers instead of relying on unpredictable dynamic RPC ports.

Once the static port is set and allowed through the firewall, you must prevent the firewall's idle timer from dropping the connection during file staging. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then expand System, CurrentControlSet, Services, Tcpip, and finally Parameters. Inside the Parameters key, create a new DWORD value called KeepAliveTime and set the decimal value to 300000. This configuration represents five minutes in milliseconds, forcing the Windows Server to send background keep-alive packets over the network. These packets inform the firewall that the connection is still active during long file staging operations, effectively eliminating the replication drops.

Hope this answer has brought you some useful information. If it did, please hit “accept answer”. Should you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

VPHAN