Agent message code 20084. The process could not connect to Distributor 'distribution'.

Question

I have a pull subscription created. The subscription was initialized with backup. But cannot get around this error. Two servers SQL 2008 R2. Same domain.  Windows server 2008.

I have read many blogs about this error but have not read one that helps me. I have tried local admin/domain admin window account. SQL accounts with syadmins rights. Each account is on the PAL list. I am able to access SQL server with either account VIA SSMS. I am able to select and execute stored procedures under theses accounts.

What I'm I missing?

Thanks

Answer 1

It sounds like the distribution agent process account does not have sufficient permissions to connect to the Distributor.

Verify the distribution agent process account has sufficient permissions:

• db_owner in the distribution and subscription databases
• member of the PAL
• read permissions on the snapshot share

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Brandon Williams (blog | linkedin)

Answer 2

Account:

• Is a member of the PAL.
• Has full access to shapshot share.
• Has sysadmin permissions.

Answer 3

As it cannot connect, this might be a name resolution issue.

Can you post the job step that you are using to do the pull with here? If the subscriber is a SQL Server it will be a SQL Server Job. Select job properties, Steps, Run Agent, click the Edit button, select the entire string and post it here.

Then for the server listed after  -Distributor  in this string, try to ping it from the command prompt on the subscriber. Do you get a response? Does TraceRt work?

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Answer 4

Here is the string:

-Publisher PSDEVDB5 -PublisherDB [DBAdmin] -Publication [DBAdmin_Trans] -Distributor [distribution] -SubscriptionType 1 -Subscriber [PSDEVDB4] -SubscriberSecurityMode 1 -SubscriberDB [DBAdmin]    -Continuous

Ping:

Pinging psdevdb4.xx-xxx.xxxt [10.xxx.0.34] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 10.xxx.0.34: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 10.xxx.0.34: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 10.xxx.0.34: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 10.xxx.0.34: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 10.xxx.0.34:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms

tracert 10.xxx.0.34

Tracing route to psdevdb4.xx-xxx.xxx [10.xxx.0.34]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  psdevdb4.xx-xxx.xxx [10.xxx.0.34]

Answer 5

ok, can you do this now?

ping -a 10.xxx.0.34

Do you get the name of your distributor?

Is your distributor an instance? If so you will need to ensure the browser service is running on the publisher and you have an alias to it on your subscriber.

It also appears you are using Windows Authentication to connect to your publisher? Is this the case?  

Is there a firewall between the two servers? Can you stop the firewall service on both machines and see if this helps.

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looking for a book on SQL Server 2008 Administration? http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Server-2008-Management-Administration/dp/067233044X looking for a book on SQL Server 2008 Full-Text Search? http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Full-Text-Search-Server-2008/dp/1430215941

Answer 6

Do you get the name of your distributor?

• Yes, got the name of the server the distributor is on - psdevdb5

Is your distributor an instance?

• distributer is a default instance

It also appears you are using Windows Authentication to connect to your publisher? Is this the case? 

• yes

Is there a firewall between the two servers? Can you stop the firewall service on both machines and see if this helps.

• Yes, is not running

Answer 7

Enable auditing and see if you are getting a failed login. Right click on your publisher in Management studio, go to properites, security and ensure the audit both successful and failed logins only check box is checked.

Then have your subscriber try to connect, if it fails look in the SQL Server Error log for a message.

If it successes you will need to enable the error collection in profiler to investigate further. If it fails you have an account issue somehow.

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looking for a book on SQL Server 2008 Administration? http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Server-2008-Management-Administration/dp/067233044X looking for a book on SQL Server 2008 Full-Text Search? http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Full-Text-Search-Server-2008/dp/1430215941

Answer 8

Thanks for your help. My problem has been fixed. The issue was with the VM on a OS level. The OS was not allowing some features to work. Once the OS was authenicated via Microsoft things began to work.

Answer 9

Thanks for your help. My problem has been fixed. The issue was with the VM on a OS level. The OS was not allowing some features to work. Once the OS was authenicated via Microsoft things began to work.

Can you please go the throught the step how you were able to solve the problem? I have exactly the same situation. And the server is a VM machine running on VMware.

Answer 10

Hello,

I have a similar case like rahma5 with transactional PULL replication between two different domains in the LAN.  I have checked access permissions of the account (both same account and it is a domain account where the subscrption database resides.  It is trusted by the domain where the publication database resides.)  used for both publication and subscription agents at the shared replication data folder and the databases.  I remote desktop to the subscription database and verified I can connect the publishing database server by inputting the server name only.  I have set up an 'Alias' in the SQL configuration and add an entry to the host file.

Now, I suspect it is a restriction by VMware like butter17 or rahma5.

Would someone can help on this, please?