"The RPC server is unavailable" error message when FineReader PDF is started on a workstation

Victoria Dvornikova

Edited December 21, 2022 20:18

Issue

When FineReader PDF is started on a workstation, the following error message appears:

Error communicating with ABBYY Product Licensing Service on %SERVERNAME%: The RPC server is unavailable.

Note: This article only explains how to deal with this problem in a network installation of FineReader PDF. If you encounter this problem on a local installation, read this article.

Cause

Usually, the error occurs because the workstation does not have access to the server.

Resolution

If the error occurs, check if the computer with the License Server is accessible from the workstation:

Create any shared folder on the computer with ABBYY FineReader License Server installed, e.g. Test;
Open Windows Explorer window on a workstation (“Windows +E” on keyboard);
Type \\SERVERNAME in the address bar and press Enter. Then try to open the Test folder.

If the License Server is accessible, you should set up a TCP/IP connection between it and the workstation: