Error message when you try to make a remote connection to the registry of a Windows-based computer from a Windows Server 2003 SP1-based computer: "Access denied"

When you try to make a remote connection to the registry of a Microsoft Windows-based computer from a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1)-based computer, you receive the following error message: This issue may prevent you from using the following programs to deploy agents or clients:

• Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
• The original release version of SMS 2003
• SMS 2.0
• The original release version of Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005

This issue occurs because of security changes that are included in Windows Server 2003 SP1.

Service pack information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows Server 2003. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

You must be running Windows Server 2003 SP1 to apply this hotfix.

Note x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003 do not require this service pack.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix. Also, a restart is required after you make the registry key change that is described in the "To enable the hotfix" section.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2003, x86-based versions

Windows Server 2003, x64-based versions

Registry information

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To enable the hotfix, add the DontUseSecureNPForRemote entry to the following registry subkey. Then, set this entry to a value of 1.To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteRegistry\Parameters
3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4. Type DontUseSecureNPForRemote, and then press ENTER.
5. Right-click DontUseSecureNPForRemote, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
7. Exit Registry Editor.
   
   Note If the DontUseSecureNPForRemote entry is not set to 1 after this hotfix is applied, the following event may be logged when the computer tries to connect to a clustered network name that has Kerberos enabled:

   
   Event Type: Error
   Event Source: Kerberos
   Event Category: None
   Event ID: 4
   Description: The kerberos client received a KRB_AP_ERR_MODIFIED error from the server host/<node name> . The target name used was <virtual cluster name>. This indicates that the password used to encrypt the kerberos service ticket is different than that on the target server. Commonly, this is due to identically named machine accounts in the target realm (childdomain.rootdomain.COM), and the client realm. Please contact your system administrator.

   The client's connection attempt to a clustered network name that has Kerberos enabled succeeds even though this event is logged. Set the DontUseSecureNPForRemote entry to 1 to prevent this event from being logged.

If the failure auditing of the "Audit logon events" policy is enabled, Event 529 may also be logged several times per second in the security event log of the cluster node:

Event Type: Failure Audit
Event Source: Security Event
Category: Logon/Logoff
Event ID: 529
User: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer: ClusterNode
Description: Logon Failure: Reason: Unknown user name or bad password
User Name: -
Logon Type: 3
Logon Process: Kerberos Authentication
Package: Kerberos
Workstation Name: -
Caller User Name: -
Caller Domain: -
Caller Logon ID: -
Caller Process ID: -
Transited Services: -
Source Network Address: -
Source Port: -
For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2.

The issue that is described in the "Symptoms" section may affect programs that use the WnetConnection2 function to connect to a Windows-based computer from a Windows Server 2003 SP1-based computer. Specifically, this issue may occur if the following conditions are true:

• The WnetConnection2 function uses an alternative set of credentials to connect to the IPC$ share.
• The WnetConnection2 function takes this action before it calls the RegConnectRegistry function.

For more information about the terms that are used to describe software updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: