What does HRESULT 0x80010122 (RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME) mean?

RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME

COM SSL principal is not a valid MSSTD name

RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME is HRESULT 2147549474 (0x80010122) from winerror.h. AllStat describes it as “Principal name is not a valid MSSTD name.” In the COM/RPC call control, message filtering, apartment routing, marshaling, security negotiation, or remote object lifetime, the code identifies a specific failure boundary and should not be replaced by a generic COM exception.

The hexadecimal value and symbolic name RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME should remain attached to the originating API and operation generation.

Diagnostic sequence

• Capture the raw unsigned value 0x80010122 and symbolic name RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME before a language projection, exception wrapper, or generic COM helper replaces it.
• Identify the exact interface, method, callback, activation request, metadata query, access-control operation, or marshaling boundary that returned RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Reconstruct the operation timeline for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME, including object creation, thread or apartment initialization, security setup, callbacks, mutations, shutdown, and cleanup.
• Prove the decisive condition: the raw principal is compared with the documented <code>msstd:</code> form and the server certificate identity.
• Inspect every output parameter, handle, interface pointer, token, SID, ACL, stream, buffer, server-side object, or asynchronous result produced before RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Reproduce RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME with the smallest safe input, change only the suspected precondition, and verify that both the HRESULT and postcondition change as predicted.

Where it is encountered

• RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME can be returned during cross-apartment or cross-process COM method invocation and activation. For RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME, record the interface, method, component version, thread, apartment, process, and correlation ID.
• RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME can be returned during STA message filtering, reentrancy, call cancellation, timeout, or retry handling. For RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME, record the interface, method, component version, thread, apartment, process, and correlation ID.
• RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME can be returned during DCOM security initialization, proxy/stub marshaling, OBJREF processing, and server object lifetime. For RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME, record the interface, method, component version, thread, apartment, process, and correlation ID.

The immediate focus for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME is a standard principal-name string for secure RPC that has invalid prefix, escaping, certificate name, or syntax. Keep RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME attached to that operation; the same numeric severity outside the owning API does not supply enough context.

Decisive interpretation boundary

Before choosing recovery, verify that the raw principal is compared with the documented <code>msstd:</code> form and the server certificate identity. Validate this condition for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME using the owning API state, not an inferred UI symptom.

For RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME, also confirm that all observed objects, tokens, buffers, proxies, metadata files, or ACLs belong to the current operation generation and were not retained from an earlier attempt.

Evidence and telemetry

• Preserve raw principal string and source for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Preserve expected server certificate name for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Preserve parser or validation position for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Preserve authentication settings for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Preserve corrected connection result for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.

For RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME, also record UTC time, process and thread IDs, apartment type, component version, security or package identity where relevant, and a correlation ID. For RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME, use hashes, lengths, GUIDs, and SID strings rather than logging confidential payloads or credentials.

Difference from nearby HRESULTs

RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME is syntax validation; RPC_E_FULLSIC_REQUIRED says a syntactically valid but insufficient principal form was supplied.

Merging RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME with the neighboring HRESULT would choose the wrong retry, recreation, authorization, or cleanup path.

Correct handling and recovery

Correct the principal at configuration generation, validate it before connection, and avoid constructing it from untrusted display names.

An unchanged retry loop for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME can duplicate effects, deepen reentrancy, or hide an invalid lifetime transition.

Practical scenario

A configuration file contains an extra slash in an <code>msstd:</code> principal. Validation catches the typo before any remote activation attempt.

A regression test should reproduce RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME, assert the raw HRESULT and all relevant outputs, then correct only the decisive condition and verify the intended success or neighboring failure result.

Lifetime, retry, and cleanup rules

After RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME, determine whether the current object, interface pointer, call context, token, stream, metadata reader, asynchronous operation, or access-control instance remains valid. For RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME, release only resources owned by the failing attempt, cancel callbacks through their documented mechanism, and avoid double close, double commit, repeated activation, or replay of a non-idempotent remote method.

The retry policy for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME should state the trigger, maximum attempts, cancellation owner, and reconciliation step for effects that may have completed elsewhere.

Developer and administrator guidance

A support bundle for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME should include first-occurrence logs, interface and component identity, object generation, relevant policy, and safe hashes. For RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME, redact credentials, tokens, private metadata, ACL identities, and serialized payload contents.

Administrators investigating RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME should preserve first-occurrence evidence before restarting COM servers, repairing packages, editing DCOM policy, or replacing serialized access data. Define who owns retry, cancellation, cleanup, policy changes, package repair, and user-facing messaging for RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.

References

• Microsoft: COM RPC error codes — official Microsoft documentation relevant to RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Microsoft: IMessageFilter — official Microsoft documentation relevant to RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Microsoft: RetryRejectedCall — official Microsoft documentation relevant to RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Microsoft: CoInitialize — official Microsoft documentation relevant to RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Microsoft: CoInitializeSecurity — official Microsoft documentation relevant to RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Microsoft: marshaling rules — official Microsoft documentation relevant to RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.
• Microsoft: HRESULT values — official Microsoft documentation relevant to RPC_E_INVALID_STD_NAME.

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