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SEC_E_TARGET_UNKNOWN
SEC_E_TARGET_UNKNOWN signals this condition: The target supplied to SSPI was not recognized or could not be reached. For Kerberos, the target is usually represented by a service principal name (SPN). A wrong DNS name, an absent SPN, or a connection to a different service identity can make the target unresolvable for authentication even when basic network access succeeds.
What to check
- Verify the hostname used by the client and its DNS resolution before changing any directory records.
- Query the exact SPN that the application should use and check whether it belongs to the intended service account.
- Inspect client, server, and domain-controller event logs at the same timestamp.
setspn -Q HTTP/server.contoso.comklist get HTTP/server.contoso.comMicrosoft: Kerberos authentication troubleshooting
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