Windows error 1736 (RPC_S_INVALID_NAME

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: RPC_S_INVALID_NAME_SYNTAX the name syntax is invalid.

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RPC_S_NO_ENTRY_NAME	RPC_S_UNSUPPORTED_NAME_SYNTAX

RPC_S_INVALID_NAME_SYNTAX

Name syntax is an explicit RPC namespace parameter

RPC_S_INVALID_NAME_SYNTAX comes from RPC name-service operations, where callers supply both an entry name and a name-syntax selector. The syntax parameter tells the runtime how to interpret the entry name. This is different from validating an RPC string binding such as ncacn_ip_tcp:host[endpoint].

Because the types are simple integers and strings, it is easy for application configuration to mix a namespace entry with a binding string or pass a constant from the wrong API family.

What to check

Log the exact NameSyntax value and the entry name before the failing RpcNs* call.
Use documented RPC_C_NS_SYNTAX_* constants; do not persist raw numeric values without the symbolic meaning.
Separate configuration fields for namespace entries and string bindings so one cannot be substituted for the other.
When using the default syntax, verify that the runtime has been configured with a supported default name syntax.

The failure is local interpretation of the namespace name. Endpoint mapper, DNS, and server reachability are later stages and should not be the first diagnostic target.

References

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