What does Windows error code 8217 (ERROR_DS_GC_NOT_AVAILABLE) mean?

 
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ERROR_DS_CROSS_DOM_MOVE_ERROR ERROR_SHARED_POLICY

ERROR_DS_GC_NOT_AVAILABLE

The operation required forest-wide catalog data but no usable GC was reachable

A Global Catalog holds a partial replica of objects from other domains in the forest and is used for operations that need forest-wide visibility. This status is therefore more specific than a generic DC connection failure: the caller or directory operation needs a GC-capable DSA and could not use one.

Check site-aware DC location, DNS registration, network reachability, and whether the selected DC is actually advertising as a GC. If a server was recently promoted to Global Catalog, verify that required partitions have replicated and that stale cross-reference or phantom metadata is not blocking GC readiness. For a forest with limited GC placement, a site or WAN outage can expose the dependency even when a writable domain DC remains reachable.

What to inspect

  • Confirm a GC is advertised and reachable from the affected site.
  • Check replication of configuration and partial-replica data on the candidate GC.
  • Review GC readiness events before forcing clients to a different DC.

References


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