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ERROR_RPL_NOT_ALLOWED
Replication with a nonconfigured partner is not allowed.
ERROR_RPL_NOT_ALLOWED is Win32 error 4006 (0xFA6) and belongs to WINS replication partner policy. The system description identifies the immediate condition but does not identify the caller, object, policy, device, service instance, or transition that produced it.
Interpret this result at the API boundary that returned it. Capture it before logging, cleanup, or another Windows call can replace the thread-local last-error value. Compare the recorded inputs with the documented precondition for WINS replication partner policy rather than starting with a broad system repair.
Where the result appears
- This result can surface during pull or push replication between WINS servers.
- This result can surface during manual replication initiated from administration tools.
- It can surface during a newly introduced server contacting an existing WINS topology.
- It can surface during legacy disaster recovery using an unregistered partner.
Likely causes
- the remote server is not configured as an allowed replication partner.
- partner entries disagree about push, pull, or address identity.
- a server was rebuilt with a new address but old partner configuration remains.
- an unauthorized host attempted the WINS replication protocol.
Diagnostic sequence
Diagnosis of it starts with the exact request type: read, write, create, transition, validation, cancellation, or administrative action. Identify the object generation and subsystem owner, then decide whether the failure happened before side effects, during a partial transition, or after completion. This ordering matters in WINS replication partner policy because a blind retry can hide stale state or repeat a non-idempotent change.
- record local and remote partner lists.
- record push/pull settings and configured addresses.
- record server owner IDs and database versions.
- record network trace or WINS replication events.
- record recent rebuild, address, or topology changes.
Correlate it with the owning component’s operational log, the Windows System log, and any subsystem trace. Telemetry for this Win32 error should preserve native identifiers such as a path or file ID, handle generation, node or peer identity, policy ID, object version, offset and length, or transaction token. Retain decimal 4006, hexadecimal 0xFA6, and the producing API even when a localized message is also shown.
State boundary to prove
The decisive boundary for this Win32 error is whether the remote server is not configured as an allowed replication partner. Prove or disprove that proposition using local and remote partner lists together with push/pull settings and configured addresses. When observations for this Win32 error disagree, preserve both and inspect the transition between them instead of choosing the more convenient value.
A focused validation for this Win32 error should recreate the relevant part of this situation: a replacement WINS server uses a new IP address while peers retain the old partner entry. Updating both sides restores authorized replication. The negative case should keep the responsible condition unchanged and confirm error 4006; the recovery case should change only that condition and verify a successful result without an unrecorded side effect.
Handling, retry, and recovery
Add and validate the partner through supported WINS configuration only when the relationship is intended. Otherwise keep the rejection and investigate the unexpected replication source.
Retry it only after evidence shows a change in WINS replication partner policy. Initialization, asynchronous completion, recall, or service readiness can justify bounded backoff; malformed metadata, invalid identifiers, policy rejection, unsupported versions, and integrity failures require correction. Before repeating a write or configuration operation after it, query completion state explicitly.
What to log for support and telemetry
- log decimal 4006, hexadecimal
0xFA6, and the producing API. - log the target object and observed WINS replication partner policy state.
- log caller identity, process and thread IDs, machine or node identity, and UTC time.
- log attempt number, elapsed time, previous result, and any partial side effect.
- retain the first lower-level or component-specific error before Win32 translation.
Difference from nearby codes
This is a policy/configuration rejection, not a transient transport failure between already configured partners.
Practical example
A replacement WINS server uses a new IP address while peers retain the old partner entry. Updating both sides restores authorized replication.
Developer and administrator guidance
Code that handles it should keep its Win32 domain visible across exceptions, RPC responses, and JSON or REST wrappers. Administrators should verify the subsystem evidence before changing policy, deleting state, forcing failover, or replacing storage. Recovery is demonstrated only when a test observes 4006, changes the responsible condition, and confirms that the same operation succeeds without hidden data loss.
References
- Microsoft: System Error Codes (4000–5999) — reference for error 4006.
- Microsoft: Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) — reference for error 4006.
- Microsoft: WINS Management Protocol — reference for error 4006.
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