¿Qué causa DPM configuration failed error ID 4081?

Error 4081 occurs when the DPM server cannot communicate with the remote SQL Server instance during installation. Common causes include Windows Firewall blocking the required ports, SQL Server services running under built-in accounts instead of domain accounts, and missing remote management firewall rules.

Can I use a local SQL Server instead of a remote one for DPM?

Yes. DPM 2012 R2 supports both local and remote SQL Server instances. Using a local instance avoids many of the firewall and remote communication issues. However, for enterprise deployments, a remote SQL Server is often preferred for performance and management reasons.

Do I need to keep Windows Firewall disabled after DPM installation?

No. You should re-enable Windows Firewall after installation and configure the specific firewall rules that DPM requires. Leaving the firewall disabled is a security risk. The required rules include remote virtual machine management, SQL Server port exceptions, and DCOM/WMI rules.

Resolve: DPM 2012 R2 Installation Error - DPM Configuration Failed (ID: 4081)

When installing System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2012 R2 with a remote SQL Server instance, you may encounter the error “DPM configuration failed (ID: 4081).” This error indicates that the DPM setup process cannot communicate with or properly configure the remote SQL Server. This guide covers the prerequisites, root causes, and step-by-step solutions.

Understanding the Error

Error ID 4081 occurs during the DPM configuration phase of installation, after the binaries have been copied to the server. At this stage, DPM attempts to:

Connect to the remote SQL Server instance.
Create the DPM database (DPMDB).
Configure SQL Server Agent jobs.
Verify that required services are running and accessible.

If any of these steps fail due to connectivity, permissions, or configuration issues, the installation reports error 4081.

Requisitos Previos for DPM 2012 R2

Before attempting installation, verify that all prerequisites are met:

DPM Server Requisitos

Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2
.NET Framework 4.0 or later
Windows single instance store (SIS) feature (for deduplication)
At least 4 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended)
PowerShell 3.0 or later

SQL Server Requisitos

SQL Server 2012 SP1 or SQL Server 2014 (Standard or Enterprise)
SQL Server Reporting Services installed and configured
SQL Server Agent service running
TCP/IP protocol enabled in SQL Server Configuración Manager
Named Pipes protocol enabled
SQL Server Browser service running (if using named instances)

.NET Framework

DPM 2012 R2 requires .NET Framework 4.0 at minimum. If you have .NET 4.5 or later installed, that satisfies the requirement. Verify the installed version:

# Check installed .NET Framework version
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full" |
    Select-Object Version, Release

Solución 1: Configure SQL Server Service Accounts

One of the most common causes of error 4081 is SQL Server services running under built-in local accounts (such as Local System, Local Service, or Network Service). DPM requires SQL Server services to run under domain credentials or at minimum local machine credentials.

Pasos to Change SQL Server Service Accounts

Open SQL Server Configuración Manager on the SQL Server machine.
Select SQL Server Services in the left pane.
Right-click SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER) (or your named instance) and select Properties.
Go to the Log On tab.
Change the account to a domain service account (for example, DOMAIN\svc_sql).
Click Apply and restart the service when prompted.
Repeat for SQL Server Agent and SQL Server Reporting Services.

If you do not want to permanently use domain accounts, you can temporarily set them for the installation and revert to local machine accounts afterward.

Solución 2: Enable Windows Firewall Rules

Error 4081 frequently results from Windows Firewall blocking the communication between the DPM server and the remote SQL Server. The DPM server uses WMI, DCOM, and SQL Server ports to query and configure the remote SQL Server.

Enable Remote Management Firewall Rule

Windows includes a predefined firewall rule group for remote management:

# On the SQL Server machine, enable remote management rules
Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)"
Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Event Log Management"
Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Service Management"

Alternatively, in the Windows Firewall GUI:

Open Windows Firewall with Advanced Seguridad on the SQL Server.
Click Inbound Rules.
Find and enable Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) rules.
Enable the Remote Event Log Management rules.
Enable the Remote Service Management rules.

Open SQL Server Ports

Ensure the SQL Server port (default TCP 1433) is open:

# Create a firewall rule for SQL Server
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "SQL Server" -Direction Inbound `
    -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 1433 -Action Allow

# If using a named instance, also allow SQL Server Browser
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "SQL Server Browser" -Direction Inbound `
    -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 1434 -Action Allow

Temporary Firewall Disable for Pruebas

To verify that the firewall is the issue, you can temporarily disable it:

# Temporarily disable firewall (re-enable after testing)
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled False

If the installation succeeds with the firewall disabled, re-enable it and configure the specific rules listed above:

# Re-enable firewall
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled True

Solución 3: Verify DCOM Configuración

DPM uses DCOM to communicate with the remote SQL Server. Verify that DCOM is properly configured:

On the SQL Server machine, open Component Services (dcomcnfg).
Navigate to Component Services > Computers > My Computer.
Right-click My Computer and select Properties.
On the Default Properties tab, verify that Enable Distributed COM on this computer is checked.
On the COM Seguridad tab, verify that appropriate access and launch permissions are configured.

Solución 4: Ensure Required Services Are Running

Several Windows services must be running on the SQL Server machine for DPM configuration to succeed:

# Check and start required services
$services = @(
    'RemoteRegistry',
    'Winmgmt',
    'RpcSs',
    'MSSQLSERVER',      # or your named instance
    'SQLSERVERAGENT',
    'SQLBrowser'
)

foreach ($svc in $services) {
    $service = Get-Service -Name $svc -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($service) {
        if ($service.Status -ne 'Running') {
            Start-Service -Name $svc
            Write-Host "$svc started"
        } else {
            Write-Host "$svc is already running"
        }
    }
}

Set services that need to start automatically:

Set-Service RemoteRegistry -StartupType Automatic
Set-Service SQLBrowser -StartupType Automatic

Solución 5: Check DPM Instalación Logs

If the error persists, examine the DPM setup logs for specific failure details:

Setup log location: C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012 R2\DPM\DPMSetup\Logs\
Key log files: DpmSetup.log, DpmSetup_*.errlog

Look for entries near the timestamp of the failure. Common error patterns include:

“Unable to connect to SQL Server” - Connectivity or authentication issue
“Access denied” - Permissions issue with the service account
“RPC server is unavailable” - DCOM or firewall blocking

Solución 6: Reinstall After Failure

If a previous installation attempt failed partway through, clean up before retrying:

Uninstall DPM from Programs and Features if the entry exists.
Remove the DPM database from SQL Server if it was partially created:

USE master;
GO
IF EXISTS (SELECT name FROM sys.databases WHERE name = 'DPMDB')
BEGIN
    ALTER DATABASE DPMDB SET SINGLE_USER WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE;
    DROP DATABASE DPMDB;
END
GO

Delete the DPM installation directory if remnants exist.
Reboot the DPM server.
Retry the installation.

Resumen

DPM 2012 R2 error 4081 during installation is a connectivity and configuration issue between the DPM server and the remote SQL Server. The primary solutions are to configure SQL Server services to run under domain accounts, enable Windows Firewall rules for WMI, DCOM, and SQL Server ports, ensure required services like Remote Registry and SQL Browser are running, and verify DCOM is enabled. Always check the DPM setup logs for specific error details, and ensure all prerequisites including .NET Framework version and SQL Server configuration are met before starting the installation.