PowerEdge: DFSR Error 4004 code 9003 on Windows server

Summary: This article details the steps for recovering from DFSR error 4004 if the error description includes code 9003: "The replication group is invalid." Other codes are not addressed here.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Symptoms

  • Distributed File System replication (DFSR) is failing.
  • The DFS Replication event log shows error 4004, with error code 9003, "The replication group is invalid," in the description. There are other possible error codes for this event. This article may not be applicable to anything but error code 9003.

Cause

This issue can be caused by incorrect information in the DFSR database.

Resolution

The issue can be resolved by deleting the DFSR database and allowing the system to rebuild it. To do this, perform the following steps on the affected server:

  1. Stop the DFS Replication service.
  2. Locate the DFSR database, which should be in the X:\System Volume Information\DFSR\database_<string> folder. (Replace X: With the letter of the volume where the DFSR content is stored.)
    • By default, only the SYSTEM account has access to the System Volume Information folder. It is necessary to modify the permissions on this folder in order to gain access, and it may also be necessary to take ownership of the folder.
  3. Copy the folder to a safe location, in case something goes wrong.
  4. Delete everything in the folder. It is not necessary to delete the folder itself.
    • Even with Full Control permissions on this folder, you may receive an "Access denied" error when attempting to delete its contents. If this occurs, you can likely delete the files from an elevated command prompt.
  5. Start the DFS Replication service. A new database is automatically created, and this should resolve the issue.

Affected Products

Microsoft Windows Server 2016, Microsoft Windows Server 2019, Microsoft Windows Server 2022, Microsoft Windows 2012 Server, Microsoft Windows 2012 Server R2, OEMR R240, OEMR R250, OEMR R260, OEMR R340, OEMR R350, OEMR R360, OEMR R440, OEMR R450 , OEMR R540, OEMR R550, OEMR R640, OEMR R6415, OEMR R650, OEMR R6515, OEMR R6525, OEMR R660, OEMR R6615, OEMR R6625, OEMR R740, OEMR XL R740, OEMR R740xd, OEMR XL R740xd, OEMR R740xd2, OEMR R7415, OEMR R7425, OEMR R750, OEMR R7515, OEMR R7525, OEMR R760, OEMR R760XD2, OEMR R7615, OEMR R7625, OEMR R840, OEMR R860, OEMR R940, OEMR R940xa, OEMR R960, OEMR XR5610, PowerEdge R240, PowerEdge R250, PowerEdge R340, PowerEdge R350, PowerEdge R360, PowerEdge R440, PowerEdge R450, PowerEdge R540, PowerEdge R550, PowerEdge R640, PowerEdge R6415, PowerEdge R650, PowerEdge R6515, PowerEdge R6525, PowerEdge R660, PowerEdge R6615, PowerEdge R6625, PowerEdge R740, PowerEdge R740XD, PowerEdge R740XD2, PowerEdge R7415, PowerEdge R7425, PowerEdge R750, PowerEdge R7515, PowerEdge R7525, PowerEdge R840, PowerEdge R860, PowerEdge R940, PowerEdge R940xa, PowerEdge R960, PowerEdge XR5610, PowerEdge XR8620t ...
Article Properties
Article Number: 000201706
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 02 Sept 2025
Version:  4
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