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Server Not Found in Kerberos Database: 4 Ways to Fix It

Follow these quick tricks to fix server not found in Kerberos database

4 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

If you are suddenly encountering the server not found in Kerberos database error, you should not worry. You are not only the person encountering this problem. Right now, Kerberos is the default authorization technology used by Microsoft Windows. But you also may see its usage on macOS, UNIX, Linux, etc.

Usually, any problems or exceptions with this technology happen mostly due to some things that need to be corrected. If you are interested, learn about thebrowsers that support Kerberos Authentication.

What causes the server not found in the Kerberos database?

When you face any problem with Kerberos authorization and get the error message we have been talking about, it may be due to the following reasons:

What can I do if the server is not found in the Kerberos database?

Before trying the actual methods, we suggest you do the following things:

After ensuring the above things, follow these methods one by one to solve the server not found in the Kerberos database.

1. Add correct PowerShell hosts

In this example, we have used vRO, a tool for VMware. If it is not available for you, you can find relevant options or use some specific commands to add the PowerShell hosts.

2. Use the correct DNS

If you need to correct the values on the host file, you must have administrative rights. This method is helpful if you face the server not found in Kerberos database error when joining the client to a domain.

If necessary, learnhow to edit the Hosts file.

3. Set the correct service principal name

An example can be:setspn -a host/something.com someuser

After setting the correct service principal name, you can try again. You should no longer encounter errors like server not found in Kerberos database (7) – unknown_server or similar problems.

4. Generate mapping in the correct way

Make sure to replace the username and the realm name. For example, the command can be like this:

ksetup /mapuser[email protected]

This command will generate Keytab and the mapping. It helps to troubleshoot the server not found in the Kerberos database on Windows, Linux for SQL servers, or other services.

The problem we are trying to troubleshoot is not like many other problems. The solutions may vary depending on the services and situations. For example, you may get the server not found in Kerberos database error while using Kerberos authentication to connect to an SQL server or using SSSD, etc.

So, if the suggestions mentioned above don’t solve it, we suggest you contact the relevant technical support team. It will ensure you get the best solution based on your situation.

In addition, to the above solutions, you can try tocorrect your time and zone settingsto see if it helps.

This article has covered the most working methods to fix the server not found Kerberos database. If you have any other methods, you can let us know in the comment box.

Server Not Found in Kerberos Database: 4 Ways to Fix It#

What causes the server not found in the Kerberos database?#

What can I do if the server is not found in the Kerberos database?#

1. Add correct PowerShell hosts#

2. Use the correct DNS#

3. Set the correct service principal name#

4. Generate mapping in the correct way#