Reporting Services 2016 503 error on attempting to fix authentication

  • I have just installed a clean SSRS 2016 Express (and SQL 2016 Express) on a new laptop running Windows 10.

    The laptop is a stand-alone server. The database, report server, application clients (that interact with the database) and browser (that views reports) are all on the same laptop run under the same user account.

    Initially, the reports were working. However, there was just one small problem. The first time that reports were brought up (using the reportserver_sqlexpress link), the user name and password (of the ONLY account involved in any of this) was requested. I wanted to get that to go away.

    I found this link:

    https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc281253.aspx

    I altered the rsreportserver.config as noted. I tried the first combination, and after that, all of the rest of them, because it didn't work. As soon as I altered the config file, the reports returned a 503 Service Unavailable error. I've tried several different combinations of stuff in the Authentication section (from all over the web), numerous restarts, etc. Nothing works. It's all 503. If I use reports_sqlexpress, I can browse the reports (after entering the user name and password, of course), but any attempt to display a report results in a 503 error.

    I really wish I could "take it back" and live with the password request. But putting it "back" doesn't work either.

    Google gives me a ton of results for custom authentication (not using that) and SSRS 2008 (not using that either). None of the search results have been helpful.

    There are unsophisticated users who need to run these reports this weekend (this computer belongs to a non-profit). Please help me put this back together. I don't have the first idea where to start, and I have about three hours to fix it before I have to give it back (working, presumably).

  • Does anyone have any ideas on this? I don't know where to start with this kind of problem. Everything looks correct, except that reporting services returns 503 error every time. What should I be looking at?

  • Did you save a copy of the reportserver.config before changing it? You should be able to revert to an old copy of the config file, restart the reporting services service and functionality should go back to the way it was.

    As for your scenario, I am not sure it will ever work like you expect it to. The article you are linking to is talking about setting up Windows Integrated Security. That is more for a domain-based environment where you can setup Kerberos authentication. Since I believe you stated your clients were accessing a stand-alone laptop locally they will always be accessing the URL via NTLM, so you will always get the username/password prompt.

    When you try accessing a report and get the 503 error now what do the SSRS logs show? There could be a hint to your current errors there.

    Joie Andrew
    "Since 1982"

  • I did restore the config file, but it didn't help. I tried several methods to turn on error logging via the http service and iis. None of those worked (error logs didn't show up in the designated locations). There is nothing in the event log. I changed service accounts for SSRS several times. I deleted the web sites, added them back, several times. I made various recommended edits to the reports config, then undid them when nothing changed.

    Overall, about 10 hours spent, nothing has changed. I don't know what's wrong and I don't know how to fix it. Various people online have fixed their 503 errors with wildly varying solutions, indicating that several underlying conditions cause this. Without knowing what this one is, I don't have any idea how to proceed.

    My mext step is to start uninstalling stuff and reinstalling. This increases my risk of "breaking more stuff" but I don't see any alternative now.

  • When I say the SSRS logs I mean the logs that are natively a part of SSRS. By default they would be located here:

    C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSRS13.MSSQLSERVER\Reporting Services\LogFiles

    Reporting Services Log Files and Sources

    https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms157403.aspx

    You should not have to do anything with IIS; SSRS has not used normal IIS since 2008 R2. The Windows Event Logs will not help much here either. Most things with SSRS get written to the SSRS log files.

    Joie Andrew
    "Since 1982"

  • Did you restore report server's databases from another server and point your laptop's SSRS to them (via RSCM or rsconfig)? If so, you need to export the Encryption Key from the source and import it into your laptop's SSRS.

  • SoHelpMeCodd (7/25/2016)


    Did you restore report server's databases from another server and point your laptop's SSRS to them (via RSCM or rsconfig)? If so, you need to export the Encryption Key from the source and import it into your laptop's SSRS.

    I installed a new report server, copied the Visual Studio solution, and deployed data source and reports to the new server from Visual Studio. This was working before I changed authentication.

    I can see the list of reports and the data source via the web site: localhost\reports_sqlexpress. So it must be connecting to the database to see these. But when I try to display a report, I get the 503 error. For the reportserver_sqlexpress link, all I get is 503. I am able to preview the reports in Visual Studio, but I don't want the users to have to be in VS to run the reports and risk them altering the report definitions. But we may have to be content with that.

  • Joie Andrew (7/24/2016)


    When I say the SSRS logs I mean the logs that are natively a part of SSRS. By default they would be located here:

    C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSRS13.MSSQLSERVER\Reporting Services\LogFiles

    Reporting Services Log Files and Sources

    https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms157403.aspx

    You should not have to do anything with IIS; SSRS has not used normal IIS since 2008 R2. The Windows Event Logs will not help much here either. Most things with SSRS get written to the SSRS log files.

    Thanks, I will look into this the next time I have access to the laptop.

  • I know that you stated that you are on Express Edition, but I wonder if this is your issue:

    "HTTP 503: Service unavailable" error when you open the SSRS web portal after you upgrade to SSRS 2016

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3171040

    There is a fix for this in SQL Server 2016 RTM CU1. This should be applicable for Express Edition as well.

    Cumulative Update #1 for SQL Server 2016 RTM

    https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/sqlreleaseservices/cumulative-update-1-for-sql-server-2016-rtm/[/url]

    Joie Andrew
    "Since 1982"

  • I believe that I discovered the original issue. I was using instructions for configuring authentication that only applied to SSRS 2008, not R2 and later versions (this is 2016). I did not supply values for the RSWindowsExtendedProtectionLevel and RSWindowsExtendedProtectionScenario attributes. Those values needed to be Off and Proxy, respectively. I believe that was my only original problem.

    However, during my frantic troubleshooting and numerous attempts to fix SSRS, I broke more things. The report server no longer has encryption keys. I need to re-initialize it. I can't find sensible instructions online on how to do this.

    There is nothing inside this SSRS that I need to keep. I can easily re-deploy everything to it. But it wants encryption keys that it no longer has. I deleted them (multiple times) because several help sites suggested this would fix the previous error. I don't have a backup for them (I didn't realize this was necessary). I restored the ReportServer database to a backup I took from when it was working, but that didn't change its behavior. I attempted to re-deploy, but it wants the encryption keys first. I can connect to it in SSMS, but anything other than simple connection wants the encryption keys. In Reporting Services Configuration Manager, only the buttons to Restore and Delete the encryption keys are enabled. Both of those are useless to me.

    How do I wipe out this SSRS and make it generate new encryption keys?

  • It's working!!

    I decided to delete the encryption keys AGAIN because I've changed the service account so many times already...

    After doing that, I could at least connect to the report server and see the data source. I replaced the connection string and my reports are FINALLY working again.

    I will now back up those encryption keys.

    This has just been such a nightmare and I'm glad it's over.

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