Unable to begin a distributed transaction

[Morten Haugen]

Having a SQL Server 2K (SP3a) with a link to another SQL Server 2K (no
service packs), distributed transactions works as expected most of the
time.
But occasionally the MSDTC(s) seems to fall in a state of failure,
causing the following error when involving distributed transactions:

"The operation could not be performed because the OLE DB provider
'SQLOLEDB' was unable to begin a distributed transaction.
[OLE/DB provider returned message: New transaction cannot enlist in
the specified transaction coordinator. ]
OLE DB error trace [OLE/DB Provider 'SQLOLEDB'
ITransactionJoin::JoinTransaction returned 0x8004d00a]."

The only way out of this state is to stop and start both of the SQL
Servers (stop/start of the DTC's doesn't help).

Is this a common problem?
Guess I will be recommended to install SP on the server without
service packs, but will this positively solve the problem described
above?

Could general network failures cause the error state described above,
and if so - is there a way to make the MSDTC's survive or recover from
the error situation automatically?

--
Morten Haugen