ONC-RPC uses a more complex method to allow a caller to reach the callee. On a host, server processes can run on different ports and given the limited number of port values (:math:`2^{16}` per host on the Internet), it is impossible to reserve one port number for each method. The solution used in ONC-RPC :rfc:`1831` is to use a special method which is called the `portmapper` :rfc:`1833`. The `portmapper` is a kind of directory that runs on a server that hosts methods. The `portmapper` runs on a standard port (`111` for ONC-RPC :rfc:`1833`). A server process that implements a method registers its method on the local `portmapper`. When a caller needs to call a method on a remote server, it first contacts the `portmapper` to obtain the port number of the server process which implements the method. The response from the portmapper allows it to directly contact the server process which implements the method.
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