XADM: Event ID: 8024 Directory Returned the LDAP Error:[0x51] Server Down (258181)

SYMPTOMS

When you look at the event viewer, you may see the following errors:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: MSExchangeAL
Event Category: (5)
Event ID: 8024
Date: 3/13/2000
Time: 11:39:32 PM
User: N/A
Computer: Computername
Description: LDAP Search Initial Page on directory your.domain.here.com at base
'CN=Configuration,DC=Org,DC=Site,DC=com' with filter
'(&(USNChanged>=28829)((objectclass=*)))' was unsuccessful. Directory
returned the LDAP error:[0x51] Server Down.

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The errors accumulate very rapidly, and the Microsoft Exchange services may become unstable.

You can successfully stop the Microsoft Exchange services, however, you cannot restart the services without restarting the server. When you try to start the system attendant, you may receive an error message that states that dependency services failed to start.

CAUSE

Exchange 2000 attempts to use the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) when it performs Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) searches. If the server on which Active Directory is located does not respond or cannot be reached by means of the FQDN, the LDAP query will not work.

To verify that the server is available, use the FQDN to ping the server mentioned in the "Description" section of the error from the Exchange 2000 server. The request may return a "Host Not Found" error.

RESOLUTION

Domain Name Service (DNS) is not properly configured to resolve the FQDN. The FQDN must be resolved for Exchange 2000 to properly modify Active Directory and connect to other domain controllers.