Cannot Start MMS As Either a Service or a Console Application (262898)

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to start Microsoft Metadirectory Services (MMS) as a console application, the \zoomserv\bin\viaserver.initLog may display the following error message:

Module cHASHWILDDB's initialize function raised exception ACCESS_VIOLATION at address 0x4533c0;
Call stack:
0x004533c0 - <unknown>
0x00000100 - <unknown>
0x004528e0 - <unknown>
0x00000018
Module cHASHWILDDB failed to initialize

When you attempt to start MMS as a service, the following error message may be displayed on the console:

Could not start the ZOOMIT Server service on \\mymachinename
Error 2140: An internal Windows NT error occurred.

CAUSE

This behavior can be caused by a variety of issues. One confirmed cause of this behavior is the absence of one or more files (including the Hashcfg file) in the \zoomserv\data\config directory.

RESOLUTION

The Hashcfg file is a text file that defines some of the operating parameters of the hash and hashwild databases. It can be retrieved from any comparable installation of MMS 2.1 and edited to match the necessary configuration (regarding hash size, bucket size, hashwild features like ON or OFF, and so on). It is recommended, however, that the original be restored from the most recent backup.