XFOR: Event ID 115 When Configuring More than One Virtual Server on Same IP Address

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This article was previously published under Q256132

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SYMPTOMS

After you install additional virtual servers for the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3), or Internet Message Access Protocol Version 4rev1 (IMAP4) services in Exchange 2000 Server or Microsoft Commercial Internet System, the virtual servers that you added do not start. You may receive the following message:

The service did not respond to the start of control request in a timely fashion.

One of the following error messages may be logged in the application event log:

Event ID: 115
Event Type: Error
Event Source: POP3SVC
Description:
The service could not bind instance 1. The data is the error code. For additional information specific to this message please visit the Microsoft Online Support site located at: http://search.support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1.

Event ID: 115
Event Type: Error
Event Source: IMAP4SVC
Description:
The service could not bind instance 1. The data is the error code. For additional information specific to this message please visit the Microsoft Online Support site located at: http://search.support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1.

Event ID: 115
Event Type: Error
Event Source: SMTPSVC
Description:
The service could not bind instance 1. The data is the error code. For additional information specific to this message please visit the Microsoft Online Support site located at: http://search.support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1.

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CAUSE

This issue can occur because the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of utilities, which includes the SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 protocols, requires a unique socket for each instance. A TCP/IP socket is composed of an Internet Protocol (IP) address and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port pair. To generate a unique socket, either the TCP port or IP address of each instance must be unique to the given virtual server.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue:

Provide a unique IP address for each virtual server. To do this, either add multiple network interface cards, each with a unique IP address, or add multiple IP addresses to a single network interface card.
Configure the virtual server to use a specific IP address, rather than using the "all unassigned" setting:
1. Start the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) for the Microsoft Internet Information Service (IIS), or the Microsoft Exchange 2000 System Manager.
2. Select the virtual server and open the properties of the server.
3. Click the General tab, and select a specific IP address in the IP address box.

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MORE INFORMATION

It is impractical to change the ports for these services under normal usage. These ports are defined in various Request for Comments (RFCs) for these services. Any change to these ports will have a negative effect on the interoperability of Exchange 2000 and Microsoft Commercial Internet System with other Internet standards-based applications.

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