What does HRESULT 0xC00E008D (MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS) mean?

MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS

Operational meaning

Applications should keep MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS attached to the exact MSMQ call that produced it. In this case the relevant subject is AD DS locator accepts only one sort key. A structurally valid multi-column sort set exceeds the directory-backed implementation’s capability.

MQLocateBegin searches public queues registered in the directory; it does not enumerate arbitrary private queues. When diagnosing this result, its restriction, projection, and sort structures are translated into a directory-backed query.

Public-queue discovery depends on both valid MSMQ query structures and AD DS behavior. A malformed MQSORTSET should be separated from LDAP bind, schema, replication, or permissions failures.

Where the condition occurs

Separate a malformed query structure from an AD DS availability error. Repeating the same invalid MQSORTSET or MQRESTRICTION against another domain controller will not repair it. The code-specific boundary is AD DS locator accepts only one sort key.

Evidence to preserve

• Mqrestriction, mqcolumns, and mqsortset as submitted.
• The ad ds mode and domain identity of the caller.
• The exact property used for filtering, projection, or ordering.

Handling and recovery

Select one server-side key and perform secondary ordering in the application.

Nearby failures

A directory query shape error is deterministic. Switching domain controllers cannot make an unsupported column, relation, or sort key valid. Code-specific condition: AD DS locator accepts only one sort key.

Worked example

A discovery service querying public queues encounters it. It captures the restriction/column/sort structures and validates the query before testing directory availability.

References

• Microsoft: Message Queuing error and information codes
• Microsoft: MQLocateBegin
• Microsoft Open Specifications: MSMQ and directory services
• IETF RFC 4511: LDAP protocol