What does Windows error code 8256 (ERROR_DS_NOT_SUPPORTED) mean?

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: The directory server does not support the LDAP method, control, or operation requested by the client.

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ERROR_DS_PARAM_ERROR	ERROR_DS_NO_RESULTS_RETURNED

ERROR_DS_NOT_SUPPORTED

ERROR_DS_NOT_SUPPORTED (0x00002040) is an Active Directory Domain Services LDAP result. The directory server does not support the LDAP method, control, or operation requested by the client.

Record the LDAP operation, extension, and control set used by the client and compare them with RootDSE capabilities on the actual domain controller. Provide a compatible code path instead of assuming all AD DS versions support the same feature.

What to check

Check the RootDSE capabilities and the target server version before using optional LDAP features.
Verify that the request is sent to AD DS rather than an endpoint with different LDAP feature support.
Use a supported alternative rather than assuming the server will ignore an unsupported request.

Useful command

Get-ADRootDSE -Server "<dc-fqdn>" | Select-Object supportedControl,supportedExtension,supportedLDAPVersion

Microsoft: AD DS LDAP operations · Microsoft: LDAP ETW tracing · Microsoft: AD DS diagnostic logging

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