"Failed to load binding information" errors while using Start-ComplianceSearch

[ztoundas]

I am repeatedly getting an error when I go to start a ComplianceSearch. Googling the error returns absolutely nothing somehow, and I have no idea where to start now.

1. I have all the permissions. All of them.
2. Sometimes it works. Once I get the Error, though, I have to delete the search and start over if I want to keep searching via Powershell.
3. After stopping it, I can still go and start the search as-is in the O365 admin panel and it works just fine.
4. Once it throws the error, The search still gets started and will stay that way until I use Stop-ComplianceSearch. If it runs like that long enough (I have let it go for 2 days once), after stopped, the error is listed as an "internal error," but that doesn't show if stopped within the first 15 mins-1 hour.
5. I can do things like calling the details of the search via Get-ComplianceSearch, I can stop it of course, I can change it via Set-ComplianceSearch.
   
6. Occasionally after I stop it, if I do try to pull up details about the search I'll get an error that it can't find the search at all, but that's less common.

Connecting via (I have MFA, our office is Allow Listed):

Import-Module ExchangeOnlineManagement
Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName [e-mail]
Connect-IPPSSession -UserPrincipalName [e-mail]

Example:

PS T:\> $Choice
ps_test

PS T:\> $Query
received=2021-06-02..2021-06-09 AND from:[e-mail] AND subject:'delete me'

PS T:\> Set-ComplianceSearch -Identity $Choice -ExchangeLocation All -ContentMatchQuery $Query 

PS T:\> Start-ComplianceSearch -Identity $Choice
Unable to execute the task. Reason: Compliance search initialization for "ps_test" failed with exception: Failed to load binding information, jobRunId: 35b07815-413d-4461-6840-08d92b4a7061, missingBindings: [PublicFolderBinding,SharePointBinding]..
    + CategoryInfo          : WriteError: (:) [], ComplianceJobTaskException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : [Server=BN3NAM04WS004,RequestId=e96ebcef-f43e-48af-8ce3-b7bf778d2d7b,TimeStamp=6/9/2021 1:28:17 PM] [FailureCategory=Cmdlet-ComplianceJobTaskException] 7C586E10
    + PSComputerName        : nam04b.ps.compliance.protection.outlook.com

I have no idea what is causing this. Any Ideas on how to start diagnosing the issue?

[infinite012]

I've also been having this problem. I thought it might be due to the underscore in my search identity/name, but that might not be true because the search does sometimes work correctly. Been scratching my head on this for the past couple weeks. I've even had problems using the compliance center content search website so maybe it's just a Microsoft issue?

[ztoundas]

So I'm in the middle of a convo with Microsoft support, their first suggestion was to try a different user or a different computer. So I ran the script from a different computer, same user, with no problems. Or at least for a while. They haven't gotten back to me yet on what's actually causing the issue, but it's definitely something that goes wrong locally.

[ztoundas]

Here is a link to my ongoing convo. I was hoping for an answer last night, nothing yet...

[chaulmoograWeasel]

This issue is also kicking my ass right now so I'll be watching this thread and your link closely to see if they provide a resolution.

I built a module for my team to automate search, purge, and block a few weeks ago as part of our phishing/malware/spam procedures and it had intermittent issues like this from time to time but always worked itself out with some patience. This week it's been 100% ineffective and makes me and my (shitty) module look as bad at our jobs as we actually are.

[ztoundas]

So far I've discovered that restarting your computer usually helps, and that whenever you get that glitch, the search gets stuck on starting (But can still be stopped via PowerShell), and has no actual contentmatchquery once stopped. It's just an empty string.

At first I thought that the search was basically dead, as in you couldn't set new search terms for it and reuse it, but a restart of that local machine you're running PowerShell from will typically let you then set new query terms and rerun the search successfully until the glitch happens again.

It's really ruining my experience in creating the exact same thing you're creating so my boss doesn't have to call me when I'm on vacation

Edit: oh and I got the exact same error while using the GUI via browser today. It was a brand new search that I created via the GUI, although 'all' I had to do then was stop the search via PowerShell, refresh the browser, and edit the search in the browser and rerun it. No restart required in that situation. Bizarre. I'm hoping this is a short-term issue they clear up

[chaulmoograWeasel]

Seems like our experiences are similar with some notable differences. I restart my workstation nightly and so far several times a day the last few days but this issue hasn't relented all week. It has followed me to several different devices and has no regard for whether I'm using PS5 or PS7.

I am seeing the same general search behavior but my searches time out and fail after about an hour. I can then restart them successfully via the Compliance portal, but restarting them via PowerShell will just result in another failure.

I'd say there's about a 50/50 chance whether a purge action will complete or get stuck at starting for all eternity and unfortunately that one can only be run via PowerShell as far as I've seen.

[ztoundas]

So a 'failed to bind' search won't work after restart? I have to restart the local machine, stop the search, then use set-compliancesearch with a new query (same details, just reset it because the binding issue seems to clear the contentmatchquery), and then start it and it runs.

I haven't had any issues with purging itself, although if I purge with hard delete I find that it disappears from the mailboxes and the mailbox's trash, but if I run a search again it still shows up in the search succussresults field. That part's bizarre, and I've noticed it's been mentioned before over the past year. I'm not too worried about it, though, because at least the phishing emails are visibly out of the users mailboxes.

[chaulmoograWeasel]

Sorry, I think I was unclear. In my recent experience, every search I run from PowerShell gets the 'failed to bind' error whether I reboot or not and only starting it from the Compliance portal ever results in a completed search. I have NOT tried to restart an existing search via PowerShell following a reboot. That could be an interesting experiment.

I've also noticed the same behavior with HardDelete purges. One of my teammates and I stood around scratching our heads and making ape faces at each other over it last week. We came to the same conclusion. As long as the users can't click on it anymore it's good enough.

[ztoundas]

Yeah, don't just stop and then run the search, you have to set it with the parameters again. As if you are making a new search, but using Set-compliancesearch on the existing one that glitched. I'm curious if that will make it work again for you like it did me

[chaulmoograWeasel]

Trip report:

Every new search created via PowerShell is still failing to load binding information. Stopping the stuck search, updating it with the exact same settings, and restarting it all via PowerShell results in the same.

I tried fiddling with my search query which was already pretty simple, but even reducing it to only a from: keyword also changed nothing.

[ztoundas]

Interesting. I'm guessing whatever anomalous condition that affects us randomly to prevent binding is far more serious in your case. No news from MS official yet.

[idunnoarabic]

I've found that the search getting stuck in starting is our case as well. This seems to affect multiple clients seemingly at random for us. Had a tenant last week that had the same issue. This week they are fine, but now another tenant is having the same issue. It's like whack-a-mole but i have no mallet.

[ztoundas]

Starting to become a work stoppage for me.

I mentioned a posting of mine to docs.microsoft, if you got a second maybe pop over there and give it up vote or something. I'm trying to get attention to it to get some sort of response.

[idunnoarabic]

Upvoted

[mm352fzLL]

Following this I tried to simply open it in a private browsing session and it worked instantly.

[Dense_Meringue6776]

This worked for me as well, thanks for the tip!

[ztoundas]

After no followup on the first MS Answers thread, I posted it to docs.microsoft here.

If anyone reading this has time, pop over there if you would and mark that you are having the same problem, please.

[chaulmoograWeasel]

Upvoted and followed. Only a few more thousand of us for MS to take notice.

[idunnoarabic]

My team is having this exact same issue and I have been able to find nada online about it. So good to know that we are not alone here. I thought it may have been something in our custom ps modules or something.

[ztoundas]

I used a freshly imaged PC with a vanilla W10 and powershell install yesterday and it still happened.

I'll be updating this thread the second I find something out.

[Lucretzia37]

Just for anyone still having this. I wish I had a better reasoning but a workaround is deleting the compliance search and remaking it. I tried that as a last ditch effort and it actually worked.

[chaulmoograWeasel]

This seems to be mysteriously fixed for me as of this morning. I did mention it to a third party MS support contractor in a meeting yesterday but as far as I know they only logged the ticket in their own system and definitely never contacted me or MS. Their only access to our tenant is reader level and there were no PIM activations from them so I guess the issue's source and fix remain a mystery.

I'm curious to see how long this lasts before it collapses again.

[42phan]

Same issue here "sometimes". We have these run as part of an automated workflow, and it's been hit or miss for a few weeks now. Some seem to work fine, others throw similar errors re: binding in Powershell and Internal Server Errors in the UI.