Problem solved; it was the hash we were using to access ldap. Another issue was solved by modifying the library path in the startup script. And yet another turned out to be a proxy misconfiguration.
It is, of course, difficult to acheive self-awareness given the pervasive day to day distractions. So enjoy 'The Meaning of Life' while you can. We go back to work tomorrow.
Work is never done. Trivial as it may be. Discern any patterns?

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