To verify the functionality of an Active-Directory (AD) authentication service, a monitor must do more than just check for network connectivity. It needs to interact with the service using its native protocol, which is LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol). The Citrix ADC LDAP monitor is specifically designed for this purpose. By configuring parameters such as the Base DN (search base), Bind DN (service account for authentication), Password, and a Filter to search for a specific object, the monitor can perform a full logon and query sequence. A successful response validates that the AD service is not only running but is also processing authentication and directory lookup requests correctly.

B. A ping monitor only verifies Layer 3 (ICMP) network reachability. It cannot confirm if the Active Directory service itself is running or accepting authentication requests.

C. A MYSQL-ECV monitor is designed specifically for checking the health of MySQL database servers, not Active Directory domain controllers. The listed parameters are for LDAP, not MySQL.

D. A TCP monitor only confirms that a TCP port (e.g., 389 for LDAP) is open and listening. It does not send any LDAP-specific commands to validate the authentication service's functionality.

1. Citrix ADC Documentation - Monitors: The official documentation details the different types of monitors. The LDAP monitor is described as the appropriate tool for checking LDAP servers

including Active Directory. It lists the parameters mentioned in the correct answer.

Source: Citrix Product Documentation

"Monitors".

Reference: In the "Built-in Monitors" section

the description for the LDAP monitor states it sends an LDAP query to the server to check its health. The configurable parameters include Base DN

Bind DN

Filter

and Attribute.

2. Citrix ADC Documentation - Load Balancing LDAP: This guide explains how to load balance LDAP services and explicitly recommends using an LDAP monitor for health checks.

Source: Citrix Product Documentation

"Load balancing LDAP servers".

Reference: The section on "Configure a monitor to check the health of the LDAP servers" details the steps to create an LDAP monitor

specifying the use of Base DN

Bind DN

and Password to perform an authenticated check.

3. Citrix ADC Command Reference - add lb monitor: The command-line reference for creating monitors confirms the parameters available for an LDAP monitor.

Source: Citrix ADC 13.1 Command Reference

add lb monitor.

Reference: For type LDAP

the reference lists parameters such as -ldapBaseDN

-ldapBindDN

-ldapBindPassword

-ldapSearchFilter

and -ldapAttribute

which directly correspond to the components of the correct answer.