Howard Wilkinson wrote:

These are messages from sasl.  I believe you can ignore them, I don't think they have anything to do with the problem.

What can I do to recover the database so that I can start the server?

What messages do you get in the directory server error log?

    Fedora-Directory/1.1.1 B2008.151.1915
    bastion.finsbury.cohtech.co.uk:636 (/etc/dirsrv/slapd-bastion)

[04/Aug/2008:10:40:15 +0100] - Fedora-Directory/1.1.1 B2008.151.1915 starting up
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:15 +0100] - Detected Disorderly Shutdown last time Directory Server was running, recovering database.
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:17 +0100] - libdb: file userRoot/id2entry.db4 has LSN 518/7178886, past end of log at 1/4431
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:17 +0100] - libdb: Commonly caused by moving a database from one database environment
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:17 +0100] - libdb: to another without clearing the database LSNs, or by removing all of
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:17 +0100] - libdb: the log files from a database environment
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:17 +0100] - libdb: /var/lib/dirsrv/slapd-bastion/db/userRoot/id2entry.db4: unexpected file type or format
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:17 +0100] - dbp->open("userRoot/id2entry.db4") failed: Invalid argument (22)
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:17 +0100] - dblayer_instance_start fail: Invalid argument (22)
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: file NetscapeRoot/id2entry.db4 has LSN 210/949652, past end of log at 1/6026
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: Commonly caused by moving a database from one database environment
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: to another without clearing the database LSNs, or by removing all of
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: the log files from a database environment
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: /var/lib/dirsrv/slapd-bastion/db/NetscapeRoot/id2entry.db4: unexpected file type or format
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - dbp->open("NetscapeRoot/id2entry.db4") failed: Invalid argument (22)
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - dblayer_instance_start fail: Invalid argument (22)
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: file cohtechNet/id2entry.db4 has LSN 400/7475236, past end of log at 1/6478
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: Commonly caused by moving a database from one database environment
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: to another without clearing the database LSNs, or by removing all of
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: the log files from a database environment
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: /var/lib/dirsrv/slapd-bastion/db/cohtechNet/id2entry.db4: unexpected file type or format
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - dbp->open("cohtechNet/id2entry.db4") failed: Invalid argument (22)
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - dblayer_instance_start fail: Invalid argument (22)
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: file cohtechCom/id2entry.db4 has LSN 198/9190421, past end of log at 1/6478
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: Commonly caused by moving a database from one database environment
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: to another without clearing the database LSNs, or by removing all of
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: the log files from a database environment
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - libdb: /var/lib/dirsrv/slapd-bastion/db/cohtechCom/id2entry.db4: unexpected file type or format
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - dbp->open("cohtechCom/id2entry.db4") failed: Invalid argument (22)
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - dblayer_instance_start fail: Invalid argument (22)
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING---no write permission to file /var/lib/dirsrv/slapd-bastion/db/cohCoUk/log.0000000001
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - start: Failed to start databases, err=22 Invalid argument
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - Failed to allocate 10000000 byte dbcache.  Please reduce nsslapd-cache-autosize and Restart the server.
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - Failed to start database plugin ldbm database
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance willertonCohtechNet already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance viaFonCohtechNet already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance userRoot already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance towerbridgeCohtechNet already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance time2joininCohtechNet already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance sudaminltdCom already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance stokieCohtechCoUk already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance seamsysCom already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance palmPrintsCom already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance orbItNet already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance orbItCom already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance orbCoUk already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance NetscapeRoot already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance finsburyCohtechCoUk already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance conceptsIntCohtechNet already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance cohtechOrg already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance cohtechNet already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance cohtechCom already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance coherentTechnologyOrg already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance coherentTechnologyNet already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance coherentTechnologyCoUk already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance coherentTechnologyCom already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance coherentLocal already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - WARNING: ldbm instance cohCoUk already exists
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] binder-based resource limits - nsLookThroughLimit: parameter error (slapi_reslimit_register() already registered)
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - start: Resource limit registration failed
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - Failed to start database plugin ldbm database
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - Error: Failed to resolve plugin dependencies
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - Error: accesscontrol plugin ACL Plugin is not started
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - Error: preoperation plugin ACL preoperation is not started
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - Error: object plugin Class of Service is not started
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - Error: preoperation plugin HTTP Client is not started
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - Error: database plugin ldbm database is not started
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:18 +0100] - Error: object plugin Legacy Replication Plugin is not started
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:19 +0100] - Error: object plugin Multimaster Replication Plugin is not started
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:19 +0100] - Error: object plugin Roles Plugin is not started
[04/Aug/2008:10:40:19 +0100] - Error: object plugin Views is not started