if ( rs->sr_err == LDAP_UNAVAILABLE && nretries != META_RETRY_NEVER ) {
                                ldap_pvt_thread_mutex_lock( &mi->mi_conn_mutex );
                                if ( mc->mc_refcnt == 1 ) {
-                                       ldap_unbind_ext_s( msc->msc_ld, NULL, NULL );
-                                       msc->msc_ld = NULL;
+                                       meta_clear_one_candidate( msc );
                                        LDAP_BACK_CONN_ISBOUND_CLEAR( msc );
 
                                        ( void )rewrite_session_delete( mt->mt_rwmap.rwm_rw, op->o_conn );
                                }
 
                                if ( mc->mc_refcnt == 1 ) {
-                                       ldap_unbind_ext_s( msc->msc_ld, NULL, NULL );
-                                       msc->msc_ld = NULL;
+                                       meta_clear_one_candidate( msc );
                                        LDAP_BACK_CONN_ISBOUND_CLEAR( msc );
 
                                        ( void )rewrite_session_delete( mt->mt_rwmap.rwm_rw, op->o_conn );
 
        metasingleconn_t        *msc )
 {
        if ( msc->msc_ld ) {
-               ldap_unbind_ext_s( msc->msc_ld, NULL, NULL );
+               ldap_unbind_ext( msc->msc_ld, NULL, NULL );
                msc->msc_ld = NULL;
        }
 
        if ( !BER_BVISNULL( &msc->msc_bound_ndn ) ) {
-               ber_memfree( msc->msc_bound_ndn.bv_val );
+               ber_memfree_x( msc->msc_bound_ndn.bv_val, NULL );
                BER_BVZERO( &msc->msc_bound_ndn );
        }
 
        if ( !BER_BVISNULL( &msc->msc_cred ) ) {
                memset( msc->msc_cred.bv_val, 0, msc->msc_cred.bv_len );
-               ber_memfree( msc->msc_cred.bv_val );
+               ber_memfree_x( msc->msc_cred.bv_val, NULL );
                BER_BVZERO( &msc->msc_cred );
        }
 
 
                        goto retry_lock;
                }
 
-               ldap_unbind_ext_s( msc->msc_ld, NULL, NULL );
-               msc->msc_ld = NULL;
+               meta_clear_one_candidate( msc );
                LDAP_BACK_CONN_ISBOUND_CLEAR( msc );
 
                ( void )rewrite_session_delete( mt->mt_rwmap.rwm_rw, op->o_conn );
 
        ntargets = mc->mc_conns[ 0 ].msc_info->mi_ntargets;
 
        for ( i = 0; i < ntargets; i++ ) {
-               metasingleconn_t        *msc = &mc->mc_conns[ i ];
-
-               if ( msc->msc_ld != NULL ) {
-                       ldap_unbind_ext_s( msc->msc_ld, NULL, NULL );
-               }
-
-               if ( !BER_BVISNULL( &msc->msc_bound_ndn ) ) {
-                       ber_memfree( msc->msc_bound_ndn.bv_val );
-               }
-
-               if ( !BER_BVISNULL( &msc->msc_cred ) ) {
-                       /* destroy sensitive data */
-                       memset( msc->msc_cred.bv_val, 0, msc->msc_cred.bv_len );
-                       ber_memfree( msc->msc_cred.bv_val );
-               }
+               (void)meta_clear_one_candidate( &mc->mc_conns[ i ] );
        }
 
        ldap_pvt_thread_mutex_destroy( &mc->mc_mutex );
                 * Destroy the per-target stuff (assuming there's at
                 * least one ...)
                 */
-               for ( i = 0; i < mi->mi_ntargets; i++ ) {
-                       target_free( &mi->mi_targets[ i ] );
-               }
+               if ( mi->mi_targets != NULL ) {
+                       for ( i = 0; i < mi->mi_ntargets; i++ ) {
+                               target_free( &mi->mi_targets[ i ] );
+                       }
 
-               free( mi->mi_targets );
+                       free( mi->mi_targets );
+               }
 
                ldap_pvt_thread_mutex_lock( &mi->mi_cache.mutex );
                if ( mi->mi_cache.tree ) {
 
                conn->c_connid, 0, 0 );
        
        mc_curr.mc_conn = conn;
+       mc_curr.mc_local_ndn = conn->c_ndn;
        
        ldap_pvt_thread_mutex_lock( &mi->mi_conn_mutex );
        mc = avl_delete( &mi->mi_conntree, ( caddr_t )&mc_curr,
                
                assert( mc->mc_refcnt == 0 );
 
-               for ( i = 0; i < mi->mi_ntargets; ++i ) {
-                       if ( mc->mc_conns[ i ].msc_ld != NULL ) {
-                               meta_clear_one_candidate( &mc->mc_conns[ i ] );
-                       }
-               }
-
                meta_back_conn_free( mc );
        }