diff --git a/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/EmbeddedLdapServer.java b/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/EmbeddedLdapServer.java
index 81e5a01c..4436125f 100644
--- a/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/EmbeddedLdapServer.java
+++ b/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/EmbeddedLdapServer.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import com.unboundid.ldap.listener.InMemoryDirectoryServerConfig;
 import com.unboundid.ldap.listener.InMemoryListenerConfig;
 import com.unboundid.ldap.sdk.DN;
 import com.unboundid.ldap.sdk.Entry;
+import com.unboundid.ldap.sdk.LDAPException;
 
 /**
  * Helper class for embedded Unboundid ldap server.
@@ -28,14 +29,17 @@ import com.unboundid.ldap.sdk.Entry;
  * @author Eddu Melendez
  * @since 2.1.0
  */
-public final class EmbeddedLdapServer {
+public final class EmbeddedLdapServer implements AutoCloseable {
 
-	private InMemoryDirectoryServer directoryServer;
+	private final InMemoryDirectoryServer directoryServer;
 
 	private EmbeddedLdapServer(InMemoryDirectoryServer directoryServer) {
 		this.directoryServer = directoryServer;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Creates and starts new embedded LDAP server.
+	 */
 	public static EmbeddedLdapServer newEmbeddedServer(String defaultPartitionName, String defaultPartitionSuffix,
 			int port) throws Exception {
 		InMemoryDirectoryServerConfig config = new InMemoryDirectoryServerConfig(defaultPartitionSuffix);
@@ -56,7 +60,36 @@ public final class EmbeddedLdapServer {
 		return new EmbeddedLdapServer(directoryServer);
 	}
 
-	public void shutdown() throws Exception {
+	/**
+	 * Starts the embedded LDAP server.
+	 *
+	 * @since 3.3
+	 */
+	public void start() {
+		try {
+			this.directoryServer.startListening();
+		}
+		catch (LDAPException ex) {
+			throw new RuntimeException(ex);
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Closes the embedded LDAP server and releases resource, closing existing
+	 * connections.
+	 *
+	 * @since 3.3
+	 */
+	@Override
+	public void close() {
+		this.directoryServer.shutDown(true);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @deprecated Use {@link #close()} instead.
+	 */
+	@Deprecated(since = "3.3")
+	public void shutdown() {
 		this.directoryServer.shutDown(true);
 	}
 
diff --git a/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/EmbeddedLdapServerFactoryBean.java b/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/EmbeddedLdapServerFactoryBean.java
index b5f24404..360a6867 100644
--- a/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/EmbeddedLdapServerFactoryBean.java
+++ b/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/EmbeddedLdapServerFactoryBean.java
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ public class EmbeddedLdapServerFactoryBean extends AbstractFactoryBean<EmbeddedL
 
 	@Override
 	protected void destroyInstance(EmbeddedLdapServer instance) throws Exception {
-		instance.shutdown();
+		instance.close();
 	}
 
 }
diff --git a/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/LdapTestUtils.java b/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/LdapTestUtils.java
index 1bfed95b..9ec82ed3 100644
--- a/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/LdapTestUtils.java
+++ b/test-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/LdapTestUtils.java
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ public final class LdapTestUtils {
 	 */
 	public static void shutdownEmbeddedServer() throws Exception {
 		if (embeddedServer != null) {
-			embeddedServer.shutdown();
+			embeddedServer.close();
 			embeddedServer = null;
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/test-support/src/test/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/EmbeddedLdapServerTest.java b/test-support/src/test/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/EmbeddedLdapServerTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d2a04f60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-support/src/test/java/org/springframework/ldap/test/unboundid/EmbeddedLdapServerTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package org.springframework.ldap.test.unboundid;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.net.ServerSocket;
+import java.net.Socket;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class EmbeddedLdapServerTest {
+
+	@Test
+	public void shouldStartAndCloseServer() throws Exception {
+		int port = getFreePort();
+		assertFalse(isPortOpen(port));
+
+		EmbeddedLdapServer server = EmbeddedLdapServer.newEmbeddedServer("jayway", "dc=jayway,dc=se", port);
+		assertTrue(isPortOpen(port));
+
+		server.close();
+		assertFalse(isPortOpen(port));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void shouldStartAndAutoCloseServer() throws Exception {
+		int port = getFreePort();
+		assertFalse(isPortOpen(port));
+
+		try (EmbeddedLdapServer ignored = EmbeddedLdapServer.newEmbeddedServer("jayway", "dc=jayway,dc=se", port)) {
+			assertTrue(isPortOpen(port));
+		}
+		assertFalse(isPortOpen(port));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void shouldStartAndCloseServerViaLdapTestUtils() throws Exception {
+		int port = getFreePort();
+		assertFalse(isPortOpen(port));
+
+		LdapTestUtils.startEmbeddedServer(port, "dc=jayway,dc=se", "jayway");
+		assertTrue(isPortOpen(port));
+
+		LdapTestUtils.shutdownEmbeddedServer();
+		assertFalse(isPortOpen(port));
+	}
+
+	static boolean isPortOpen(int port) {
+		try (Socket ignored = new Socket("localhost", port)) {
+			return true;
+		}
+		catch (IOException e) {
+			return false;
+		}
+	}
+
+	static int getFreePort() throws IOException {
+		try (ServerSocket serverSocket = new ServerSocket(0)) {
+			return serverSocket.getLocalPort();
+		}
+	}
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file