Creating user in a specific OU in Active Directory using C#

Question

Many thanks to marc_s for the following code sample, from my previous issue Creating user in Active Directory with C# errors

public static string ldapPath = "LDAP://OU=Domain Users,DC=contoso,DC=com";
public static string CreateUserAccount(string userName, string userPassword)
{
    // set up domain context
    PrincipalContext ctx = new PrincipalContext(ContextType.Domain, "contoso.com",ldapPath);

    // create a user principal object
    UserPrincipal user = new UserPrincipal(ctx, userName, userPassword, true);

    // assign some properties to the user principal
    user.GivenName = "User";
    user.Surname = "One";

    // force the user to change password at next logon
    user.ExpirePasswordNow();

    // save the user to the directory
    user.Save();

    return user.SamAccountName;
}

Now I'm trying to get the user account into a specific OU. Keeping the ldapPath in the PrincipalContext errors

System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.PrincipalOperationException: Unknown error (0x80005000) ---> System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x80005000): Unknown error (0x80005000)
   at System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry.Bind(Boolean throwIfFail)
   at System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry.Bind()
   at System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry.get_SchemaEntry()
   at System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.ADStoreCtx.IsContainer(DirectoryEntry de)
   at System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.ADStoreCtx..ctor(DirectoryEntry ctxBase, Boolean ownCtxBase, String username, String password, ContextOptions options)
   at System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.PrincipalContext.CreateContextFromDirectoryEntry(DirectoryEntry entry)
   at System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.PrincipalContext.DoLDAPDirectoryInit()
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.PrincipalContext.DoLDAPDirectoryInit()
   at System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.PrincipalContext.DoDomainInit()
   at System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.PrincipalContext.Initialize()
   at System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.PrincipalContext.ContextForType(Type t)
   at System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.Principal.GetStoreCtxToUse()
   at System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.Principal.set_SamAccountName(String value)
   at System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.UserPrincipal..ctor(PrincipalContext context, String samAccountName, String password, Boolean enabled)
   at ADINtegrationTest.ActiveDirectory.CreateUserAccount(String userName, String userPassword) in D:\_data\ADINtegrationTest\ADINtegrationTest\ActiveDirectoryUtils.cs:line 20
   at ADINtegrationTest.Form1.Form1_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e) in D:\_data\ADINtegrationTest\ADINtegrationTest\Form1.cs:line 32

And if i remove the ldapPath, it works fine, but throws the user account into the Users OU. I also tried the ldapPath like LDAP://contoso.com/OU=Domain Users,DC=contoso,DC=com, which didn't work.

Answer 1

I think you have the LDAP path a bit wrong for your principal context constructor - if you check out the link to the MSDN article I gave you, you would see:

// create a context for a domain called Fabrikam pointed
// to the TechWriters OU and using default credentials
PrincipalContext domainContext = 
   new PrincipalContext(ContextType.Domain, "Fabrikam", "ou=TechWriters,dc=fabrikam,dc=com");

I'm also not sure if you can use the internet-style domain name contoso.com - try using the NetBIOS style CONTOSO instead. So in your case, you should try:

public static string ldapPath = "OU=Domain Users,DC=contoso,DC=com";

public static string CreateUserAccount(string userName, string userPassword)
{
     // set up domain context
     PrincipalContext ctx = 
         new PrincipalContext(ContextType.Domain, "CONTOSO", ldapPath);

    // create a user principal object
    .... (and the rest of your code as you had it)
}

Does that work for you??