How to connect to an active directory server? - asp.net

Question

I'm using below code for connecting to an active directory server and retrieving its users.
But my web server is not in sub domain. Can I connect to it?
Or I should include its Ip address or something else?
DirectoryEntry entry = new DirectoryEntry("LDAP://dps.com", "Raymond", "xxxxxxx");
DirectorySearcher mySearcher = new DirectorySearcher(entry);
mySearcher.Filter = ("(&(objectCategory=person)(objectClass=user))");
foreach (SearchResult result in mySearcher.FindAll())
{
ResultPropertyCollection myResultPropColl = result.Properties;
DataRow dr=reader.Tables[0].NewRow();
dr[0]=myResultPropColl["samaccountname"][0].ToString()+"#"+Domain;
reader.Tables[0].Rows.Add(dr);
Response.Write(myResultPropColl["samaccountname"][0].ToString());
}

Answer 1

If you're on .NET 3.5 and up, you should check out the System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement (S.DS.AM) namespace. Read all about it here:
Managing Directory Security Principals in the .NET Framework 3.5
Basically, you can define a domain context and easily find users and/or groups in AD:
// set up domain context - connects to the current default domain
PrincipalContext ctx = new PrincipalContext(ContextType.Domain);
// find user by name
UserPrincipal user = UserPrincipal.FindByIdentity("John Doe");
// find all users in your AD directory - set up a "query-by-example"
// template to search for; here: a UserPrincipal, which is not locked out
UserPrincipal userTemplate = new UserPrincipal(ctx);
userTemplate.IsAccountLockedOut = false;
// create a PrincipalSearcher, based on that search template
PrincipalSearcher searcher = new PrincipalSearcher(userTemplate);
// enumerate all users that this searcher finds
foreach(Principal foundPrincipal in searcher.FindAll())
{
UserPrincipal foundUser = (foundPrincipal as UserPrincipal);
// do something with the userTemplate
}
The new S.DS.AM makes it really easy to play around with users and groups in AD:
If you cannot upgrade to S.DS.AM, what you need to do is make sure to use a proper LDAP string to connect to your server. That string should be something like:
LDAP://servername/OU=Users,DC=YourCompany,DC=com
The servername is optional - you can also leave that out. But the LDAP string needs to be made up of at least one DC=xxxxx string, and possibly other LDAP segments.