In this example we just want to search the users folder and list
the people accounts in that default container.
dsquery user cn=users,dc=YourDomain,dc=com
Learning Points
Note 1: The default users' folder is actually a container object called cn=users. My point is if you try ou=users, the command fails.
Note 2: I queried users, however dsquery requires the singular user, not userS. Other objects that you can query are computer (not computers!), group or even contact.
Challenge 1: Substitute OU=xyz for cn=users, where xyz is the name of your OU. Unfortunately, cn=users domainroot does not work.
Challenge 2: Substitute "computer" for "user".
Guy Recommends: SolarWinds' Free Bulk Import Tool
Import users from a spreadsheet. Just provide a list of the
users with their fields in the
top row, and save as .csv file. Then launch this FREE utility and match
your fields with AD's
attributes, click and import the users. Optionally, you can
provide the name of the OU where the new accounts will be born.
There are also two bonus tools in the free download, and all 3 have been approved by Microsoft:
This DSQuery example shows two ways to filter your output and so home in on what you are looking for. Let us pretend that we know the user's name but have no idea which OU they are to be found. Moreover,
we are not sure whether their name is spelt Smith, Smithy or Smithye.
dsquery user domainroot -name smith*
or:
dsquery user dc=YourDomain,dc=com -name smith*
or plain:
dsquery user smith*
Learning Points
Note 1: Remember to type the singular user.
Note 2: Probably no need to introduce *, you probably realize it's a wildcard.
Note 3: -name is but one of a family of filters. -desc or -disabled are others.
Guy Recommends: SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset v10
This Engineer's Toolset v10 provides a comprehensive console of utilities
for troubleshooting computer problems. Guy says it helps me
monitor what's occurring on the network, and each tool teaches me more about how the
underlying system operates.
The purpose of -o rdn is to reduce the output to just the relative distinguished name. In a nutshell rdn strips away the OU=, DC= part which you may not be interested in.
dsquery user -name smith* -o rdn
Learning Points
Note 1: o is the letter oh (not a number). In my minds eye o stands for output.
Note 2: There is a switch -o dn, but this is not a switch I use.
Summary - DSQuery User
Knowledge is power. The DS family in general and DSQuery
user in particular, provide handy commands for interrogating Active
Directory from the command line. Next try DSGet.
If you like this page then please share it with your friends
See more of the DS family of built-in Active Directory utilities
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is one of the hidden
treasures of Microsoft operating systems.
Fortunately, SolarWinds
have created the
Free WMI Monitor so that you can actually see and understand these gems of
performance information. Take the guess work out of which
WMI counters to use for applications like Microsoft Active Directory,
SQL or Exchange Server.
