Microsoft ADSIEdit

ADSIEdit is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that provides a low-level interface to the Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI) API. It allows administrators to view, edit, and manage objects in the Active Directory database.

Here are some examples of using ADSIEdit:

1. Viewing the properties of an object:

To view the properties of an object in the Active Directory database using ADSIEdit, you can follow these steps:

1. Open ADSIEdit by typing adsiedit.msc in the Run dialog or Start menu search box.
2. Navigate to the object you want to view in the left pane of the ADSIEdit console.
3. Right-click the object and select Properties.
4. The properties of the object will be displayed in the Properties dialog box.

For example, to view the properties of a user account named “jdoe” in the “contoso.com” domain, you would navigate to the following path in ADSIEdit:

CN=jdoe,CN=Users,DC=contoso,DC=com

2. Editing the properties of an object:

To edit the properties of an object in the Active Directory database using ADSIEdit, you can follow these steps:

1. Open ADSIEdit by typing adsiedit.msc in the Run dialog or Start menu search box.
2. Navigate to the object you want to edit in the left pane of the ADSIEdit console.
3. Right-click the object and select Properties.
4. In the Properties dialog box, edit the desired properties and click OK to save the changes.

For example, to change the email address of the “jdoe” user account in the “contoso.com” domain, you would navigate to the following path in ADSIEdit:

CN=jdoe,CN=Users,DC=contoso,DC=com

Then, in the Properties dialog box, you would locate the “mail” attribute and edit its value to the desired email address.

3. Creating a new object:

To create a new object in the Active Directory database using ADSIEdit, you can follow these steps:

1. Open ADSIEdit by typing adsiedit.msc in the Run dialog or Start menu search box.
2. Navigate to the container where you want to create the new object in the left pane of the ADSIEdit console.
3. Right-click the container and select New > Object.
4. Follow the prompts to specify the object type, name, and other attributes, and click Finish to create the object.

For example, to create a new user account named “jsmith” in the “contoso.com” domain, you would navigate to the following path in ADSIEdit:

CN=Users,DC=contoso,DC=com

Then, you would right-click the “Users” container and select New > Object, and follow the prompts to specify the object type as “user”, the name as “jsmith”, and other attributes such as the password and group memberships.

ADSIEdit is a powerful tool for managing objects in the Active Directory database, and can be used to view, edit, and create objects at a low level. However, it should be used with caution by experienced administrators, as incorrect use of ADSIEdit can lead to serious issues with the Active Directory database.