Active Directory - Get group members

Declaration

<AMACTIVEDIRECTORY ACTIVITY="get_group_members" 
AUTHTYPE="text (options)" 
USERNAME="text" 
PASSWORD="text (encrypted)" 
GROUP="text" RESULTDATASET="text" />

Description: Retrieves all members of a specific Active Directory Group and populates a dataset with the results.

IMPORTANT: Active Directory activities require a basic understanding of Active Directory and related components (e.g., Domain Controllers, Trust Relationships, Forests, LDAPs, etc.). Also, to ensure that these activities function appropriately, the target system must be part of a domain.

Practical Usage

Allows an administrator to retrieve information about all members of a particular Active Directory group. Along with a Loop Dataset activity, subsequent Active Directory activities can be performed to rename, modify or delete one or more members.

Group Parameters

Property Type Required Default Markup Description
Parent path

Text

Yes

(Empty)

LDAPPATH=

"LDAP://DC=netauto,DC=com"

The LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) path of the parent Active Directory container. This is usually the top most container or rootDSE path, the root of the directory data tree on a directory server. Click the Select Container button to launch a standard Windows Active Directory dialog box that allows for the selection an Active Directory container.

Populate dataset with group members

Text

Yes

(Empty)

RESULTDATASET="myDataset"

The name of the dataset in which to populate the members of the chosen Active Directory group. More details regarding the fields that this dataset creates is entered below under Datasets.

Credentials Parameters

Property

Type

Required

Default

Markup

Description

Authentication type

Text (options)

No

Default

AUTHTYPE="Encryption"

Specifies the types of authentication used. The available options are:

  • Default - Use default authentication type.

  • None - Equates to zero, which means to use basic authentication (simple bind) in the LDAP provider.

  • Secure - Requests secure authentication. When this flag is set, the WinNT provider uses NTLM to authenticate the client.

  • Encryption - Attaches a cryptographic signature to the message that both identifies the sender and ensures that the message has not been modified in transit.

  • SecureSocketLayer - Attaches a cryptographic signature to the message that both identifies the sender and ensures that the message has not been modified in transit.

  • ReadonlyServer - For a WinNT provider, ADSI tries to connect to a domain controller. For Active Directory Domain Services, this flag indicates that a writable server is not required for a serverless binding.

  • Anonymous - No authentication is performed.

  • FastBind - Specifies that ADSI will not attempt to query the Active Directory Domain Services objectClass property. Therefore, only the base interfaces that are supported by all ADSI objects will be exposed. Other interfaces that the object supports will not be available.

  • Signing - Verifies data integrity to ensure that the data received is the same as the data sent. The Secure flag must also be set to use signing.

  • Sealing - Encrypts data using Kerberos. The Secure flag must also be set to use sealing.

  • Delegation - Enables Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI) to delegate the user's security context, which is necessary for moving objects across domains.

  • ServerBind - If your ADsPath includes a server name, specify this flag when using the LDAP provider. Do not use this flag for paths that include a domain name or for serverless paths. Specifying a server name without also specifying this flag results in unnecessary network traffic.

Username

Text

No

(Empty)

USERNAME="username"

The username context that this activity will execute under. Leave the Username and Password parameters blank in order to use the logon user's credentials.

NOTE:  A Domain User has permission to access Active Directory information. However, only a Domain Administrator has permission to perform Active Directory modifications.

Password

Text

No

(Empty)

PASSWORD="password"

The password associated to the Username context that this activity will execute under. Leave the Username and Password parameters blank to use the logon user's credentials.

Datasets

A dataset is a multiple column, multiple row container object. This action creates and populates a dataset with the following fields (assuming the dataset name entered was theDataset):

Name

Type

Return Value

theDataset.MemberName

Text

Returns  the Active Directory group member's username.

theDataset.LDAPPath

Text

Returns the Active Directory group member's LDAP path.

Example

The sample AML code below can be copied and pasted directly into the Steps panel of the Task Builder.

Description: Get Members of Active Directory Group "LDAP://OU=TestCases,DC=mycompany,DC=com" and populate Dataset "theGroupMembers".

<AMGETGROUPMEMBERS GROUP="LDAP://OU=TestCases,
DC=mycompany,DC=com" 
RESULTDATASET="theGroupMembers" 
USERNAME="userName" 
PASSWORD="AM2PBnogx3fFdk=aME" />