The main reason for the move was that 1.) Kirby’s a bit loud in the storage room 2.) the cabinet that he’s sitting on is starting to wean itself from the wall, and 3.) we want to give the kids their own computer for some educational software. Kirby’s not much in power but it should be quite enough for them. It won’t be hooked up to the Internet so I’m not too worried about the security and wacky issues. Maybe later on, but not now. Once I get all of the data off or backed up, I can reformat and set it up for them.

Otherwise, the web site’s up and running again, hopefully faster and a little more reliable. Alas to Kirby, though. He’s in for some remodeling.

I searched and searched. I did find articles but the wording, bad grammar, and confusing posts made it a tad difficult to understand at first. I asked a co-worker who actually had wrote a site that interacted with Active Directory. Thank you, Matt, for getting me started on this. The example code he gave me was very helpful and I found it was easier than I thought. I tried it out and was overjoyed. There. I can search AD and grab the account name with no problem! But… What about the other properties I need for this project? What are their names? I scoured the Interweb in search for an answer to my plea: Where’s a list of all of the properties that I can access? No luck at all. All of my searches ended with the same old articles. The fact turned out to be that all Directories are going to be different according to the infrastructure’s needs. Slap myself. Duh. Well then, back to the old coding board with me.

Using System.DirectoryServices;  // Don't forget this at the top

private static String GetADInfo(String user)
{
   String output = "";
   // Fill in with your own LDAP domain path
   DirectorySearcher searcher = new DirectorySearcher(new DirectoryEntry(”LDAP://DC=“);
   searcher.Filter = “(&(anr=” + user + “) (objectCategory=Person))”;
   SearchResult result = searcher.FindOne();

   try
   {
      if (result != null)
      {
         foreach (string key in result.Properties.PropertyNames)
         {
            foreach (object propValue in result.Properties[key])
            {
               output += key + ” = ” + propValue + ““;
            }
         }
      }
      else
      {
         output = “User ”" + user + “” does not exist in AD.”;
      }
   }
   catch (Exception e)
   {
      Response.Write(e.Message);
   }

   return output;
}

Assign that function to a text field on the page and it will output every single property AD will allow you to retrieve for a user account. With all seven pages of results printed out, I was able to find the properties I needed to stick into:

searcher.PropertiesToLoad.AddRange(new String[] { "property1", "property2" });

Sometimes you can’t find everything on the Internet and you have to figure it out yourself. This project is looking good so far and I hope it works out. At least I learned something. Useful links for future reference:

• Querying AD with .Net [codeproject.com]
• Using System.DirectoryServices to search AD [msdn.microsoft.com]

Song List

1. “White & Nerdy” – 2:52 (Parody of “Ridin’” by Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone)
2. “Pancreas” – 3:50
3. “Canadian Idiot” – 2:25 (Parody of “American Idiot” by Green Day)
4. “I’ll Sue Ya” – 3:53
5. “Polkarama!” – 4:19
   A polka medley including the following songs:
   • “The Chicken Dance” by Werner Thomas
   • “Let’s Get It Started” by The Black Eyed Peas
   • “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand
   • “Beverly Hills” by Weezer
   • “Speed Of Sound” by Coldplay
   • “Float On” by Modest Mouse
   • “Feel Good Inc.” by Gorillaz
   • “Don’t Cha” by The Pussycat Dolls
   • “Somebody Told Me” by The Killers
   • “Slither” by Velvet Revolver
   • “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent
   • “Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg
   • “Pon de Replay” by Rihanna
   • “Gold Digger” by Kanye West
6. “Virus Alert” – 3:48
7. “Confessions Part III” – 3:54 (Parody of “Confessions Part II” by Usher)
8. “Weasel Stomping Day” – 1:36
9. “Close But No Cigar” – 3:57
10. “Do I Creep You Out” – 2:48 (Parody of “Do I Make You Proud” by Taylor Hicks)
11. “Trapped in the Drive Thru” – 10:53 (Parody of “Trapped in the Closet” by R. Kelly & Contains sample of “Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin
12. “Don’t Download This Song” – 3:54

• How to talk like a pirate.
• Translator for ye lazy swabs!
• Pirate stuff for the little minnows!

Aye! And you can also view this very site using a piratey filter! Arrr!!