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Active Directory VBScript not returning role correctly

In our test lab AD, we have three computers, two of them show "Machine Role" in the AD Find box as "Workstation or Server" and the other has role "Domain Controller". I wanted to extract this information into VB, but when I query machineRole it returns nothing in that field.

Heres the script

SET con = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
With con
.Provider = "ADsDSOObject"
.Properties("User ID") = "RESTRICTED\Administrator"
.Properties("Password") = inputbox("enter admin pwd")
.Properties("Encrypt Password") = True
.Open "ADs Provider"
End With
Set adoRecordset = CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")
SQLText = " select Name, canonicalName, distinguishedName, operatingSystem, operatingSystemVersion, OperatingSystemServicePack, OperatingSystemHotfix, dnsHostName, Location, Description, UserAccountControl, whenCreated, whenChanged, machineRole, userAccountControl"

SQLText = SQLText & " FROM 'LDAP://SERVERNAME/DC=RESTRICTED,DC=MYDOMAIN,DC=NET' "
SQLText = SQLText & " WHERE objectClass='Computer' "
adoRecordset.Open SQLText, con

Now adoRecordset.Fields("machineRole").value returns null. I wondered if it was an array so I ran it with cscript using .net 2005 debugger and although it may be an array it has no elements. I have checked this on every record.

Is there a different way of retrieving machineRole - or is it another field ?

thanks

mdiglio

Hello,

add this code to what you posted and it will return what you want

'5 represents domain controller fsmo holder and 4 represents backup domain controller
'Since you only have 1 DC in your test environment you won't need the 4 part

Do While Not adoRecordset.EOF
strComputer = adoRecordset.Fields("name")
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colItems = objWMIService.ExecQuery("Select domainRole from Win32_ComputerSystem", , 48)
For Each objItem In colItems
If objItem.DomainRole = 5 Or objItem.DomainRole = 4 Then
MsgBox "Domain Controller"
Else
MsgBox "Workstation Or Server"
End If
Next

Loop

mdiglio

I know that wasn't a very efficient solution but I'm not sure what is wrong with that attribute.
As a test, not a solution, you might want to try changing the attribute so it is replicated to the GC and/or indexed

Open Active Directory SChema
start > run > mmc > add/remove snap-in > look for 'Active Directory SChema'

Under attributes look for machineRole and change it so it is replicated to the Global Catalog and/or it is indexed
Honestly, I can't see why that would work because I can query other attributes that aren't relpicated/indexed,
but since this is a test environment, and if you feel comfortable doing so, you might as well give it a shot.

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Shakti109

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plq

ASKER

I think the correct name is machineRole - it errors if you give a field name that doesnt exist. And machine-role does raise an error.

In the AD Schema snap in, machineRole is there, Machine-Role is its display name/description. I added it to global catalog but script output is still the same

Perhaps there's some kind of bug in the ads provider. I haven't actually proved to myself that the Machine-Role or machineRole field actually contains the value - I've just seen "Machine Role" as a column header in search results and that was populated. Is there a way of inspecting all AD attributes using the MMC or other tools ?

thanks

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

mdiglio

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plq

ASKER

I dont see any way forward with this. I will park it for now and update here if I find out a way of getting that data back.