Managing Windows Environment – 2/11/2008
Tonight we started something that’s both incredibly useful and incredibly frustrating: command line maintenance of accounts. We worked with DSADD, DSQUERY and DSMOD commands which allow us to add, query and modify users and groups via the command line.
What’s useful about this?
Well, for one, the cool factor. How cool would it be to just type in some stuff and have your user show up in the directory, while all the other less-cool geeks are busy right clicking. Secondly, having command-line addition tools allows us the ability to add users via batch files. Using Notepad and some cut-n-paste, we can have a large number of similar users added in a fraction of the time it would take doing the “mouse” way inside Users and Computers.
The frustrating part is that the command line is just so freakin’ finnicky. And, it has to be — it can’t read our minds, after all. But once we figure out what the syntax is (and it only takes doing 5 or 6 or so) we can get really quick at firing out the code that makes our users.
And our less-savvy counterparts are still right-clicking.
WARNING!!!
Ladies, if you are reading this, there is a trick that men are using to get your phone number! Be forwarned! The trick is to approach a woman and offer to do a magic trick illusion that involves determining your age by simply performing math on your phone number. By participating in this, you have inadvertantly given the man your phone number! Don’t fall for this clever tactic!
Homework:
- Chapter 6: Review Questions 1-4
