Trying to create a new Active Directory user, Invoke("SetPassword",pwd) throws "The RPC server is unavailable"

Question

I'm trying to create a new user on my development active directory server using .NET System.DirectoryServices namespace.

I try using the following code:

DirectoryEntry dirEntry = new DirectoryEntry(path, "TESTDOM\\Administrator", "2109password", AuthenticationTypes.Secure | AuthenticationTypes.ServerBind);

object o = dirEntry.NativeObject;
DirectoryEntry newUser = dirEntry.Children.Add("CN=NewUser4", "user");
newUser.Properties["samAccountName"].Value = "NewUser4";
newUser.Properties["Description"].Add("User Description");

newUser.Invoke("SetPassword",  new object[] {"2109password"} );
newUser.CommitChanges();

I also tried committing using

newUser.CommitChanges();

before I call the Invoke to set the password. I always get a TargetInvocationException wrapping:

InnerException {"The RPC server is unavailable. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800706BA)"} System.Exception {System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException}

The exception is always only thrown when I call

newUser.Invoke("SetPassword",  new object[] {"2109password"} );

If I call newUser.CommitChanges() before I try to call Invoke with SetPassword, the new user is created on the domain. I can then go manually to the AD machine and set the same password with no problems (so it's not a problem with the password string being against the rules). I've notice many post online about this but found no solution.

I think it might have something to do with the fact that the machine running the code is not a member in the domain. Although the user TESTDOM\Administrator is a member of the: administrators, domain admins, schema admin and enterprise admins groups on the TESTDOM domain.

Notice that I can't use System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement namespace as I'm working with .NET 2 Any ideas on what can I do to solve this? I am desperate

Answer 1

You are right that you need to create the account first and then call SetPassword. You can try to use Invoke SetInfo instead of CommitChanges and then SetPassword.

If that doesn't work as well my guess is that you are not setting a required property such as displayName.