Redirecting the users and computers containers in Active Directory domains

wellKnownObjects (11): 
	B:32:6227F0AF1FC2410D8E3BB10615BB5B0F:CN=NTDS Quotas,DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM;	 
	B:32:F4BE92A4C777485E878E9421D53087DB:CN=Microsoft,CN=Program Data,DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM; 
	B:32:09460C08AE1E4A4EA0F64AEE7DAA1E5A:CN=Program Data,DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM; 
	B:32:22B70C67D56E4EFB91E9300FCA3DC1AA:CN=ForeignSecurityPrincipals,DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM; 
	B:32:18E2EA80684F11D2B9AA00C04F79F805:CN=Deleted Objects,DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM; 
	B:32:2FBAC1870ADE11D297C400C04FD8D5CD:CN=Infrastructure,DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM; 
	B:32:AB8153B7768811D1ADED00C04FD8D5CD:CN=LostAndFound,DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM; 
	B:32:AB1D30F3768811D1ADED00C04FD8D5CD:CN=System,DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM; 
	B:32:A361B2FFFFD211D1AA4B00C04FD7D83A:OU=Domain Controllers,DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM; 
	B:32:AA312825768811D1ADED00C04FD8D5CD:CN=Computers,DC=CONTOSO,DC=COM;
	B:32:A9D1CA15768811D1ADED00C04FD8D5CD:CN=Users,DC=GPN,DC=COM; 

• Group policies can be applied on organizational unit containers but not on CN class containers, where security principals are put by default.
• The "best practice" is to arrange security principals into an organizational unit hierarchy that mirrors your organizational structure, geographic layout, or administration model.

• The target domain must be configured to run in the Windows Server 2003 domain functional level or higher. For the 2003 domain functional level, this means that:
  • Windows Server 2003 ADPREP /FORESTPREP or newer
  • Windows Server 2003 ADPREP /DOMAINPREP or newer
  • All domain controllers in the target domain must run Windows Server 2003 or newer.
  • Windows Server 2003 domain functional level or higher must be enabled.
• Unlike CN=USERS and CN=COMPUTERS, organizational unit containers are subject to accidental deletions by privileged user accounts, including administrators.
  
  CN=USERS and CN=COMPUTERS containers are system-protected objects that cannot, and must not, be removed for backward compatibility. However, they can be renamed. Organizational units, on the other hand, are subject to accidental tree deletions by administrators.
  
  Windows Server 2003 versions of the Active Directory Users & Computers snap-in can follow the steps in "Protect an Organizational Unit from Accidental Deletion (http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/ScriptCenter/en-us/c307540f-bd91-485f-b27e-995ae5cea1e2) ."
  
  Windows Server 2008 and newer versions of the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in feature a "Protect object against accidental deletion" check box that you can click to select when you create a new organizational unit container. You can also select this check box on the Object tab of the Properties dialog box for an existing organizational unit container.
  
  A scripted option is documented in "Script to Protect Organizational Units (OUs) from Accidental Deletion (http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/ScriptCenter/en-us/c307540f-bd91-485f-b27e-995ae5cea1e2) ."
• Exchange 2000 and 2003 setup /domainprep fails with errors. This issue is documented in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:
  • 260914  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260914/ ) Domainprep utility does not work if Exchange Enterprise Servers group and Exchange Domain Servers group moved to a new container
  • 818470  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/818470/ ) Exchange Server 2003 Setup returns error code 0x80072030 when you run setup.exe /domainprep

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Redirecting CN=Users to an administrator-specified organizational unit

1. Log on with domain administrator credentials in the z domain where the CN=Users container is being redirected.
2. Transition the domain to the Windows Server 2003 domain functional level or newer in either the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in (Dsa.msc) or the Domains and Trusts (Domains.msc) snap-in. For more information about increasing the domain functional level, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   322692  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322692/ ) How to raise domain and forest functional levels in Windows Server 2003
3. Create the organizational unit container where you want users who are created with earlier-version APIs to be located, if the organization unit container that you want does not already exist.
4. Run the Redirusr.exe file at the command prompt by using the following syntax, where container-dn is the distinguished name of the organizational unit that will become the default location for newly created user objects created by down-level APIs:
   c:\windows\system32\redirusr <DN path to alternate OU>
   Redirusr is installed in the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder on Windows Server 2003-based or newer computers. For example, to change the default location for users who are created with down-level APIs such as Net User to the OU=MYUsers OU container in the CONTOSO.COM domain, use the following syntax:
   c:\windows\system32>redirusr ou=myusers,DC=contoso,dc=com

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Redirecting CN=Computers to an administrator-specified organizational unit

1. Log on with Domain Administrator credentials in the domain where the CN=computers container is being redirected.
2. Transition the domain to the Windows Server 2003 domain in the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in (Dsa.msc) or in the Domains and Trusts (Domains.msc) snap-in. For more information about increasing the domain functional level, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   322692  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322692/ ) How to raise domain and forest functional levels in Windows Server 2003
3. Create the organizational unit container where you want computers that are created with earlier-version APIs to be located, if the desired organizational unit container does not already exist.
4. Run the Redircmp.exe file at a command prompt by using the following syntax, where container-dn is the distinguished name of the organizational unit that will become the default location for newly created computer objects that are created by down-level APIs:
   redircmp container-dn container-dn
   Redircmp.exe is installed in the %Systemroot%\System32 folder on Windows Server 2003-based or newer computers. For example, to change the default location for a computer that is created with earlier-version APIs such as Net User to the OU=mycomputers container in the CONTOSO.COM domain, use the following syntax:
   C:\windows\system32>redircmp ou=mycomputers,DC=contoso,dc=com
   Note When Redircmp.exe is run to redirect the CN=Computers container to an organizational unit that is specified by an administrator, the CN=Computers container will no longer be a protected object. This means that the Computers container can now be moved, deleted, or renamed. If you use ADSIEDIT to view attributes on the CN=Computers container, you will see that the systemflags attribute was changed from -1946157056 to 0. This is by design.

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Description of error messages

Error messages that you receive if the PDC is offline

Error messages that you receive if the domain functional level is not Windows Server 2003

Error messages that you receive if you log on without the required permissions

Error messages that you receive if you redirect to an organizational unit that does not exist

Error messages that you receive in Exchange 2000 "setup /domainprep" when CN=Users is redirected

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