The Preferred DC Active Directory Provider namespace executes Active Directory operations so that they bind to a specified domain controller (DC). Each procedure in the Preferred DC Active Directory Provider namespace calls the corresponding procedure in the Active Directory Provider namespace. Each procedure of the Preferred DC Active Directory Provider namespace also includes a call to the Make Path Domain Controller Specific procedure, which passes the preferred domain controller as a parameter.
This namespace is useful when you must execute a transaction that performs multiple operations on an Active Directory object. Using a single preferred domain controller eliminates replication delays that arise between multiple controllers. It is also useful if a transaction provisions another service that uses Active Directory, and you know which domain controller it is most likely to use. For example, if the other service is Microsoft Exchange 2000 Enterprise Server and the Exchange server is in a particular Active Directory site, the domain controller for the Exchange server should be the preferred domain controller.
Preferred DC Active Directory Provider is a wrapper for procedures in Active Directory Provider, and is implemented as Program Files\Microsoft Provisioning\Providers\MPFADProv.dll
The XML schemas for requests are a combination of the elements in the Make Path Domain Controller Specific procedure and one of the Active Directory Provider namespace procedures referenced below.
The Preferred DC Active Directory Provider namespace implements the following procedures.
| Procedure | Description |
|---|---|
| Create Object | Creates an object of the specified schema class for the specified container. |
| Delete Object | Deletes the specified object. |
| Get DACL | Returns the discretionary access control list (DACL) for the specified object. |
| Get Properties | Returns one or more properties for an object. |
| Get SACL | Returns the system access control list (SACL) for the specified object. |
| Group Add | Adds an object to a group. |
| Group IsMember | Checks whether an object is part of the specified group. |
| Group Members | Returns the members of the specified group. |
| Group Remove | Removes an object from a group. |
| Move Object | Moves the specified object. |
| Rename Object | Renames the specified object. |
| Search | Performs a directory search. |
| Set Properties | Sets one or more properties for an object. |
| Update ACL | Updates access control lists (ACLs) for the specified object. |
| User Change Password | Changes user passwords. |
| User Groups | Lists the groups for a user. |
| User Set Password | Sets a user's initial password. |
The Microsoft Provisioning Framework Software Development Kit (SDK) contains additional resources to help you implement the Preferred DC Active Directory Provider namespace. For more information on the SDK and how to use it, see Microsoft Provisioning Framework SDK.