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Active Directory: Joining a Workstation

Windows

Prior to joining a workstation to the domain you must create a workstation account in your Organizational Unit (OU). Using a domain account that is a member of your OU Admin group, launch "Active Directory Users and Computers" and perform the following steps:

  1. Navigate to your OU and right-click on it.

  2. Click on New. Click Computer.

  3. Enter the NetBIOS name of the workstation in the "Computer name" field.

  4. (Optional) Click Change to add the user who will be joining the domain.

  5. Click Next.

  6. Click Next. Click Finish.

  7. Allow about 15 minutes for changes to replicate to all domain controllers.

Joining a Windows Workstation

The workstation's NetBIOS name must be the same as the machine account created in the above steps prior to following these instructions.

  1. Log into the workstation with the local administrator username and password. Click Start.

  2. Right-click Computer. Select Properties.

  3. Under the "Computer Name, domain" section, click Change Settings.

  4. Click Change. Select Domain.

  5. Enter uark.edu in the Domain field. Click OK.

  6. Enter the UARK email address and password for a domain account that is a member of your OU Admins group. Click OK.

  7. When the "Welcome to the uark.edu domain" message appears, click OK.

  8. When the Restart message appears, click OK. Click Yes.

  9. When the computer restarts, log in with the local adminstrator username and password.

  10. Add the appropriate domain users to the appropriate local groups as desired.

Mac OS X

If you are an OU admin, pre-create your computer name(s) in the appropriate group. If you are not the OU admin, request that the admin create the necessary computer name(s) in your OU.

Configuring Active Directory Services (v10.5.8)

  1. Log in locally with an administrator username and password.

  2. Click Go, Utilities, Directory Utility.

  3. A window may open and offer to connect to a server. Click Cancel.

  4. Click the Services icon. If you are unable to see the Services icon at the top of the Directory Utility window, click Show Advanced Settings.

  5. Check the "Active Directory plug-in" box. Click Apply.

  6. Double-click the Active Directory plug-in to open. Enter the following information:
    Active Directory Forest: -Automatic-
    Active Directory Domain: uark.edu
    Computer ID: "enter pre-created computer name"

  7. Click the arrow to Show Advanced Options.

  8. Under the User Experience tab, check the "Create mobile account at login" box.

  9. Click the Bind button.

If at any time you are prompted by the Directory Utility for a username and password, supply the local administrator's username and password. If you have permissions to join machines and you are prompted for the Network Administrator's password, enter your UARK username and password. When asked to join an existing account, click OK.

After your computer is bound to Active Directory, set login options:

  1. Click System Preferences, Accounts.

  2. Click Login Options.

  3. Set Automatic login to Disabled.

  4. Set "Display Login Window" as Name and password.

  5. Restart the computer and log in using an Active Directory network account (UARK username and password).

Last Reviewed:

Comments

01/31/2011
10:48 am

OS 10.6 - if you have difficulty logging in try preceding the UARK username with the domain, e.g. gacl/UARKusername, followed by the network password.

Jacob London

08/22/2011
9:54 am

Any idea how to join active directory using OS X Lion (10.7.1)?

Jacob London

08/22/2011
4:00 pm

There may be an easier way, but this is how I was able to connect to Active Directory using Mac OS X Lion 10.7.1

  1. Log in locally with administrator username and password.
  2. Click the Apple Icon and open System Preferences
  3. Click the "Users & Groups" icon =====Users & Groups=====
  4. unlock the lock icon in the lower left corner to allow changes (Authentication required)
  5. Click the "Login Options" Home icon below the user list on the left.
  6. Set "Automatic Login" to Off.
  7. The "Display login window as:" option should be set to "Name and password"
  8. Next to "Network Account Server:" at the bottom, click "Join…"
  9. Leave the Server field empty and click "Open Directory Utility…" ===== Directory Utility Window=====
  10. Select "Active Directory" and click the pencil to edit. Use the following settings. ⁃ Active Directory Forrest: - Automatic - (default) ⁃ Active Directory Domain: UARK.EDU ⁃ Computer ID: Your computer name as listed in the active directory
  11. Click "Bind…" Login using your UARK username / password and click OK.
  12. Click OK when it asks you to join existing account.
  13. Click "Show Advanced Options" at the bottom and make sure the "Create mobile accounts at login" box is checked. Click "OK"
  14. At the top, select "Search Policy"
  15. Inside the Authentication tab you should see two paths listed under the "Directory Domains" header. (if upgrading from a previous version of OS X you may have more than two) ⁃ /Local/Default ⁃ /Active Directory/UARK/All Domains
  16. Click the "+" to add another.
  17. You should see "/Active Directory/UARK" as an option. Select and click Add
  18. Rearrange the directory domains by selecting and dragging to this order: ⁃ /Local/Default ⁃ /Active Directory/UARK ⁃ /Active Directory/UARK/All Domains
  19. Click Apply
  20. Restart and login using your UARK username and password.