JoinDomainOrWorkgroup method of the Win32_ComputerSystem class

Article
03/01/2022

The JoinDomainOrWorkgroup method joins a computer system to a domain or workgroup.

This topic uses Managed Object Format (MOF) syntax. For more information about using this method, see Calling a Method.

Syntax

uint32 JoinDomainOrWorkgroup(
  [in] string Name,
  [in] string Password,
  [in] string UserName,
  [in] string AccountOU,
  [in] uint32 FJoinOptions = 
);

Parameters

Name [in]

Specifies the domain or workgroup to join. Cannot be NULL.

Password [in]

If the UserName parameter specifies an account name, the Password parameter must point to the password to use when connecting to the domain controller. Otherwise, this parameter must be NULL.

UserName [in]

Pointer to a constant null-terminated character string that specifies the account name to use when connecting to the domain controller. Must specify a domain NetBIOS name and user account, for example, Domain\user. If this parameter is NULL, the caller information is used.

You can also use the user principal name (UPPED) in the form user@domain.

AccountOU [in]

Specifies the pointer to a constant null-terminated character string that contains the RFC 1779 format name of the organizational unit (OU) for the computer account. If you specify this parameter, the string must contain a full path, otherwise Accent must be NULL.

Example: "OU=testOU; DC=domain; DC=Domain; DC=com"

FJoinOptions [in]

Set of bit flags that define the join options.

(0)

Default. No join options.

NETSETUP_JOIN_DOMAIN (0x00000001)

Joins the computer to a domain. If this value is not specified, joins the computer to a workgroup.

NETSETUP_ACCT_CREATE (0x00000002)

Creates the account on the domain.

NETSETUP_WIN9X_UPGRADE (0x00000010)

The join operation is occurring as part of an upgrade.

NETSETUP_DOMAIN_JOIN_IF_JOINED (0x00000020)

Allows a join to a new domain even if the computer is already joined to a domain.

NETSETUP_JOIN_UNSECURE (0x00000040)

Performs an unsecured join.

This option requests a domain join to a pre-created account without authenticating with domain user credentials. This option can be used in conjunction with NETSETUP_MACHINE_PWD_PASSED option. In this case, Password is the password of the pre-created machine account.

Prior to Windows Vista with SP1 and Windows Server 2008, an unsecure join did not authenticate to the domain controller. All communication was performed using a null (unauthenticated) session. Starting with Windows Vista with SP1 and Windows Server 2008, the machine account name and password are used to authenticate to the domain controller.

NETSETUP_MACHINE_PWD_PASSED (0x00000080)

Indicates that the Password parameter specifies a local machine account password rather than a user password. This flag is valid only for unsecured joins, which you must indicate by also setting the NETSETUP_JOIN_UNSECURE flag.

If you set this flag, then after the join operation succeeds, the machine password will be set to the value of Password, if that value is a valid machine password.

NETSETUP_DEFER_SPN_SET (0x00000100)

Indicates that the service principal name (SPN) and the DnsHostName properties on the computer object should not be updated at this time.

Typically, these properties are updated during the join operation. Instead, these properties should be updated during a subsequent call to the Rename method. These properties are always updated during the rename operation.

NETSETUP_JOIN_DC_ACCOUNT (0x00000200)

Allow the domain join if existing account is a domain controller.

Note

This flag is supported on Windows Vista and later.

NETSETUP_AMBIGUOUS_DC (0x00001000)

When joining the domain don't try to set the preferred domain controller in the registry.

Note