Set-ADOrganizationalUnit

Module:

ActiveDirectory

Modifies an Active Directory organizational unit.

Syntax

Set-ADOrganizationalUnit
   [-WhatIf]
   [-Confirm]
   [-Add <Hashtable>]
   [-AuthType <ADAuthType>]
   [-City <String>]
   [-Clear <String[]>]
   [-Country <String>]
   [-Credential <PSCredential>]
   [-Description <String>]
   [-DisplayName <String>]
   [-Identity] <ADOrganizationalUnit>
   [-ManagedBy <ADPrincipal>]
   [-Partition <String>]
   [-PassThru]
   [-PostalCode <String>]
   [-ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion <Boolean>]
   [-Remove <Hashtable>]
   [-Replace <Hashtable>]
   [-Server <String>]
   [-State <String>]
   [-StreetAddress <String>]
   [<CommonParameters>]

Set-ADOrganizationalUnit
   [-WhatIf]
   [-Confirm]
   [-AuthType <ADAuthType>]
   [-Credential <PSCredential>]
   -Instance <ADOrganizationalUnit>
   [-PassThru]
   [-Server <String>]
   [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The Set-ADOrganizationalUnit cmdlet modifies the properties of an Active Directory organizational unit (OU). You can modify commonly used property values by using the cmdlet parameters. Property values that are not associated with cmdlet parameters can be modified by using the Add, Remove, Replace, and Clear parameters.

The Identity parameter specifies the Active Directory organizational unit to modify. You can identify an organizational unit by its distinguished name or GUID.

You can also set the Identity parameter to an object variable such as $<localADOrganizationalUnitObject>, or you can pass an object through the pipeline to the Identity parameter. For example, you can use the Get-ADOrganizationalUnit cmdlet to retrieve an organizational unit object and then pass the object through the pipeline to the Set-ADOrganizationalUnit cmdlet.

The Instance parameter provides a way to update an organizational unit object by applying the changes made to a copy of the object. When you set the Instance parameter to a copy of an Active Directory organizational unit object that has been modified, the Set-ADOrganizationalUnit cmdlet makes the same changes to the original organizational unit object. To get a copy of the object to modify, use the Get-ADOrganizationalUnit object. When you specify the Instance parameter you should not pass the Identity parameter. For more information about the Instance parameter, see the Instance parameter description.

For Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) environments, the Partition parameter must be specified except in the following two conditions:

• The cmdlet is run from an Active Directory provider drive.
• A default naming context or partition is defined for the AD LDS environment. To specify a default naming context for an AD LDS environment, set the msDS-defaultNamingContext property of the Active Directory directory service agent object (nTDSDSA) for the AD LDS instance.

Examples

Example 1: Set a description for an OU

PS C:\> Set-ADOrganizationalUnit -Identity "OU=UserAccounts,DC=FABRIKAM,DC=COM" -Description "This Organizational Unit holds all of the users accounts of FABRIKAM.COM"

This command sets the description of the OU with the distinguished name OU=UserAccounts,DC=FABRIKAM,DC=COM.

Example 2: Set the ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion property for an OU

PS C:\> Set-ADOrganizationalUnit -Identity "OU=UserAccounts,DC=FABRIKAM,DC=COM" -ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion $false

This command sets the ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion property to $False on the OU with distinguished name OU=UserAccounts,DC=FABRIKAM,DC=COM.

Example 3: Set location properties for an OU

PS C:\> Set-ADOrganizationalUnit -Identity "OU=AsiaPacific,OU=Sales,OU=UserAccounts,DC=FABRIKAM,DC=COM" -Country "AU" -StreetAddress "45 Martens Place" -City Balmoral -State QLD -PostalCode 4171 -Replace @{co="Australia"}

This command sets the Country, City, State, PostalCode, and Country properties on the OU OU=AsiaPacific,OU=Sales,OU=UserAccounts,DC=FABRIKAM,DC=COM.

Example 4: Set a property for an OU in an AD LDS instance

PS C:\> Set-ADOrganizationalUnit -Identity "OU=Managed,DC=AppNC" -Server "FABRIKAM-SRV1:60000" -Country "UK"

This command sets the Country property of the OU OU=Managed,DC=AppNC in an AD LDS instance.

Example 5: Set a property for a piped OU

PS C:\> Get-ADOrganizationalUnit -Identity "AccountingDepartment" | Set-ADOrganizationalUnit -ManagedBy "PattiFullerGroup"

This command modifies the ManagedBy property for the AccountingDepartment OU. The command uses the Get-ADOrganizationalUnit cmdlet to get the AccountingDepartment OU, and then passes the object to the current cmdlet by using the pipeline operator.

Example 6: Set a property for a local OU to modify an Active Directory OU

PS C:\> $OrganizationalUnit = Get-ADOrganizationalUnit -Identity "AccountingDepartment"
PS C:\> $OrganizationalUnit.ManagedBy = "PattiFullerGroup"
PS C:\> Set-ADOrganizationalUnit -Instance $OrganizationalUnit

This example modifies the ManagedBy property for the AccountingDepartment OU. The example modifies a local instance of the AccountingDepartment OU and then specifies the Instance parameter for the Set-ADOrganizationalUnit cmdlet as the local instance.

Parameters

-Add

Specifies values to add to an object property. Use this parameter to add one or more values to a property that cannot be modified using a cmdlet parameter. To modify an object property, you must use the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) display name. You can specify multiple values to a property by specifying a comma-separated list of values and more than one property by separating them using a semicolon. The format for this parameter is:

-Add @{Attribute1LDAPDisplayName=value1, value2, ...; Attribute2LDAPDisplayName=value1, value2, ...; AttributeNLDAPDisplayName=value1, value2, ...}

When you use the Add, Remove, Replace, and Clear parameters together, the operations are performed in the following order:

• Remove
• Add
• Replace
• Clear

Type:	Hashtable
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-AuthType

Specifies the authentication method to use. The acceptable values for this parameter are:

• Negotiate or 0
• Basic or 1

The default authentication method is Negotiate.

A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection is required for the Basic authentication method.

Type:	ADAuthType
Accepted values:	Negotiate, Basic
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-City

Specifies the town or city. This parameter sets the City property of an OU object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is l.

Type:	String
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Clear

Specifies an array of object properties that are cleared in the directory. Use this parameter to clear one or more values of a property that cannot be modified using a cmdlet parameter. To modify an object property, you must use the LDAP display name. You can modify more than one property by specifying a comma-separated list. The format for this parameter is:

-Clear Attribute1LDAPDisplayName, Attribute2LDAPDisplayName

When you use the Add, Remove, Replace, and Clear parameters together, the operations are performed in the following order:

• Remove
• Add
• Replace
• Clear

Type:	String[]
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Confirm

Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Aliases:	cf
Position:	Named
Default value:	False
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Country

Specifies the country or region code. This parameter sets the Country property of an OU object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is c. This value is not used by Windows 2000.

Type:	String
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Credential

Specifies the user account credentials to use to perform this task. The default credentials are the credentials of the currently logged on user unless the cmdlet is run from an Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell provider drive. If the cmdlet is run from such a provider drive, the account associated with the drive is the default.

To specify this parameter, you can type a user name, such as User1 or Domain01\User01 or you can specify a PSCredential object. If you specify a user name for this parameter, the cmdlet prompts for a password.

You can also create a PSCredential object by using a script or by using the Get-Credential cmdlet. You can then set the Credential parameter to the PSCredential object.

If the acting credentials do not have directory-level permission to perform the task, Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell returns a terminating error.

Type:	PSCredential
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Description

Specifies a description of the object. This parameter sets the value of the Description property for the OU object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is description.

Type:	String
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-DisplayName

Specifies the display name of the object. This parameter sets the DisplayName property of the OU object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is displayName.

Type:	String
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Identity

Specifies an Active Directory object by providing one of the following property values. The identifier in parentheses is the LDAP display name for the attribute. The acceptable values for this parameter are:

• A distinguished name
• A GUID (objectGUID)

The cmdlet searches the default naming context or partition to find the object. If two or more objects are found, the cmdlet returns a non-terminating error.

This parameter can also get this object through the pipeline or you can set this parameter to an object instance.

Derived types, such as the following are also accepted:

• Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADGroup
• Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADUser
• Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADComputer
• Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADServiceAccount
• Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADFineGrainedPasswordPolicy
• Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADDomain

Type:	ADOrganizationalUnit
Position:	0
Default value:	None
Required:	True
Accept pipeline input:	True
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Instance

Specifies a modified copy of an OU object to use to update the actual Active Directory OU object. When this parameter is used, any modifications made to the modified copy of the object are also made to the corresponding Active Directory object. The cmdlet only updates the object properties that have changed.

The Instance parameter can only update organizational unit objects that have been retrieved by using the Get-ADOrganizationalUnit cmdlet. When you specify the Instance parameter, you cannot specify other parameters that set properties on the object.

Type:	ADOrganizationalUnit
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	True
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-ManagedBy

Specifies the user or group that manages the object by providing one of the following property values. Note: The identifier in parentheses is the LDAP display name for the property. The acceptable values for this parameter are:

• A distinguished name
• A GUID (objectGUID)
• A security identifier (objectSid)
• A SAM account name (sAMAccountName)

This parameter sets the Active Directory attribute with an LDAP display name of managedBy.

Type:	ADPrincipal
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Partition

Specifies the distinguished name of an Active Directory partition. The distinguished name must be one of the naming contexts on the current directory server. The cmdlet searches this partition to find the object defined by the Identity parameter.

In many cases, a default value is used for the Partition parameter if no value is specified. The rules for determining the default value are given below. Note that rules listed first are evaluated first and when a default value can be determined, no further rules are evaluated.

In AD DS environments, a default value for Partition are set in the following cases:

• If the Identity parameter is set to a distinguished name, the default value of Partition is automatically generated from this distinguished name.
• If running cmdlets from an Active Directory provider drive, the default value of Partition is automatically generated from the current path in the drive.
• If none of the previous cases apply, the default value of Partition is set to the default partition or naming context of the target domain.

In AD LDS environments, a default value for Partition will be set in the following cases:

• If the Identity parameter is set to a distinguished name, the default value of Partition is automatically generated from this distinguished name.
• If running cmdlets from an Active Directory provider drive, the default value of Partition is automatically generated from the current path in the drive.
• If the target AD LDS instance has a default naming context, the default value of Partition is set to the default naming context. To specify a default naming context for an AD LDS environment, set the msDS-defaultNamingContext property of the Active Directory directory service agent object (nTDSDSA) for the AD LDS instance.
• If none of the previous cases apply, the Partition parameter does not take any default value.

Type:	String
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-PassThru

Returns an object representing the item with which you are working. By default, this cmdlet does not generate any output.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-PostalCode

Specifies the postal code or zip code. This parameter sets the PostalCode property of an OU object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is postalCode.

Type:	String
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion

Specifies whether to prevent the object from being deleted. When this property is set to $True, you cannot delete the corresponding object without changing the value of the property. The acceptable values for this parameter are:

• $False or 0
• $True or 1

Type:	Boolean
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Remove

Specifies that the cmdlet remove values of an object property. Use this parameter to remove one or more values of a property that cannot be modified using a cmdlet parameter. To remove an object property, you must use the LDAP display name. You can remove more than one property by specifying a semicolon-separated list. The format for this parameter is:

-Remove @{Attribute1LDAPDisplayName=value[]; Attribute2LDAPDisplayName=value[]}

When you use the Add, Remove, Replace, and Clear parameters together, the operations are performed in the following order:

• Remove
• Add
• Replace
• Clear

Type:	Hashtable
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Replace

Specifies values for an object property that will replace the current values. Use this parameter to replace one or more values of a property that cannot be modified using a cmdlet parameter. To modify an object property, you must use the LDAP display name. You can specify multiple values to a property by specifying a comma-separated list of values, and more than one property by separating them using a semicolon. The format for this parameter is:

-Replace @{Attribute1LDAPDisplayName=value1, value2, ...; Attribute2LDAPDisplayName=value1, value2, ...; AttributeNLDAPDisplayName=value1, value2, ...}

When you use the Add, Remove, Replace, and Clear parameters together, the operations will be performed in the following order:

• Remove
• Add
• Replace
• Clear

Type:	Hashtable
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Server

Specifies the AD DS instance to connect to, by providing one of the following values for a corresponding domain name or directory server. The service may be any of the following: AD LDS, AD DS, or Active Directory snapshot instance.

Specify the AD DS instance in one of the following ways:

Domain name values:

• Fully qualified domain name
• NetBIOS name

Directory server values:

• Fully qualified directory server name
• NetBIOS name
• Fully qualified directory server name and port

The default value for this parameter is determined by one of the following methods in the order that they are listed:

• By using the Server value from objects passed through the pipeline
• By using the server information associated with the AD DS Windows PowerShell provider drive, when the cmdlet runs in that drive
• By using the domain of the computer running Windows PowerShell

Type:	String
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-State

Specifies the state or province. This parameter sets the State property of an OU object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is st.

Type:	String
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-StreetAddress

Specifies the street address. This parameter sets the StreetAddress property of an OU object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is street.

Type:	String
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-WhatIf

Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Aliases:	wi
Position:	Named
Default value:	False
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

Inputs

None or Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADOrganizationalUnit

An OU object is received by the Identity parameter.

An organizational unit object that was retrieved by using the Get-ADOrganizationalUnit cmdlet and then modified is received by the Instance parameter.

Outputs

None or Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADOrganizationalUnit

Returns the modified OU object when the PassThru parameter is specified. By default, this cmdlet does not generate any output.

Notes

• This cmdlet does not work with an Active Directory snapshot.
• This cmdlet does not work with a read-only domain controller.

Related Links

• Get-ADOrganizationalUnit
• New-ADOrganizationalUnit
• Remove-ADOrganizationalUnit