Active Directory Cookbook

10.7. Adding a New Attribute

Problem

You want to add a new attribute to the schema.

Solution

Tip

For Windows 2000 Active Directory you need to enable schema modifications before proceeding. See Recipe 10.2 for more information.

Using a graphical user interface

1. Open the Active Directory Schema snap-in.

2. In the left pane, right-click on the Attributes folder and select Create Attribute.

3. Click the Continue button to confirm that you want to extend the schema.

4. Enter the information for the new attribute.

5. Click OK.

Using a command-line interface

You can create new attributes by using ldifde and an LDIF file that contains the properties to be set on the attribute. The following text shows an example LDIF file called create_attr.ldf that creates an attribute called rallencorp-LanguagesSpoken:

dn: cn=rallencorp-LanguagesSpoken,cn=schema,cn=configuration,<ForestRootDN>
changetype: add
objectclass: attributeSchema
lDAPDisplayName: rallencorp-LanguagesSpoken
attributeId: 1.3.6.1.4.1.999.1.1.28.3
oMSyntax: 20
attributeSyntax: 2.5.5.4
isSingleValued: FALSE
searchFlags: 1
description: "Languages a user speaks"

Then run the following command:

> ldifde -v -i -f create_attr.ldf

Using VBScript

' This code illustrates how to create an attribute ' called rallencorp-LanguagesSpoken set objRootDSE = GetObject("LDAP://RootDSE") set objSchemaCont = GetObject("LDAP://" & _ objRootDSE.Get("schemaNamingContext") ) set objAttr = objSchemaCont.Create("attributeSchema", _ "cn=rallencorp-LanguagesSpoken") objAttr.Put "lDAPDisplayName", ...