PrincipalContext to query in Active Directory

I want to do some simple reports from Active Directory. After discussions, etc. I found that if I am using .NET FW 3.5 and above it makes sense to use PrincipalContext

. I would like to understand the principles and what I can do with this new feature (as opposed to DirectoryEntry

).

Skeleton code

// create your domain context
PrincipalContext ctx = new PrincipalContext(ContextType.Domain, 
    "YOURDOMAIN", "OU=SomeOU,DC=YourCompany,DC=com");

// define a "query-by-example" principal - here, we search for a UserPrincipal 
// which has a password that will expire in 3 days or less
UserPrincipal userTemplate = new UserPrincipal(ctx);
userTemplate.AdvancedSearchFilter.AccountExpirationDate(DateTime.Today.AddDays(3), MatchType.LessThanOrEquals);

// instantiate searcher
PrincipalSearcher searcher = new PrincipalSearcher(userTemplate);

// enumerate matching users
foreach (Principal foundPrincipal in searcher.FindAll())
{
    UserPrincipal foundUser = (foundPrincipal as UserPrincipal);

    if (foundUser != null)
    {
        // do something with users found - e.g. send e-mail
    }
}

      

        
        
        
      

    

Can I add code to add this property for LDAP login ?:

• which LDAP is being used (version 2 or 3)
• how to set the port on which LDAP is running
• How do I work if I need an SSL connection? (there must be special requirements for different ports)

Also, can I do with AdvancedSearchFilter

these conditions?
(I only found AccountExpirationDate

and AccountLockoutDate

)

• user password will expire soon
• the user's password has expired
• check user password expiration date
• user account expires (account, no password)
• expired user account (account, no password)
• User account has not expired