We are trying to automate the process of building workstations (load os, software, etc). We have RIS and in the runonce section we call scripts to load the software. With AD we can pre-populate the computer account information with a description (assign it to a user). When RIS runs it loads the OS and then starts the scripts. The account it is running under is the local administrator account. When the scripts run (remember - no user interaction) they are using the local admin account and they then try to read AD to get the computer account description that we pre-populated earlier. The business logic is we can use AD as a one stop shop and create the accounts ONCE! and then re-assign them in the description. The machine names are static (Tag No) as well as the GUIDS. If we want to give joeuser and diffent machine, we simply change the description in AD. Do a PXE boot (f12) and load the RIS image and it will automatically find joeuser's in the description thus the next script will start loading all of joeuser's software. We simply re-boot a machine and load it and it is ready to be placed in service for joeuser. NICE. If joeuser has trouble on his machine he could perform the boot and re-load his machine and wait and come back and the machine would be ready to go. We have all the scripts to load the software using msi's. All we need to do is tie the machine to the user in one location instead of several different places. That is our goal. The one thing holding us back is this script. It doesn't work under the local admin credentials because it is in the runonce part of the load (from RIS). If that fails then we would intervene and can push the process along, but then it is not automated.

I was able to write a vb.net console ap to do this, but we have to load the .net framework on the machine, and the loads act flaky. We have had inconsistent results with that. We know the scripts are pretty solid and no overhead and were trying to convert the process to scripts particularly kix scripts. I would be willing to use any other script as well, but the ini file tools and other things make kix easier to use.

I am just so close to making this happen, except for the credential issue. I do not understand why the vb ap will allow me to pass the credentials to the ad object and I am not able to in kix.

I really do appreaciate all the help. We would consider running the script from the server to populate a file that would be read from the client, but it is another link in the puzzle, rather than a direct route and we would have to worry about keeping everything in sync.

It is all about consistency and simplicity.