Columns in Active Directory Users and Computers disappear after you install Microsoft Live Communication Server 2003

When you install Microsoft Live Communication Server 2003, Display Specifiers wich controll the output of columns in Active Directory Users and Computers mmc snap-in are modified to support Live Communication Server specific attributes. This attributes replace rather than suplement existing collumns in Organization-Unit specific Display Specifiers. 

Possible default columns are stored in the extraColumns attribute in CN=default-Display,CN=<lang>,CN=DisplaySpecifiers,CN=Configuration,DC=<domain>,DC=<domain>. Live Communication Server stores its possible columns in extraColumns attribute at CN=organizationalUnit-Display,CN=<lang>,CN=DisplaySpecifiers,CN=Configuration,DC=<Domain>,DC=<Domain> . This will block inheritance from the extraColumns attribute at default-Display Specifier where defaults are stored and result that only the columns that Live Communication Server 2003 adds are available for use and possible columns when you browse Organization-Units with Active Directory Users and Computers.  

To get the default behavior modify extraColumns located in the CN=default-Display,CN=<lang>,CN=DisplaySpecifiers,CN=Configuration,DC=<domain>,DC=<domain>, and add extraColumns located CN=organizationalUnit-Display,CN=<lang>,CN=DisplaySpecifiers,CN=Configuration,DC=<Domain>,DC=<Domain> together with existing entries for Live Communication.  
 
Default Columns are the follow:
Zip Code
X.400 E-Mail Address
User Logon Name
Job Title
Target Address
State
Office
Modified
Last Name
First Name
E-Mail Address
Pre-Windows 2000 Logon Name
Name
Department
Company
City
Business Phone
 
Default Columns are also the follow if Microsoft Exchange is installed:
Messaging URL
Messaging Home Server
Exchange Mailbox Store
Exchange Alias
 
Note that there may be other columns as well if you have other products integrate with Active Directory. You can use dsquery to view stored columns in the extraColumns at the Default-Display object.
 
Example: dsquery * CN=default-Display,CN=409,CN=DisplaySpecifiers,CN=Configuration,DC
=<domain>,DC=<domain> -attr extraColumns
 
Default Columns format
Default Columns should be added as an entry in the following format to the multiValued attribute extraColumns at CN=organizationalUnit-Display,CN=<lang>,CN=DisplaySpecifiers,CN=Configuration,DC=<Domain>,DC=<Domain> 
You can use ADSIEdit from Support tools located on Windows Server installation CD-ROM to modify this attribute. Locate the CN=organizationalUnit-Display,CN=<lang>,CN=DisplaySpecifiers,CN=Configuration,DC=<Domain>,DC=<Domain> in the Configuration Partition and edit  extraColumns attribute:

postalCode,Zip Code,0,100,0;
textEncodedORAddress,X.400 E-Mail Address,0,130,0;
userPrincipalName,User Logon Name,0,200,0;
title,Job Title,0,100,0;
targetAddress,Target Address,0,100,0;
st,State,0,100,0;
physicalDeliveryOfficeName,Office,0,100,0;
whenChanged,Modified,0,130,0;
sn,Last Name,0,100,0;
msExchIMMetaPhysicalURL,Instant Messaging URL,0,140,0;
msExchIMPhysicalURL,Instant Messaging Home Server,0,170,0;
givenName,First Name,0,100,0;
homeMDB,Exchange Mailbox Store,0,100,0;
mailNickname,Exchange Alias,0,175,0;
mail,E-Mail Address,0,100,0;
sAMAccountName,Pre-Windows 2000 Logon Name,0,120,0;
displayName,Display Name,0,100,0;
department,Department,0,150,0;c,Country,0,-1,0;
company,Company,0,150,0;
l,City,0,150,0;
telephoneNumber,Business Phone,0,100,0;

(you need Enterprise Administrator rights to modify this attribute)
 
You should now be available to see of the default columns again in Active Directory Users And Computers snap-in.

 

You can use script below to modify extraColumns attribute.

' VBScript source code
' Written by Christoffer Andersson [MVP]
' This adds the default values for possible columns that was over written by Live Communication Server 2003
' You have to change the domain component name in the StrOU string to match your environment.
Dim PathLen
Dim DisplaySpecifiersCN
Const ADS_PROPERTY_APPEND = 3
StrOU = "CN=DisplaySpecifiers,CN=Configuration,DC=,DC="
Set objOU = GetObject("LDAP://" & strOU)
ForEach objChild in objOU
 
PathLen = Len(ObjChild.ADSPath)
DisplaySpecifiersCN = Mid(ObjChild.ADSPath,8,PathLen)
MsgBox ("Apply defaults to:" & DisplaySpecifiersCN )
Set objToModify = GetObject ("LDAP://CN=organizationalUnit-Display," & DisplaySpecifiersCN)
objToModify.PutEx ADS_PROPERTY_APPEND, _
"extraColumns", Array("postalCode,Zip Code,0,100,0;", "textEncodedORAddress,X.400 E-Mail Address,0,130,0;", "userPrincipalName,User Logon Name,0,200,0;", "title,Job Title,0,100,0;", "targetAddress,Target Address,0,100,0;", "st,State,0,100,0;", "physicalDeliveryOfficeName,Office,0,100,0;v", "whenChanged,Modified,0,130,0;", "sn,Last Name,0,100,0;", "msExchIMMetaPhysicalURL,Instant Messaging URL,0,140,0;", "msExchIMPhysicalURL,Instant Messaging Home Server,0,170,0;", "givenName,First Name,0,100,0;", "homeMDB,Exchange Mailbox Store,0,100,0;", "mailNickname,Exchange Alias,0,175,0;", "mail,E-Mail Address,0,100,0;", "sAMAccountName,Pre-Windows 2000 Logon Name,0,120,0;", "displayName,Display Name,0,100,0;", "department,Department,0,150,0;", "c,Country,0,-1,0;", "l,City,0,150,0;", "telephoneNumber,Business Phone,0,100,0;")
objToModify.SetInfo
 
Next
MsgBox ("Operation Complated! DisplaySpecifiers extraColumns is restored to defaults with support for Exchange and Live Communication Server")

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