Why does New-ADOrganizationalUnit return “Access is denied” or “Server unwilling”?
Asked by
MellowCedar42
I'm new to PowerShell and am trying to create an organizational unit in my Active Directory domain, but the command returns either "Access is denied" or "server unwilling." I tried commands like `New-ADOrganizationalUnit -Name "Test" -Path "DC=Noiz.local,DC=COM" -ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion $False` and `New-ADOrganizationalUnit -Name "Test" -Path "DC=Noiz,DC=local" -ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion $False`. The forest/domain is `Noiz.local`, and I'm connecting through Remote Desktop. Creating the OU through the graphical tools works, but the PowerShell command does not. What permissions, command syntax, or distinguished name should I check?
Answers
A “server unwilling” response often means the distinguished name is wrong or the command is contacting a domain controller that doesn’t serve that domain. Verify the target domain controller and the OU parent path. “Access is denied” points more directly to the account lacking the required directory permissions.
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Check the account and PowerShell session you’re using. The account needs permission to create OUs in the target container, and in this case the command worked after running PowerShell in an elevated session. Also make sure there’s a space before `-ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion`.
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Being a domain administrator and running PowerShell as administrator are separate things. The directory account still needs AD permissions, while an elevated local session may be needed depending on how the tools and credentials are being used. If possible, test with the same account that can create the OU through the graphical management tools.
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Double-check the distinguished name in `-Path`. For a domain named `Noiz.local`, the domain root is normally `DC=Noiz,DC=local`, not `DC=Noiz.local,DC=COM`. Each DNS component becomes its own `DC=` part. You can query the domain’s actual distinguished name first and reuse that value instead of typing it manually.
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