Unable To Find A Default Server With Active Directory Web Services

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In some cases you may see the following error when running PowerShell scripts on Active Directory:

PS C:\> Get-ADUser tycho.brahe Get-ADUser : Unable to find a default server with Active Directory Web Services running. At line:1 char:1 + Get-ADUser tycho.brahe + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : ResourceUnavailable: (tycho.brahe:ADUser) [Get-ADUser], ADServerDownException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ActiveDirectoryServer:1355,Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.GetADUser

The error message indicates that the Active Directory Web Services service is not running or accessible.

If you’re not running the script from a domain controller, start by checking if you have connectivity with your Active Directory domain. DNS name resolution is often the cause of connectivity issues.

If you’re currently on a domain controller, check if the Active Directory Web Service is running.

Use the following PowerShell command:

PS C:\> (Get-Service ADWS).Status Stopped

Or open up the services management console and check the status of the service:

If the service is stopped you can try to start it.

If the service doesn’t start you may need to investigate this further:

The service has many dependencies, one of them being the .Net Framework (get the .Net Framework repair tool here).

Investigate your Windows application event log for further information that will help you in troubleshooting this issue.

How to Manage Office 365 from Active Directory

Easy365Manager is a snap-in to AD Users & Computers that allows you to manage Office 365 mailboxes and licenses as part of your standard AD management.

Easy365Manager extends user properties with two new tabs, so you no longer have to switch between multiple web consoles to perform daily management:

With Easy365Manager, you can perform all daily tasks from AD Users & Computers:

• Assign Office 365 licenses
• Manage shared mailbox delegation
• Configure calendar permissions
• Configure proxyAddresses (with uniqueness and format checking)
• Replicate Azure AD Connect

And a lot more. See the complete feature list here. 

Additionally, Easy365Manager lets you remove your on-premises Exchange Server. This will give you 100% protection from future zero-day exploits targeting Exchange Server.

Try the fully functional 30-day trial now. It only takes a few minutes to install, has zero learning curve, and we guarantee you’ll be saving hours of work before the end of the week!

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