Deleting AD Users with PowerShell - Why is a user not a leaf object?

I've been re-writing some automated processes around user account lifecycle recently, making use of the Active Directory PowerShell module on Windows Server 2012. Most recently this involved removing a large number of expired user accounts. On the first attempt of trying to remove the user objects I was receiving this error for a number of them, seemingly at random:

Remove-ADObject : The directory service can perform the requested operation only on a leaf object

So why would a user object in AD not be a leaf object? It turns out that when a user connects a device to Exchange with EAS, there's an AD object created for that device inside the user object and that is what is stopping the user being a leaf object.

You might search for this and find advice on using Remove-ActiveSyncDevice before you remove the user. The trouble with that is that if you've got multiple versions of Exchange running in your org, then you might find that you can't remove the ActiveSyncDevice for all your users with the same method.

It doesn't matter anyway because the point is that the user isn't a leaf; it's a container that now has child objects, so what do you need to do to delete a container? Simply do a recursive remove. In the case of what I've been doing, this does the job:

$30daysago = (get-date).AddDays(-30)
Get-ADUser -filter {accountexpirationdate -lt $30daysago} | Remove-ADObject -Recursive

Free Microsoft Tech Showcase Events

Microsoft has teamed up with some of its Microsoft Learning Partners to provide free first-look clinics covering Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Visual Studio 2012, SQL Server 2012, Exchange 2013, SharePoint 2013, and Lync 2013.

These events are happening all around the world, so you should hopefully find one near to you. I found out about these from a Microsoft UK blog that said they were being run "across the UK" - looking at the currently published list of events, "across the UK" is defined as London and Wokingham, so your mileage may vary.

Still, it's worth a journey because each event offers these opportunities:

• Lead the Technology Wave - Get a first-hand look at new, breakthrough product features available with Microsoft’s most recent technology releases.
• World-Class Education - Receive instruction from Learning Partners - the premier technical and instructional specialists endorsed by Microsoft to deliver training on Microsoft technologies.
• Boost your Career - Learn about the latest Microsoft training and certification offerings to elevate your skills to the next level.

To find an event near you, head over to http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/community/events.aspx

Office 2013 and Exchange RTM

I woke up this morning to the news that both Office 2013 and Exchange had reached RTM (Release to Manufacturing) status. I've been using the Office customer preview for a while, and I'm generally pretty pleased with it, so I'm certainly looking forward to being able to install the final version when it hits TechNet in mid-November.

Generally I think that Office feels cleaner, and while I haven't found many new features that I'm frequently using (except the handy way that text re-aligns in real-time around an image in Word, and the guidelines that help you line things up nicely), I do like the little improvements, like how smooth the movement of the cursor is while I'm composing a message in Outlook (I know, but when you notice it, you'll like it!).

There are some things that I'm not so keen on. I used to use the To-Do bar in a collapsed position so that I could always see my next upcoming appointment without taking up much of the screen. It now seems that I can't have it collapsed, so I either have it fully expanded or not at all. I know there are other ways to see your next appointment quickly, but when I normally have Outlook on its own screen it was always there. Mousing over "Calendar" brings up useful information, but only when Outlook has focus.

Incidentally, I found some of these Outlook 2013 tips useful.

On the Exchange side, I think it's time to start looking into the new Exchange Administration Center (EAC - always makes me think of Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo, dude!) and all the new PowerShell cmdlets and changes in the Exchange Management Shell. I expect I'll be posting about that in the future, especially since we're losing some discoverability that used to be in the EMC and isn't in EAC.

I'm looking forward to seeing which new features we're going to get in the next update to Office 365. In the past, especially with Exchange, you would plan upgrades for a long time since it was a significant project. In the Office 365 world, having the upgrade path be managed by Microsoft and suddenly having a new version is quite fun - it's like waking up to see what Santa has brought on Christmas morning! :-)

HTC Hero: first Android phone to ship (in the UK) with Exchange Active Sync

[UPDATE] Thanks to cr0vax for pointing out in the comments that the HTC Android phones that are not badged "with Google" have already got Exchange functionality, but those versions haven't been released for the UK market, so I've added "in the UK" to the title.

Yesterday HTC held a press event in London to announce their new Android phone, the Hero. The phone looks, both on paper and in the released photos and videos, fantastic. The Sense UI that HTC have built on top of the Google Android OS looks very nice and has some features that appeal to me, such as the widget for Twitter.

The thing that I find most interesting about the phone though is that it appears to be the first Android device to ship with Exchange Active Sync support. Since I use Exchange as my primary mail platfrom, the less than stellar support for Exchange is the thing that has steered me away from Android up to now, but HTC know very well how much it's used and seem to have sorted it out.

I haven't seen anything written about this (although I have just asked HTC), but if you look at various videos showing the device, it's there. The first thing I noticed was in the "First Look" video that HTC released on their YouTube channel...

...at 3:44 in the video, you can see that the email application has "Exchange" across the top of the screen as the different views of the mailbox are displayed. Of course that could just be an account setup to use IMAP to talk to an Exchange server that has been labeled as "Exchange", so it wasn't exactly proof of Active Sync.

After more digging around, I found the proof in a video from SlashGear.TV...

...with 7:20 to go in that video, the guy doing the demo is setting up a mail widget and selects which mail account he wants to display - one of the options on the screen is "Exchange ActiveSync". Following on, with 5:30 to go, he explains that you get to sync your mail, calendar and contacts. Happy days!

I haven't had much of a play with Android, but I understand that until now the best option for connecting to Exchange was TouchDown, which I'm told it perfectly decent (from the screens I've seen I was surprised to hear that, but I can't pass comment without trying it). Personally though, I'm happier knowing that something as important to me as Exchange is going to be built in and therefore fully integrated into the device.

Of course, we don't know yet how complete the support is (it seems the Palm Pre launched with some Exchange issues), but if I had to put my money on one company to get it right, it would be HTC. I'm really looking forward to reading the reviews of this device in the short run up to it shipping next month.

[UPDATE] Amazon UK now have the Hero available to order.

VBUG Newcastle IT Pro Event 14th May: Unified Communications with Eileen Brown

For the second VBUG Newcastle IT Pro event, we're fortunate to have a great speaker. Eileen Brown is the manager of Microsoft's TechNet UK IT Professional Evangelist Team, and writes a hugely popular blog on Management, Messaging, Mobility and Real Time Collaboration.

Here's the overview of Eileen's talk:

"If the PCs on our desks do much more than they did 10 years ago, why don't our phones ?

On a Mobile phone calls are dialled from your phone book - UC allows your PC contacts to be used to place calls rather than re-keying the number into a desk, and identifies your contacts by name when they call you and routes your calls to the best phone. Unified communications is bringing together Voice, Fax, Video, Email and Instant messaging, into one system. So Voice mail which arrives in your mailbox And e-mail which can be read to you over the phone. With UC you can see if someone is around to take a call or answer a message before you contact them - and choose the best medium. And a conversation can move seamlessly from email, to instant message, to data sharing and video conference. Harnessing UC can mean less travel, less frustration and greater productivity."

The presentation will take place in Room 118 of Claremont Tower, Newcastle University on Thursday 14th May, 18:30 (for a 19:00 start). If you plan to attend, please could you sign up at the VBUG site (just so we have numbers for refreshments, etc): http://www.vbug.co.uk/Events/May-2009/VBUG-Newcastle-Unified-Communications-with-Eileen-Brown.aspx

You don't have to be a VBUG member and the event is free to attend.

If you're on Twitter, you might like to follow Eileen.