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GFI LanGuard Process of Determining the OU of a Computer

Author: Luis Fernandes Updated

Overview

GFI LanGuard uses standard Microsoft operating system protocols to query the Active Directory for the domain controller. It then queries the domain controller for the information on the computer(s) in the domain.

This article guides you on how GFI LanGuard determines the OU (Organizational Unit) of a computer.

Process

Test Outside of GFI LanGuard

  1. Run the following command:
    runas /user:<LanGuard_Attendant_Service_Account> cmd
    Enter the password for the account. 
    NOTE: Alternately, you can log in to the LanGuard server using the LanGuard Attendant Service Account credentials.
  2. Run the command in the cmd window from step 1:
    NLTEST /DSGETDC:<Domain_Name>
  3. Run the following command to get a list of all computers in the domain
    dsquery computer domainroot -s <DomainController>

GFI LanGuard Getting OU Information of a Computer

Beginning with GFI LanGuard 2014 R2 version 11.3, when it needs to determine the OU of a computer, e.g., a scan is performed, an agent scan is imported, or use one of the GUI dialogs such as "Add more computers", etc. it uses the following method:
  1. GFI LanGuard checks for the existence of an activedirectorycomputers.xml file on a 2003 class computer on either of the two the following locations:
    • C:\ProgramData\GFI\LanGuard 11\Cache\ directory
    • C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\GFI\LanGuard 11\Cache\
  2. If activedirectorycomputers.xml is present and is less than 24 hours old, it checks the file for the computer OU.
  3. If the activedirectorycomputers.xml is greater than 24 hours old or is missing, the PlatformServices module does a lookup of all computers in the domain (not just the ones in the database) and refreshes or create the activedirectorycomputers.xml file.

    NOTES:
    • If the computer is not listed in the file, the computer is placed in the base of the domain.
    • New computers that have been added to the domain in the last 24 hours or moved their position in the OU structure do not detect the new position. 
      An immediate caching of the entire domain can be forced by choosing to Add more computers in the wizard: Add computers from network > Refresh domains list.