Active Directory, Naming Conventions

For OU Administrators: This page contains information on naming conventions for Active Directory objects, including user names and computer names.

Naming computers in the Active Directory

OU administrators should include the unit portion of the OU name in the first 15 bytes of the computer name. If this suggestion is not followed, Technology Services will not intervene in naming disputes. Technology Services also recommends that the same name be used for both the computer DNS hostname and the computer name. For example, if the current DNS name is moe.techsvc.illinois.edu, then the computer name would be Techsvc-MOE and the Active Directory DNS name would be Techsvc-moe.ad.uillinois.edu.

User names and Active Directory

User accounts

User accounts are automatically created from NetIDs for all students, faculty, and staff.

User account names are identical to the associated NetID; therefore, they do not exceed eight characters in length.

Departmental (OU) user objects

OU administrators may create their own user objects in their OUs. All names of user objects that are created within departmental OUs must exceed eight characters in length to guarantee uniqueness from potential generated NetIDs.

Note: Technology Services reserves the right to delete or rename an OU's user accounts that are eight or less characters in length at any time without notice in order to avoid such conflicts.