Error: “Get-ADUser : The operation returned because the timeout limit was exceeded.”

Question

I am working on creating a script to copy specific information from an existing AD User into a new account. The script is giving me 3 errors, the third one i know is because the script fails before it gets to that section.

Get-ADUser : The operation returned because the timeout limit was exceeded.
At line:115 char:14
+ $New_Path = (Get-ADUser ($UsernameCopy.Text)).DistinguishedName -repl ...
+              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : OperationTimeout: (cnelsontest:ADUser) [Get-ADUser], TimeoutException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ActiveDirectoryCmdlet:System.TimeoutException,Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.GetADUser

New-ADUser : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'Path'. The argument is null or empty. Provide an argument that is not null or empty, and then try the command 
again.
At line:155 char:35
+ New-ADUser -Name $New_DisplayName @params
+                                   ~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (:) [New-ADUser], ParameterBindingValidationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.NewADUser

Add-ADGroupMember : Cannot find an object with identity: 'cnelsontest1' under: 'DC=azcorrections,DC=local'.
At line:159 char:29
+                             Add-ADGroupMember -Members $Username.Text
+                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (cnelsontest1:ADPrincipal) [Add-ADGroupMember], ADIdentityNotFoundException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : SetADGroupMember.ValidateMembersParameter,Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.AddADGroupMember

Full Script link

Here is the line the first error refers to:

$New_Path = (Get-ADUser ($UsernameCopy.Text)).DistinguishedName -replace '^.*?,\s*(?=ou=)', ''

I have a feeling the second error message is caused by the first error, and the third error message is because it doesn't complete the New-ADUser command.

I'm running PSVersion 5.1.150

Edit: Can someone assist me in figuring out what the error messages mean as well as how to fix it?

The error means exactly what it says. The request to the DC is taking too long to actually return data so it gives up. — EBGreen

Maximilian Burszley Maximilian Burszley · Accepted Answer · 2017-11-21T17:19:05

You're running into three different errors being thrown:

Get-ADUser : The operation returned because the timeout limit was exceeded.

This one is obvious. You have a timeout on the AD server and it was exceeded before it found a result. You can adjust the timeout or deal with no returns.

New-ADUser : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'Path'. The argument is null or empty. Provide an argument that is not null or empty, and then try the command again.

You provided a bad (empty) path argument.

Add-ADGroupMember : Cannot find an object with identity: 'cnelsontest1' under: 'DC=azcorrections,DC=local'.

The object cnelsontest1 doesn't exist in the DC=azcorrections,DC=local path.

Error: “Get-ADUser : The operation returned because the timeout limit was exceeded.”

1 Answers