OK how do I make a connection to a LDAPS (Active Directory)? I am not a member of the domain so do I need to install the certificate or anything? Here is how I have my web.config setup: <membership defaultProvider="SharePointLdapMembershipProvider"> <providers> <add name="SharePointLdapMembershipProvider" type="Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LdapMembershipProvider, Microsoft.Office.Server, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bCe111e9429c" server="otherdomain.com" port="636" useSSL="true" userDNAttribute="distinguishedName" userNameAttribute="sAMAccountName" userContainer="DC=otherdomain,DC=com" userObjectClass="person" userFilter="((ObjectCategory=group)(ObjectClass=person))" scope="Subtree" otherRequiredUserAttributes="sn,givenname,cn" /> </providers> </membership> <roleManager defaultProvider="SharePointLdapRoleProvider" enabled="true" cacheRolesInCookie="true" cookieName=".PeopleDCRole"> <providers> <add name="SharePointLdapRoleProvider" type="Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LdapRoleProvider, Microsoft.Office.Server, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bCe111e9429c" server="otherdomain.com" port="636" useSSL="true" groupContainer="DC=otherdomain,DC=com" groupNameAttribute="cn" groupMemberAttribute="member" userNameAttribute="sAMAccountName" nAttribute="distinguishedName" groupFilter="(ObjectClass=group)" scope="Subtree" /> </providers> </roleManager> Any help anyone can give me would me wonderful. Error I am getting is: A runtime exception was detected. Details follow. Message: The server is not operational. Techinal Details: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x8007203A): The server is not operational. at System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry.Bind(Boolean throwIfFail) at System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry.Bind() at System.DirectoryServices.DirectoryEntry.get_AdsObject() at System.DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher.FindAll(Boolean findMoreThanOne) at System.DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher.FindOne() at Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LDAP.FindOneObject(DirectoryEntry searchRoot, String filter, SearchScope scope, String[] propertiesToLoad, ResultPropertyCollection& entryProperties) at Microsoft.Office.Server.Security.LdapMembershipProvider.GetUserAttributeBySearchProperty(String searchValue, String searchProperty, String returnAttribute) For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp. ----------------------- I am verifing that all the ports are open and I am making a connection... but I am thinking it might be due to I don't trust the certificate... Not sure how to... I need to install their CA as a trusted CA... I will ask them for that also... but can anyone see any issues or other things I need to try? Billy S.

OK how do I set the "App Pool Identity" as an account on this other domain when that login would not be able to login directly to the server or anything? I am making a connection to a LDAPS (AD) system that isn't on our network....Billy S.

Just took a closer look at your code and see a couple of problems. You list the remote server as otherdomain.com but that is also listed as the OU for the Users container. It couldn't be both. You should have the actual FQDN of ther server or the IP address of the server in the server= attribute. LDAP normally runs on port 389. Is your LDAP server specifically configured to run on a different port? Paul Stork SharePoint Server MVP