This article applies to Microsoft Live@edu program and using e-mail with Outlook Live or Hotmail.

There are many ways to create Live users with Live@edu. The easiest way is to use WLAC (Windows Live Admin Center), which you can access at https://domains.live.com. Another way is to use Powershell:

New-Mailbox -Name "AStudent" -FirstName Able -LastName Student -DisplayName "A Student" -WindowsLiveID astudent@mydomain.edu -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString 'P@ssw0rd' -AsPlainText -Force) -MailboxPlan GalDisabledMailboxPlan

(For information how to connect to Live@edu with Powershell, see http://help.outlook.com)

For bulk creating you can either upload a file to WLCA or use Powershell and CSVparser. For more information about Powershell and CSVparser, read this article by Jonny Chambers: http://liveatedu.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!C76EAE4D4A509FBD!798.entry

One thing all these methods have in common is that they force the user to add additional information when accessing the account, e.g. secret question, region and event the password.

By setting these parameters when creating the account, the request will be limited to an acceptance of the user agreements:

Instead of using Powershell and CSVParser, you can use the APIs for account provisioning. There is a method which creates a new member in a domain with additional credentials and properties, CreateMemberWithPropertiesEx: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb963920.aspx

Calling this method requires Microsoft approval. Contact us at dsupport@microsoft.com if you are a partner and want to apply for permission.

Send an e-mail to dsupport@microsoft.com and ask them to grant access to the restricted method CreateMemeberWithPropertiesEx.

Download the Command Line application. The Command Line application is also a part of the SDK and can be downloaded here:  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=86932&clcid=0x409. Open the solution for CommandLineAdv.

The CommandLineAdv does not contain a method for CreateMemberWithPropertiesEx, so you need to add it to ManageDomain2.cs. Add this piece of code right after the method CreateMemberWithProperties.

Next step is to make sure Class1.cs can handle the new method. Add the following piece of code, preferable after if (addMember):

For this example I have added code for all parameters in the method, but you can naturally add them as input parameters to the console application.

Next step is to make the console application recognize a new command. For creating a new user you enter –a, as in add member. Suitable for this example could be –ax, for add extended member. First you need to declare a Boolean which tells the application to create an extended member. In Class1.cs, where the members are declared, add

bool addMemberEx = false;

 

Where the input parameters are checked, add:

else if (args[i] == "-ax")

    addMemberEx = true;

 

Last step is to test the application. Compile it and go to a command prompt. Enter for instance:

CommandLine.exe –au:admin@mydomain.edu –ap:MyPassword –ax –m:newuser –p:NewUserPassword –d:mydomain.edu –fcp:0

You will see the response:

Signing admin into the service… Admin signed into the service.

Adding extended member newuser@mydomain.edu... Extended Member added.

The user is now created with extended parameters and will be sent directly to the inbox when logging on the first time. When accessing SkyDrive or other Live services all that is needed is an acceptance of user agreements.