The Add-Computer cmdlet is a powerful tool in the Windows environment that allows administrators to add a local or remote computer to a domain or workgroup. This is particularly useful for system administrators who need to manage multiple machines and ensure they are all part of the same network domain. Joining a computer to a domain allows for centralized management, security policies, and easier resource sharing. This article will guide you through the process of using the Add-Computer cmdlet in PowerShell to add a computer to a domain.

Examples:

1. Adding a Local Computer to a Domain:
To add a local computer to a domain, you can use the following PowerShell command. Replace DomainName with the name of your domain, and provide the necessary credentials.

   Add-Computer -DomainName "DomainName" -Credential (Get-Credential) -Restart

This command will prompt you to enter the username and password with the necessary permissions to add the computer to the domain. The -Restart parameter will restart the computer after it has been added to the domain.

2. Adding a Remote Computer to a Domain:
If you need to add a remote computer to a domain, you can specify the computer name using the -ComputerName parameter.

   Add-Computer -ComputerName "RemoteComputerName" -DomainName "DomainName" -Credential (Get-Credential) -Restart

This command will add the specified remote computer to the domain and restart it.

3. Adding Multiple Computers to a Domain:
You can also add multiple computers to a domain by using a loop in PowerShell. Here is an example script:

   $computers = @("Computer1", "Computer2", "Computer3")

   foreach ($computer in $computers) {

       Add-Computer -ComputerName $computer -DomainName "DomainName" -Credential (Get-Credential) -Restart

   }

This script will iterate through the list of computer names and add each one to the specified domain.

4. Specifying an Organizational Unit (OU):
If you need to add a computer to a specific Organizational Unit (OU) within the domain, you can use the -OUPath parameter.

   Add-Computer -DomainName "DomainName" -OUPath "OU=Computers,DC=DomainName,DC=com" -Credential (Get-Credential) -Restart

This command will add the computer to the specified OU within the domain.