diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 47a4346..75bc55f 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ WORKDIR /App
 
 # Copy everything
 COPY . ./
+
+RUN apt upgrade && apt install libldap -y
+
 # Restore as distinct layers
 RUN dotnet restore ./song_of_the_day/song_of_the_day.csproj
 # Build and publish a release
diff --git a/song_of_the_day/Program.cs b/song_of_the_day/Program.cs
index 1a287a8..414c35f 100644
--- a/song_of_the_day/Program.cs
+++ b/song_of_the_day/Program.cs
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 using Scalar.AspNetCore;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi;
 using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication;
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication.Cookies;
+using System.DirectoryServices.Protocols;
 
 SignalIntegration.Instance = new SignalIntegration(AppConfiguration.Instance.SignalAPIEndpointUri,
                                                     int.Parse(AppConfiguration.Instance.SignalAPIEndpointPort),
@@ -44,7 +47,7 @@ userCheckTimer.OnOccurence += async (s, ea) =>
     }
     await dci.DisposeAsync();
 };
-userCheckTimer.Start();
+//userCheckTimer.Start();
 
 Console.WriteLine("Setting up user intro timer");
 var userIntroTimer = new CronTimer("*/1 * * * *", "Europe/Vienna", includingSeconds: false);
@@ -66,7 +69,7 @@ userIntroTimer.OnOccurence += async (s, ea) =>
     }
     await dci.DisposeAsync();
 };
-userIntroTimer.Start();
+//userIntroTimer.Start();
 
 
 Console.WriteLine("Setting up pick of the day timer");
@@ -82,7 +85,84 @@ pickOfTheDayTimer.OnOccurence += async (s, ea) =>
     SignalIntegration.Instance.SendMessageToUserAsync($"Today's (optional) suggestion helper to help you pick a song is:\n\n**{suggestion.Title}**\n\n*{suggestion.Description}*", luckyUser.SignalMemberId);
     SignalIntegration.Instance.SendMessageToUserAsync($"For now please just share your suggestion with the group - in the future I might ask you to share directly with me or via the website to help me keep track of past suggestions!", luckyUser.SignalMemberId);
 };
-pickOfTheDayTimer.Start();
+//pickOfTheDayTimer.Start();
+
+var connection = new LdapConnection(AppConfiguration.Instance.LDAPConfig.LDAPserver)
+{
+    Credential = new(
+        AppConfiguration.Instance.LDAPConfig.Username,
+        AppConfiguration.Instance.LDAPConfig.Password
+    )
+};
+
+var attributesToQuery = new string[]
+{
+    "objectGUID",
+    "sAMAccountName",
+    "displayName",
+    "mail",
+    "whenCreated"
+};
+
+SearchResponse SearchInAD(
+    string ldapServer,
+    int ldapPort,
+    string domainForAD,
+    string username,
+    string password,
+    string targetOU,
+    string query,
+    SearchScope scope,
+    params string[] attributeList
+    )
+{
+    // on Windows the authentication type is Negotiate, so there is no need to prepend
+    // AD user login with domain. On other platforms at the moment only
+    // Basic authentication is supported
+    var authType = AuthType.Basic;
+
+    //var connection = new LdapConnection(ldapServer)
+    var connection = new LdapConnection(
+        new LdapDirectoryIdentifier(ldapServer, ldapPort)
+        )
+    {
+        AuthType = authType,
+        Credential = new(username, password)
+    };
+    // the default one is v2 (at least in that version), and it is unknown if v3
+    // is actually needed, but at least Synology LDAP works only with v3,
+    // and since our Exchange doesn't complain, let it be v3
+    connection.SessionOptions.ProtocolVersion = 3;
+
+    // this is for connecting via LDAPS (636 port). It should be working,
+    // according to https://github.com/dotnet/runtime/issues/43890,
+    // but it doesn't (at least with Synology DSM LDAP), although perhaps
+    // for a different reason
+    //connection.SessionOptions.SecureSocketLayer = true;
+
+    connection.Bind();
+
+    var request = new SearchRequest(targetOU, query, scope, attributeList);
+
+    return (SearchResponse)connection.SendRequest(request);
+}
+
+var searchResults = SearchInAD(
+    AppConfiguration.Instance.LDAPConfig.LDAPserver,
+    AppConfiguration.Instance.LDAPConfig.Port,
+    AppConfiguration.Instance.LDAPConfig.Username,
+    AppConfiguration.Instance.LDAPConfig.Password,
+    AppConfiguration.Instance.LDAPConfig.LDAPQueryBase,
+    new StringBuilder("(&")
+        .Append("(objectCategory=person)")
+        .Append("(objectClass=user)")
+        .Append($"(memberOf={_configurationAD.Crew})")
+        .Append("(!(userAccountControl:1.2.840.113556.1.4.803:=2))")
+        .Append(")")
+        .ToString(),
+    SearchScope.Subtree,
+    attributesToQuery
+);
 
 // Add services to the container.
 builder.Services.AddRazorPages();