Deploying Domain Controllers using server manager
Two ways:
- Log on locally to the server
- connect to it using Remote Desktop
For new forest
Steps:
- Make sure you have the appropriate credentials for the task you are going to perform.
- Add the remote servers you will be promoting to DC to the server pool.
- Create a new server group, which will make it easier to promote multiple remote servers to DC simultaneously.
For existing forest
1. First requires extend the existing AD schema( Adprep.exe).
Adprep.exe was used for extending the schema in 2008 R2 or 2008, which is in \support\adprep folder for win2008R2, 2012 or \sources\adprep for 2008.
Parameters such as /forestprep and /domainprep.
Now, adprep is run automatically when a new windows 2012 DC in a existing forest or domain running an earlier version of Windows Server.
However, you have to manually run adprep when performing a in-place upgrade of your first Win 2012 DC. It support win 2003, 03 R2, 08, 08 R2.
Requirement:
- You must have the credentials of a member of the Enterprise Admins group to run the Adprep /forestprep command.
- Adprep can be run only on any server (domain controller, member server or standalone server) that is running a 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008 or later . You cannot run Adprep on a server running Windows Server 2003 or a 32-bit version of Windows Server 2008
- The server you run Adprep on must have network connectivity to the schema master of the existing forest
- The server you run Adprep on must have network connectivity to the infrastructure master of the existing domain where you want to add a new Windows Server 2012 domain controller
VERIFYING ADPREP
The Dsquery.exe command-line tool can be used to verify whether Adprep has extended your forest’s schema. For example, let’s say your existing forest has domain controllers running Windows Server 2008 R2. To determine the current schema level of your forest, open
a command prompt on one of your domain controllers and run the following command:
dsquery * cn=schema,cn=configuration,dc=fabrikam,dc=com -scope base -attr objectVersion
The output from this command looks like this:
objectVersion 47
Now take a server running Windows Server 2012, join it to a domain in your forest, and use Server Manager to promote the server to a domain controller. After you fnish introducing the new domain controller into your forest, re-run the preceding dsquery command on the
domain controller you previously ran it on. The output from the command looks like this:
objectVersion 56
The version number 56 indicates that the schema of your forest has been extended to include domain controllers running Windows Server 2012.
WINDOWS POWERSHELL BEHIND THE WIZARD
The AD DS Confguration Wizard is built entirely on Windows PowerShell.
Being able to view the script behind the wizard provides several benefts.
- First, it enables you to quickly learn the syntax of Windows PowerShell cmdlets for AD DS deployment.
- And second, you can copy these scripts, customize them, and use them to automate the deployment of other domain controllers.
Demotion of DC
The demotion of domain controllers can fail when the domain controller you are performing this action on has no connectivity with other domain controllers in the domain.
If this happens, try selecting the ” Force The Removal Of This Domain Controller” check box on the Credentials page of the AD DS Confguration Wizard when you are attempting to demote the domain controller.