Configuring Active Directory

Configuring Active Directory (AD DS) in
Windows Server 2012

Posted by George Khalil on Jul 18, 2012 in Windows, Windows 2012
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Windows Server 2012 introduces a plethora of new features with a key emphasis on Cloud
integration being the buzz word in the industry over the last 24 months. Windows continues to
grow and mature as an operating system with the latest iteration being more secure, reliable and
robust and more importantly making it easily interoperable with other systems.
This post will focus on Installing a Windows 2012 Server and then promoting it as the first
domain controller in a new Forest. Even though the logical steps havent really changed
dramatically since the introduction of Windows 2008, the interface has! especially with the new
metro look. So lets begin our journey with Windows Server 2012 as this will be the first of
many articles on configuring different components that Windows Server 2012 has to offer.
Installing Windows Server 2012
The first step is to boot up from the CD or ISO image and select your language settings.
Select your Language and input options and then click on Next.
Click Install Now

Select the operating system you want to install. I have selected Windows Server 2012 Release
Candidate Server with a GUI. The other option is server core which was first introduced in
Windows 2008 and is a minimal install with no GUI but provides remote management through
Windows PowerShell and other tools.
Click Next
Accept the License terms
Click Next
We are performing a new installation of Windows Server, so click on Custom.
Partition your drives and then click Next.

The Installation of Windows then proceeds.
The installation will eventually re-start your Windows Server where it will go through the final
stages of preparing the environment for first time use.
You will eventually be prompted to enter a password for the built-in Administrator account.
Click Finish
You will now be presented with the new Windows Login Screen, which is a fair change to what
we have been accustomed to with previous releases of Windows Server.
Hit Ctrl ALT Delete to sign in, and enter your password.
You will be presented with the new Server Manager Screen which really simplifies the
administration and configuration of your new server. Our main goal for this article is to
configure Active Directory and its related services such as DNS.
First thing I want to do is change the computer name. Windows goes ahead and provides a
default unique name in the form of WIN-<random characters>
To do so, from the Server Manager > Dashboard screen, click on Local Server and then click on
the computer name hyperlink.
This will take you to the all familiar System Properties
Click Change, enter a more desirable Computer Name and then click OK.
You will then be prompted to restart your computer to apply the changes. Click Ok and then
Click on restart now.
After your computer has restarted, we will be presented with the Server Manager Screen. Now
we are ready to configure this server as an Active Directory Controller.
Adding the Active Directory Domain Services Role
From the Dashboard click on Add roles and features. You will be presented with the Before
you begin screen. Click Next. In the Installation Type screen click on Role-base or featurebased installation.
Click Next
You will be presented with the following screen asking you to select a destination server. This is
a new feature of Windows 2012 where you have the ability to deploy roles and features to
remote servers and even offline virtual hard disks.
In our case, we are selecting the current server from the server pool.
Click Next
We are now back in familiar territory (if you have worked with Windows 2008 Server) and we
will select the Active Directory Domain Services and DNS Server if it hasnt already been
provisioned.
You will then be prompted to add features that are required for Active Directory Domain
Services.
Click on Add Features

Click Next
If you want to add additional features, you can do so from the next screen, otherwise click Next
You will now be presented with the Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) screen outlining
some information about AD DS and its requirements. You will notice that DNS is a MUST and
has always been the case.
Click next
You now provided with a summary of installation selections
The installation will now begin
Upon completion you will be presented with an installation succeeded message.
Click Close.
Back in Server Manager, you will notice that AD DS has been added to the left navigation
tree. Click on it and then click on More on the right navigation pane where it states that
Configuration is required for Active Directory Domain Services.
You will now be presented with the All Servers Task Details, in which you will click on Promote
this server to a domain controller under Action.
The Deployment Configuration screen appears and we will select Add a new forest as this is
the first domain controller.
Enter your Root domain name and then click Next.

The following screen will then appear in which you will enter and select your Domain Controller
Options.
You will then get the below warning in which you can ignore for now.
Click Next
The NetBIOS domain name will then be inputted automatically. In the event of a conflict, it will
suggest an alternative by appending the original name with a 0.
Click Next
Confirm or change the locations of your database folder, log folder and SYSVOL folder.
Click Next
Review your selections and then Click Next.
If all of the prerequisites checks have passed successfully, you will be able to click on Install to
proceed.
Click Install
The installation will now proceed and you will see the progress being displayed.
The computer will most likely restart on its own to complete the installation so dont be alarmed
if it does. You will receive a brief warning advising so.
Upon restart, you should be able to login using your domain credentials for the user
administrator.
So lets add our first user! We can do so via the new Active Directory Administrative Center or
via the well known Active Directory Users and Computers. For something different, lets try the
former.
Once Server Manager has launched, click on Tools > Active Directory Administrative Center
You will be greeted with the below Welcome screen.
Click on your domain on the left navigation pane, in my instance it is corp (local).
Lets begin by creating our first Organizational Unit that will house our corporate users (I am not
a fan of using the default Users). On the right navigation pane under Taks > <domain name>
click on New and then select Organizational Unit.
Enter the mandatory details.
Click OK
This will immediately create the Organizational Unit in the designated location. Double click on
your newly created Organizational Unit and on the left navigation pane, select New User. The
below screen appears in which you will fill in the necessary details.
Make sure you scroll down to the bottom and fill in all the necessary sections such as Groups,
Profile Settings and Organization settings.
Once completed, Click OK.

Your newly created user will now be listed in the middle navigation pane.
As you can see it is relatively straight forward configuring your first domain controller in a new
forest using Windows Server 2012, in particular if you have had experience with Windows
Server 2008.
The team at GKM2 Solutions are proficient and certified with all version of Windows Server
dating back to 2000 and 2012 will be no different. If you require any assistance with your
Windows Server migration needs or Active Directory in General, dont hesitate to contact us via
our website form or call us on 1300 797 288. We will be more than glad to help with your IT
requirements.
Resources
Windows 2012 Resource Center http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/windowsserver/hh534429.aspx

Configuring Active Directory

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Configuring Active Directory (AD DS) in

Windows Server 2012

Click Install Now

We are performing a new installation of Windows Server, so click on Custom.

Partition your drives and then click Next.

This will take you to the all familiar System Properties

Click on Add Features

The installation will now begin

Upon completion you will be presented with an installation succeeded message.

Enter your Root domain name and then click Next.

Once completed, Click OK.

Windows 2012 Resource Center http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/windowsserver/hh534429.aspx

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