Server 2012 R2 - Promoting Domain Controller

So as part of my New Years Resolutions I have decided to rebuild my lab on Server 2012 R2 and SQL 2012 SP1 then upload the whole thing to Azure to make it a little easier to run client demo's and do testing, etc. I also plan to start a new series of segments for System Center Service Manager 2012 R2 as my first set of new servers in the lab.

So starting at the beginning, I have created a new Server 2012 R2 template in Hyper-V and need to create a domain to work with.

Active Directory Domain Services:
The installation is broken up into to parts, adding the Active Directory Domain Services and doing the server promotion. Now you remember in Server 2003/2008 days the old DCPROMO command which would run this all for you. Well that was done away with in Server 2012 and in Server 2012 R2.

So In Server Manager Click Add roles and features

The Roles and Features Wizard will start, Click Next

This is a Role-based or feature-based installation, Click Next

Running this install on the local machine, Click Next

Check Active Directory Domain Services

You will be prompted to install additional features, Click Add features

Click Next

We are not adding features at this time, Click Next

Click Next

You can check the Restart the destination server automatically if required box if you like. Click Install

You can close this window once the install begins.

Promote to Domain Controller:
When the install finishes you will get a new notification. Click on the Notification flag and you will see that the feature was installed successfully. Click Promote this server to a domain controller

The Active Directory Domain Services Configuration Wizard will kick off. This is a new domain/forest so we will Select Add a new forest, and call it lab.local

I want this to be at the highest forest/domain functional level so we select Windows Server 2012 R2 for both. We also need to add a Directory Services Restore Mode password. Click Next

Since this is the first DC in the forest/domain and we don't have DNS up and running you will see an error for DNS delegation. This error can safely be ignored. Click Next

Your NetBIOS name should already be selected from the Root domain name selected earlier. Click Next

Leave these as default. Click Next

Click Next

If prerequisite checks pass Click Install

And that's it. If you checked the box to reboot the server, it will do so automatically, otherwise you you will need to do so manually to finish the install. Once it does, you can log in normally.

Note: Up to 2008 R2 you were prompted to set the domain administrator password during the DCPROMO steps. For some reason this was done away with in 2012. The DA password defaults to the local administrator password. The last thing I do is log in and change it for security reasons.

More to come!


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