Install and configure a Domain Controller on Windows Server 2008 R2

If you are not familiar with Active Directory and infrastructure setting up a DC might seem like a daunting process, but it isn’t really. Let me break it down for you.

The process for Serve 2008 R2 and 2012 is similar, the pictures just change. If you have 2012 you should be able to use this guide as long as you bear in mind that you might have to look for where the buttons are.

Step 1. Log into the server of you choice and start Server Manager

Step 2. Go to Server Roles and Add Roles

Step 3. Follow the Add Roles wizard.

Step 4.Choose the Active Directory Domain Services role

Step 5. Adding the role requires adding features to the server

Step 6. Follow the install process.

Step 7. In order to configure Active Directory Domain Services we need to configure it with dcpromo.exe

Go to Roles > Active Directory Domain Services > dcpromo

Step 8. Follow the prompts for the Active Directory Domain Services installation Wizard.

Step 9. Go to the following screen and select Create a new domain in a new forest option and click Next.

Step 10. Enter the domain name of your choice

Step 11. Go make coffee. Because you’re worth it.

Step 12. Now select the oldest Operating System you have in your environment. This is for backwards compatibility.

Step 13. DNS. If this machine is the only a stand-alone server you don’t need to enable this so don’t tick it, if that is not the case, keep it ticked.

Step 14. Configure your folders that will contain the Active Directory controller database, log files, SYSVOL.

Step 15. Choose a password for Restore mode Administrator account. (This is not the Domain Administrator account, this is an additional account used for recovery)

Step 16. When the wizard finishes, reboot your server

Step 17. When prompted to log-on to the machine you might see the Administrator account will bum out on you, no worries. Simply Switch User then enter your new domain before the username, in this case it would be ppsp2010\administrator as you are now logging into the domain

As you can see it is much easier than you might think, okay sure, I still won’t allow you do work as my AD Admin yet, but you deserve another coffee break.

Adrian