Setting up Active directory on windows server 2022
This setup guide is under the assumption that this is a fresh server install. In this example I'm going to use Hyper-V and load Windows Server 2022 with its default settings. I will then proceed with the steps to turn this into an Active Directory Domain Controller.
1) Change the Name of the Server- Change the name of your server or the domain controller after it has been set up. However, it is HIGHLY recommended that you settle on the final name for your server before installing Active Directory.
A) Open up Server Manager and go to Local server as seen on left hand side of picture. Click on Local Server and click on WIN-V103IVJAUE5 (your machine will show something differing )
2) Click the Change button- Click the change button and another window will appear call Computer Name/Domain Changes
3) Change the name of your server- Back out the name and choose a meaningful server name like in the hightlighted picture. For this example I will name the server WIN2K22. Click OK and you'll be prompted to restart your server Click close on System Properties and another box will appear, Click Restart Now
4) Configure a Static IP for your server- A static IP address for your server is mandatory to ensure that the resources stay connected and remain accessible by the server.
A) Open up Server Manager and go to Local server as seen on left hand side of picture. Click on the area that is highlighted with IPv4 address assigned by DCHP, IPv6 enabled
5) Right click on Ethernet adapter icon- Right click once on the Ethernet Adapter shown in the picture. A sub menu will appear.
A) Click on the properties as shown in the highlighted example
6) Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)- Left click once on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). It will hightlight itself blue like in the example picture. Once selected, click on the properties button. Another window will appear called Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties.
7) Change your IP address- In my example I'm using 192.168.12.254 as my IP address with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. The default gateway is 192.168.24.1 and the preferred DNS (Doman Name Server) is 192.168.24.154. You network setup my be differnt and you'll have to adject accordingly. Once done hit OK to continue
Note: Using the server's own IP address as the Preferred DNS server ensures that the domain controller can resolve DNS queries for itself and other domain-related services correctly. It's an important configuration step to avoid potential DNS-related issues within the domain
8) Launch the Server Manager- Launch the Server Manager program, press the Windows Logo Key and search for “Server Manager”. An application should show up on the list. Click on it to launch the program.
9) Set up Roles & Features- Look for “Manage” on the top right of the menu bar. Click on it and then select “Add Roles and Features.” A pop-up window will open immediately. This pop-up window is the installer wizard that guides you with the roles and features setup.
10) Add Roles & Features Wizard- On the left side of the window, you’ll see a list of all the checkpoints you encounter in this stage. Click “Next”.
11) Select Installaton Type- At the “Installation Type” checkpoint select “Role-based or feature based installation” radio button and then click “Next”.
12) Configure your Server Selection & Roles- On the “Server Selection” checkpoint, select “Select a server from the server pool” radio button. This lists a server installed on your machine. Please, click on the desired server once to select it and click “Next.”
13) Select Active Directory Domain Services- At the “Select Server Roles” checkpoint, select the role for the server. In the center of the window, there is a list of all the roles that you can assign to your server machine. Search for “Active Directory Domain Services”.
14) Add Features- Next, a pop-up window will be displayed. This is the checkpoint for adding new features. Navigate on the “Add features” button at the bottom of the window and a list of available features will be displayed.
15) Select Features- Next simply click “next” without making modifications to any other settings.
16) Active Directory Domain Services- You will be redirected to the adding “Active Directory Domain Services” feature once the previous step is complete. On the installer wizard window, click “Next”.
17) Summary & Confirmation- You’ll see a summary of your selected options here. Have a look at them carefully, and if you think you’ve made a mistake at any of the earlier checkpoints, you can go back and fix it by clicking “previous.”
18) Summary & Confirmation Continued- The wizard will then begin installation. Please make sure not to interrupt the installation. Once the installation is complete, click the “Close” button.
Note: Do not close until 100% complete. If you do you'll need to reopen the Server Manager again in Step 8
19) Promoting your Server to a Domain Controller- On your Server Manager dashboard, you’ll should see a yellow triangle warning sign on the top right of the window near the menu bar. This sign appears only if Active Directory Domain Services was properly installed.
Click on the warning sign and a dropdown list will show you the required actions termed “post-deployment configuration.”
Look for the “Promote this server to a domain controller” option and click on it.
20) Add a Forest- On your Server Manager dashboard, you’ll should see a yellow triangle warning sign on the top right of the window near the menu bar. This sign appears only if Active Directory Domain Services was properly installed.
Click on the warning sign and a dropdown list will show you the required actions termed “post-deployment configuration.”
Look for the “Promote this server to a domain controller” option and click on it.
21) Deployment Configuration- At the first window “Deployment Configuration”, please select the “add a new forest” radio button and enter your root domain name as desired. Then click “next”. (When adding a new forest, you’ll see multiple options.
22) Domain Controller Options- At the “Domain Controller Options” checkpoint, leave all the settings untouched and enter your password and confirm it. Make sure to keep a note of this password as changing it later on is troublesome.
23) Configuring DNS Options- On the DNS Options page, you’ll see an error message stating that there’s no parent zone found and no delegation for your DNS server could be created. Ignore this message and click the “next” button, leaving all the settings at this checkpoint unchanged.
24) Configure additional options- On the Additional Options page, enter your desired NetBIOS domain name in the given textbox. Click “Next”.
25) Confirm Paths- Three or more paths will be listed on your screen. Do not change these paths. You’re not required to keep a note of these paths either. Click “next”.
26) Review Options- Whatever options you’ve selected so far will listed on the configuration wizard at this checkpoint. Have a look at them and if needed, move to the previous checkpoints using the “previous” button and make the desired changes. Once you’re satisfied with the selected options, click “next” on the “Review Options”.
27) Run Prerequisites Check- Next, head to the “Prerequisites Check” checkpoint. At this stage you’ll see, if all the prerequisite checks were successfully completed. If not, then a list of errors will be displayed on the window. If there are any errors, you’ll need to go to the stated checkpoint and fix the errors. Once you’ve fixed all the errors, a green check mark with a success message will be displayed. Then click “Install” to begin the installation. .
28) Successful Installation- You have successfully installed Windows 2022 Active Directory Services. Next, your server machine will need to be restarted once the promotion is successfully complete.
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