HOW TO SETUP ACTIVE DIRECTORY DOMAIN SERVICES (AD DS) IN VMs

?AD DS is used to store information about user accounts, such as names, passwords, phone numbers, and so on, and enables other authorized users on the same network to access this information. Setting up AD DS can be done using the server manager or PowerShell.

For Server Manager

1.?Launch VM from Hyper-V manager and sign in.

2.?Launch server manager from the search bar of your servers. Click on the dashboard of the server manager or on the top left corner click on manage and select add roles and features.

3. Click on server roles when the add roles and features wizard page pops up, tick on the active directory services and click on add features. Click on next and install.

4.?After installation, select AD DS on server manager, click on more beside the notification on the top of the page (configure AD DS). All server task details page will pop up and click on promote this server to a domain controller.

5.The AD DS configuration wizard page will pop up, select add forest, type in root domain name (the name of your M365) and click next.

NOTE: A forest is a collection of one or more domains that have a trust relationship between them i.e., you can access resources in each other’s domain. The trust relationship can be one way or two ways.

6.?Select server for your forest and domain functional level, type in a password and click on next. ?

Note: Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) is a boot mode for repairing or recovering Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). It is used to log on to the appliance AD nodes after AD DS has failed or when AD DS needs to be restored.

7.?Add your NetBIOS (i.e., your top-level domain minus .com, Mine will be MACTERRA minus. shop) and click on next.

NetBIOS name for a windows domain is formed by padding the domain name to 15 bytes with blanks, appending the byte 0 x 01 representing the DC service.

8.?Click on next to confirm paths, review the information entered, then prerequisite check and click on install.

Allow server to restart, sign in as administrator and check server dashboard your AD DS and DNS tab has been added.?

Using PowerShell

1.?Launch PowerShell and run as an administrator.

2.?Execute the ‘Get-windowsFeature’ command in PowerShell, find the name of Active Directory Domain Services for PowerShell commands. In this Server it is AD-Domain-Services, and it is available for installation.

3.?Execute this `Install-WindowsFeature -name AD-Domain-Services -IncludeManagementTools’ to install AD DS.

4.?Once the installation is finished, you must import ADDS Deployment module manually by executing the command `Import-Module ADDSDeployment’. If this is the first domain controller, you must add a new forest by executing the command `Install-ADDS Forest’. Type the Domain Name and DSRM password. When you see a message that your server will be restarted, type Y to restart your server.

The Active Directory Domain Services and DNS Server roles will install. You check manually through the server manager on your server.

Mary Udo