Promoting Server to Domain Controller

What is domain controller (DC)?

On Windows Server Systems, the domain controller (DC) is the server that responds to security authentication requests (logging in, checking permissions, etc.) within the Windows Server domain.

In Windows NT, the central domain controller was known as the Primary Domain Controller (PDC), of which there could only be one with this role; all other domain controllers were identified as Backup Domain Controllers (BDC). In Windows 2000 and later the concept of primary and backup domain controllers was eliminated, partially to emphasize the multi-master replication technology available in Windows; however, there are still a number of master roles that only one domain controller can perform: schema master, domain naming master, infrastructure master, Relative ID master, and the PDC Emulator. These are called the Flexible single master operation roles. If one of
these roles is lost the domain can still function, and if the server will not be available again the role may be seized. In Windows NT, a BDC can authenticate the users in a domain.

How to promote server to a domain controller(DC)?

Make sure you already specify
an IP on your local area connection. Open the local area connection properties.

Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click on the
properties button.

Put the ip on the ip adress box followed by subnet mask, default gateway and preferred DNS server. The IP address depand on what class you want to use either A class, B class or C class. If you finish just click on ok button to proceed next step.

You can check the local area network is function or not by looking at the taskbar menu.

Click on the start>run and type “dcpromo”. Click ok. This will start the step to promote server to domain controller.

Welcome to the Active Directory Installation Wizard. This wizard helps you install Active Directory services on this server, making the server a domain controller. Click Next to continue.

Domain controllers running Windows Server 2003 implement security setting that require clients on other servers to communicate with those domain controllers in a more secure way. Windows 95 and NT 4.0 or earlier cannot meet the requirements of the older versions of windows. Click next to continue.

Select on the domain controller for a new domain if you’re want to create a new child domain, new domain tree, or new forest. Assume that you dont have a domain. Click next to proceed.

Create a new domain in a new forest if this is the first domain in your organization or the new domain of your current forest. Click next to continue.

Specify a name for the new domain. For example i try to use my domain name as Full DNS name for new domain. Click next to continue.

The NetBIOS Domain Name will create your domain NetBIOS name automatically. Click next to continue.

By default, database folder will be on the c:\windows\ntds same as log folder. Click next to continue.

The sysvol folder stores the server’s copy of the domain’s public files. The sysvol folder must be located on an NTFS volume. Click next to proceed installation.

Install and configure DNS server on your computer, and set this computer to use this DNS server.

Please select default permissions for user and group objects as below. Click next to continue installation.

Directory services restore mode administrator password. This password is used when you start the computer in directory services restore mode. Next to continue.

Summary review and confirm the options you selected. Next to continue installation

Configuring active directory. Please wait while the process is running. It might take several minutes.

Congratulation!!! You successfully install the active directory. To close the wizard, click Finish.

Windows must be restarted before the changes made by the active directory installation wizard take effect. Click on the restart now.

Check the DNS, the cisserver.configureinstallsetup.com already be your DNS server.

After the installation, the active directory is now installed on you machine. You can check the active directory domains and trusts and other active directory services on the administrative tools.