Lab Objective:
Learn how to install Active Directory at Windows Server 2012 R2.
At the end of the whole lab, you’ll be able to realize the scenario shown below:
Lab Purpose:
You will learn how to install Active Directory on a network if you want other devices to join into a Domain Controller machine on your LAN.
Lab Tool:
Windows Server 2012 R2 + Windows 10
Lab Topology:
Use two machines either on your home network or on the same virtual network in VMware.
We will be creating the below configurations over this and the next few labs.
Lab Walkthrough:
Task 1:
Setup a new Windows Server 2012 R2 machine at VMware/VirtualBox.
Task 2:
Set the Administrator password.
Password: Password123!
Task 3:
Change the Windows Server name (Hostname) and then set a fixed IP Address.
When a server is installed, the first thing to do is to assign a name and a fixed IP Address so that it is always accessible from every client.
To change the name of the server, proceed as follow:
In the Server Manager – Local Server window click on Computer name:
Click on ‘Change’.
We will rename the Server as DC1 (Domain Controller 1).
Note:
In a company, it may be necessary to have more than one domain controller server. For this reason, we give the name DC (Domain Controller) followed by the number 1.
Tomorrow, we may need to insert another Domain Controller which will take the number 2, etc.
Confirm the change with ‘OK’ and reboot the server.
After restarting the server, its name has changed to DC1
Next, we need to assign a fixed IP Address to the server.
Note:
It is very important that a server has always a fixed IP Address.
To change the IP Address of the server, proceed as follows:
In the Server Manager – Local Server window click on IPv4 as shown in the image below:
Double-click on Ethernet0 (if this is the interface connected to the network, check with ‘ipconfig’).
Click on ‘Details…’.
Please take note of these values:
To assign a fixed IP Address, we need to know:
| IPv4 Address: | 192.168.112.136 |
| IPv4 Subnet Mask: | 255.255.255.0 |
| IPv4 Default Gateway: | 192.168.112.2 |
| IPv4 DNS Server: | 192.168.112.2 |
In our case, our VMware DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) assigned this IP Address to our server through the NAT (Network Address Translation) automatically.
This IP Address is at the moment Dynamic which means that it can change any minute to a new IP Address.
We will also use this IP Address and set it up to our server as fixed.
Close the window and click on ‘Properties’.
Remove the flag at the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and click on ‘OK’.
Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click on ‘Properties’.
Click on ‘Use the following IP address:’ and insert the values we got before like the image shown below:
Finally, click on ‘OK’.
Click on ‘Close’.
The system has still not acquired the IP Address settings. We need to ‘Disable this network device’ and then Re Enable it again to make the changes work.
Now click on ‘Enable this network device’ to apply the changes.
As you can see, the Ethernet0 has now changed to a fixed IP Address.
Close the Network window.
Task 4:
Windows Server initial configuration.
Disable IE Enhanced Security Configuration.
These settings allow you to browse the Internet without the IE Security block.
Task 5:
Enable Remote Desktop
Click on ‘Allow remote connections to this computer’.
Remove the flag to Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (recommended) as shown at the image below.
Confirm with ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’.
These settings allow you to login remotely to the server through the Remote Desktop Connection.
Click on ‘OK’ again.
Whenever you change something at the Server Manager, you need to refresh the window by clicking the icon shown at the image below so that you can see the changes.
You can now login remotely at your server through the Remote Desktop Connection from your Window Client machine. You would need to have an IP address on the remote machine in the same subnet to do this.
Confirm with ‘Yes’ and connect to the server remotely.
Task 6:
Install Microsoft Updates
Click on ‘Windows Update – Not configured’ as shown at the image below to configure Windows Update.
Click on ‘Let me choose my settings’.
Select ➔ ‘Download updates but let me choose whether to install them’.
Flag both Recommended updates and Microsoft Update as shown at the image below.
Then click on ‘OK’.
The system now starts checking for updates and downloads them.
Click on ‘115 important updates are available to install the updates’.
Click on ‘Install’.
We need to reboot our server before we can proceed with the next steps.
Please reboot the server every time you install new updates.
Task 7:
Setup Windows Firewall
As you can see from the image above, the Firewall is setup that self the Private is On.
We need to change these settings so that our clients will be able to reach out the server.
Click on ‘Private: On’ as shown below.
Right now, our Firewall with these settings blocks everything.
We want to allow our Local Clients to reach out the server and use its resources.
We will also deactivate the Firewall for our Local Network and will let the Public Rules activated.
Click on ‘Turn Windows Firewall on or off’.
- Select ‘Turn off Windows Firewall’ at the Private network settings tab (with these settings we allow the communication between our LAN (Local Area Network)).
- Select ‘Notify me when Windows Firewall blocks a new app’ at the Public network settings as shown below (with these settings we get notified whenever the Firewall blocks something then we can decide to allow or deny it and a new firewall rule will be automatically generated).
Click on ‘OK’.
Close this window.
Task 8:
Install Active Directory and DNS server roles.
In the Server Manager window, select ➔ Manage ➔ then Add Roles and Features as shown below:
Click ‘Next’.
Select ➔ Role-base or feature-based installation ➔ then click on Next as shown below:
Select a server from the server pool ➔ Click on Next as shown below:
Flag ➔ Active Directory Domain Services ➔
Confirm your choice with Add Features ➔
Do not close the window and flag ➔ DNS Server.
Click on ➔ Add Features.
Click on ➔ Next.
Click on ➔ Don’t select anything here.
Click on ➔ Next.
Click on ➔ Next.
Flag ➔ Restart the destination server automatically if required.
Click on ➔ Yes.
Click on ➔ Install.
The installation process starts. Please wait until the process is completed.
Click on ➔ Close.
Before we proceed with the promotion of this server to a Domain Controller, we need to setup our DNS Server.
From the Tools Menu Select ➔ DNS.
We need to setup a Forward and then a Reverse lookup Zone.
Note:
A forward lookup zone is a DNS function that takes a domain name and resolves it to an IP address.
A reverse lookup zone is a DNS function that takes an IP address and resolves it to a domain name.
We first create a forward lookup zone.
Right-click on ➔ Forward Lookup Zone ➔ then select ➔ New Zone…
Click on ➔ Next.
Select ➔ Primary zone ➔ then click on Next.
Insert the Domain Name you want to assign to your server and click on ➔ Next:
Leave everything as it is like the image shown below and click on ➔ Next.
Select ➔ Do not allow dynamic updates and click on ➔ Next.
Click on ➔ Finish.
You now have a running DNS server which will take the server domain name and resolve it to an IP address.
Next, we will create Reverse Lookup Zones.
Right-click on ➔ Reverse Lookup Zone ➔ then select ➔ New Zone…
Click on ➔ Next.
Select ➔ Primary zone ➔ then click on ➔ Next.
Select ➔ IPv4 Reverse Lookup Zone ➔ then click on ➔ Next.
Here, we need only to insert the first 3 octets of the server IP Address:
IPv4 Address: 192.168.112
The wizard automatically creates the Reverse lookup zone name.
Click on ➔ Next.
Click on ➔ Next.
Click on ➔ Next ➔ then click on ➔ Finish.
Right-click on ➔ Reverse Lookup Zones ➔ Select the Reverse Zone with your right mouse key ➔ Select All Tasks ➔ then click on ➔ Reload.
This operation will reload the Reverse Lookup Zone and make it work!
You can close this window now.
Next, we need to promote this server to a domain controller. Click as shown below:
This is our first Domain Controller, and we don’t have a Forest still so we will Add a new forest.
Please select ➔ Add a new forest ➔ Specify the domain information for this operation:
Root domain name:
Note:
If your domain has to end with “lab.local” then this is your forest name.
Click on ➔
We need to insert a password for the Domain Administrator here:
We will use the same password as before: Password123!
Click on ➔ Next (ignore any DNS warnings which may appear).
Click on ➔ Next.
Click on ➔ Next.
Click on ➔ Next.
Ignore these Warnings and click on ➔ Install.
The server will now reboot and you’ll have a full functionally Domain Controller with a DNS server and the Active Directory installed.
Please note the login has changed to a Domain Name now:
LAB
And the user Administrator can now login into that Domain Server.
After you login, you can see from the Server Manager that the server is now part of a Domain.
