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In this lesson we are going to promote SADC01 to a domain controller.
Promote this server to a Domain controller
Step 1. Open Server Manager
Open Server Manager by clicking the Windows button and clicking Server Manager or by searching for Server Manager.
Step 2. Launch DC promotion wizard from Notification Flag
Select the notification flag, then Promote this server to a domain controller:

Step 3. Select the Deployment Operation
The next screen will ask you to specify if you want to join an existing domain, add a new domain to an existing forest or add a new forest. Since we are installing the first domain controller in our network, we will need to choose the last option.
Click Add a new forest. Enter your desired domain name (mine will be ad.serveracademy.com) and click Next:

Step 4. Configure Domain Controller Options
Domain and Forest Functional Level
Select the desired forest and domain functional level. The default options will work fine in our scenario.
If this is a new domain you should select the highest available option. You should only choose older options if you have older domain controllers in your domain or forest.
Specify Domain Controller Capabilities
The default opens for your first domain controller are DNS and GC (Global Catalog). This are required for the first domain controller installation in your domain unless you have a separate DNS server installed.
We do not, so we are going to go with those settings.
Specify the Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) password
The DSRM password is used when you launch the domain controller into DSRM mode. One example of when you will do this is when you need to restore a system state backup of the server.
For my lab environments I always use the same passwords so I am going to enter that here. You should use a secure password that you save somewhere in case of a critical failure of your server.
Click Next:

Step 5. Configure the DNS Options
On the DNS options page you will most likely see a warning for DNS Delegation not being created. This error means that the server cannot create a DNS delegation for the DNS zone “above you”.
In our case, it’s trying to create a DNS delegation in serveracademy.com for ad.serveracademy.com. The DNS for serveracademy.com is handled by CloudFlare, a non-windows DNS server that my server has no permissions for.
This is why we see this warning message. We can safely ignore it because we don’t need the public DNS to work with our local active directory domain.
Click Next:

Step 6. Additional Options
This page simply shows the NetBIOS domain name. This is a 16-byte name that is a more friendlier way of identifying the domain and computers on the domain than the FQDN (fully qualified domain name, ad.serveracademy.com).
No changes are needed, so click Next:

Step 7. Paths
The next screen allows you to modify the Paths for your domain controller. I will briefly explain what each folder is:
Database Folder
This is where your Active Directory database (ntds.dit) is stored.
Log files Folder
Just like it sounds - your Active Directory logs will also be stored here.
Sysvol Folder
This is a repository for your active directory files like Group Policy files, domain security info, logon scripts and more. When you have multiple domain controllers, this is the folder that replicates your active directory data between your DCs.
You don’t need to modify any of these settings unless you prefer to place them on separate disks for performance. In our lab environment this is not needed. Click Next:
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CURRICULUM
Course Introduction • 1min
0 / 1 lessons complete
Getting Started with Active Directory Domain Services • 52min
0 / 6 lessons complete
Section Overview
Free lesson
Text | 1 min
Installing the ADDS (Active Directory Domain Services) Server Role
Video | 7 min
Promote the Server to a Domain Controller
Video | 7 min
Forests, Trees and Domains
Video | 2 min
Windows Domain Quiz
Quiz | 5 Questions
Lab: Installing the Active Directory Domain Services
Lab | 30 min
Introduction to Active Directory Users & Computers • 1hr 23min
0 / 10 lessons complete
Section Overview
Free lesson
Text | 2 min
Organizational Units (OUs) and Containers
Video | 5 min
Creating, managing and deleting OUs
Video | 5 min
Creating User Accounts with Active Directory
Video | 8 min
Searching for Objects in Active Directory
Video | 6 min
Resetting User Passwords and Unclocking Accounts in Active Directory
Video | 6 min
Understanding Groups and Memberships
Video | 11 min
Disabling and Deleting User Accounts
Video | 6 min
Active Directory Quiz
Quiz | 5 Questions
Lab: Active Directory Users and Computers
Lab | 30 min
Adding a Second Domain Controller • 1hr 30min
0 / 7 lessons complete
Notice of change in Lab Names
Text | 2 min
Section Overview
Free lesson
Video | 2 min
Promoting Our Second Domain Controller
Video | 13 min
Flexible Single Master Operation (FSMO) Roles Overview
Free lesson
Video | 4 min
Transferring FSMO (Flexible Single Master Operations) Roles
Video | 5 min
Adding a Second Domain Controller Quiz
Quiz | 5 Questions
Lab: Adding a Second Domain Controller
Lab | 60 min
Active Directory Backups • 1hr 24min
0 / 5 lessons complete
Creating an Active Directory / System State Backup
Video | 4 min
Restoring an Active Directory Backup
Video | 7 min
Creating and Restoring Active Directory Snapshots
Video | 8 min
Active Directory Backups Quiz
Quiz | 5 Questions
Lab: Active Directory Backups
Lab | 60 min
How to Administrate Active Directory with Windows PowerShell • 1hr 58min
0 / 7 lessons complete
Enabling Script Execution for PowerShell
Video | 6 min
Listing AD Users with PowerShell
Video | 14 min
Creating AD Users with PowerShell
Free lesson
Video | 10 min
Creating User Accounts from a CSV (Comma Separated Value) File
Video | 15 min
Move All Disable Users to Disabled Users OU with PowerShell
Video | 8 min
AD PowerShell Quiz
Quiz | 5 Questions
Lab: ADUC PowerShell Automation
Lab | 60 min
Administrating AD SS (Active Directory Sites and Services) • 1hr 3min
0 / 5 lessons complete
Active Directory Sites and Services - Section Overview
Free lesson
Video | 8 min
Configuring Our ITFROUTE01 Server to act as a Router
Video | 11 min
Configuring Active Directory Sites and Services
Video | 9 min
Administrating AD SS Quiz
Quiz | 5 Questions
Lab: Configure ADDS Between Two Subnets
Lab | 30 min
Active Directory Trusts • 54min
0 / 5 lessons complete
Window Trusts Explained
Free lesson
Video | 6 min
Configuring DNS Settings for Active Directory Trusts
Video | 6 min
Establish a Two-way Active Directory Trust
Video | 7 min
Active Directory Trusts Quiz
Quiz | 5 Questions
Lab: Establish a two-way AD Trust
Lab | 30 min
Modifying the Active Directory Schema • 43min
0 / 3 lessons complete
Add Custom Attributes to Active Directory Users
Video | 8 min
Active Directory Schema Quiz
Quiz | 5 Questions
Lab: Extending the Active Directory Schema
Lab | 30 min
Course Conclusion • 1min
0 / 1 lessons complete