Windows Server 2012 – Installing Active Directory Domain Services

How to install  Active Directory in Windows Server 2012?

This post will explain how to enable and install the Active Directory Domain Services role on Windows Server 2012 to setup a Domain Controller.

To start with adding the Active Directory Domain Services role click on ‘Add roles and features’ in the Server Manager

 

Click on ’Next’ on the before you begin information page.

Select if you want to do a role-based and feature-based installation or a Remote Desktop services installation.

Choose if you want to select a Server from the server pool or Select a virtual hard disk.

  In the next screen, select the ‘Active Directory Domain Services’ role and click ‘Next’

 

Click ‘Next’ to continue with installing the AD Domain Services

 

 

Click next to  Active Directory Domain Services info screen.

 

 

Click ‘Install’ to start the actual installation after confirming the changes

The installation process will start

Active Directory 2012 installed. Close the screen

There will be a notification in the Server Manager that ‘Configuration is required for
Active Directory Domain Services’.

Select the AD DS role on the left part of the screen to view the status of the Active Directory Domain Services.
In the action list click on ‘Promote this server to a domain controller’.
Active directory domain services configuration wizard will be open. Select the deployment operation and click next

Active Directory Domain Services 2012 Configuration Wizard : Domain Controller options
Select functional level of the new forest and root domain, Specify domain controller capabilities and type
the directory services restore mode DSRM Password

 

Verify the NetBIOS name assigned to the domain and change if necessary

Specify the location of the AD DS database, log files and SYSVOL

Review your Active Directory 2012 selection and click next to install Active Directory 2012

Prerequisites need to be validated before Active Directory Domain Services is install on this computer. Since this is my testing environment,
I am going to ignore all the prerequisites and go head and install Active Directory 2012

 

Click Install to complete your Active  Directory 2012 Installation