Servers - Configuring a Domain Controller

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Configuring a Domain Controller a How to...

Before starting you must have a server with these services configured: DNS, WINS, and optional DHCP. If you selected Dynamic DNS when you set up your DNS Service there will be extra steps involved with the configuration.

Portions of this page were extracted from Build a Server Guide.

Why have a domain controller? The considerations for a domain controller are numerous. The main reason for having a domain is security. The domain controller (DC) ensures that anyone accessing a computer system on your network has two items: a user id and a password. A domain controller has other functions as well. Create and audit user id's. A user id allows the security control over what resources the user accesses. The user id can also be used with e-mail and applications thus having a single log on for all Domain related activities.

Note: You need to insure you have the Computer Administrators password to continue with this process! If you did not rename the administrator account do it now, this will become the domain administrator account when you are complete.

I will assume that this is your first Domain Controller in your domain. You have the IP addresses, and Domain Name ready. So now you need to create the Domain Controller.

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You can use the Add/Remove programs applet or the Configure your server page. I recommend the Configure your server page, the Wizard has a few more steps that will save you time with pre-configuring the Domain Controller (DC).

When you open the Configure your Server Wizard, go to the Server Role page. There you will see a list of Roles the server is configured for. Select 'Domain Controller (Active Directory)'. Follow the prompts to create the DC on your server.

The process is quite simple and straight forward because you have all Your server can do more than one thing at same time, multitasking a server is one of it's specility. ready met the prerequisite installations.

As you go through the steps you need to select: domain controller for a new domain tree. This being the first DC server.

Finish the installation and restart the computer. Log on with the Domain Administrator's user id and password.

Once you have installed the Domain then you will have access to more tools such as Active Directory Users and Computers, Active Directory Sites and Services, Active Directory Domains and Trusts, Distributed File System, and many more.

The main thing is that you have increased the security of your network a thousand fold.

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