Promoting To A Domain Controller
Now that the ADDS role is installed well need to promote the first domain controller. You can do this from the server manager by clicking on the flag in the top right-hand corner and pressing the Promote this server to a domain controller button, and the Active Directory Domain Services Configuration Wizard should open.
Since were starting new and fresh well have to configure the forest by clicking the New Forest radio button and entering the root domain name into the text box. Its recommended to check any current Microsoft documentation to see if the recommendations have changed. At this time we recommend you use a real domain name and append some sort of subdomain to it. In our example, we used ad.whiskeytime.club, and yes, its a real domain name!
Once the Add a new forest radio, button is checked and the root domain name has been chosen, click next. Here well set the forest and domain functional levels, domain controller capabilities, and the Directory Services Restore Mode password. When you set the restore mode password be sure to save it, as without it you cannot access restore mode! Be sure to leave the DNS server option checked as without it youll have a very tough time. Click next youll be informed a DNS delegation could not be created, this is expected for a new forest. Click next again and wait for a little for the validation to complete before entering the NetBIOS name for the new domain.
Add A Domain Controller To An Existing Domain In Windows Server 2016
The procedures for adding a domain controller to an existing domain in Active Directory are the same, no matter which operating system you have. However, these instructions were organized during an exercise on Windows Server 2016. It is always a good idea to have at least two domain controllers in your AD domain just in case one goes down.
The second Domain Controller is a separate computer from the one identified for your first Domain Controller. That second computer needs to be set up with Windows Server 2016. Get it fully patched and assign it an IP address before starting the AD setup on that machine. Then follow these steps:
Accessing Your Domain Emails Using Windows 10 Built
Windows 10 comes with a built-in Mail application. You can find the Mail application from the Start menu, or by typing in Mail in the search box on your Windows taskbar.
Mail supports most popular mail services, including Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and any account that supports POP or IMAP. In other words, you can setup your Windows 10 Mail application to access your domain email accounts. In this article, we will show you how to configure your Windows 10 Mail app to access your domain email account.
My computer is on a domain Open Microsoft Management Console by clicking the Start button. In the left pane of Microsoft Management Console, click Local Users and Groups. Click the Users folder. Click Action, and then click New User. Type the appropriate information in the dialog box, and then click Create.
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Update Dns Settings For The Azure Virtual Network
With Azure AD DS successfully deployed, now configure the virtual network to allow other connected VMs and applications to use the managed domain. To provide this connectivity, update the DNS server settings for your virtual network to point to the two IP addresses where the managed domain is deployed.
The Overview tab for your managed domain shows some Required configuration steps. The first configuration step is to update DNS server settings for your virtual network. Once the DNS settings are correctly configured, this step is no longer shown.
The addresses listed are the domain controllers for use in the virtual network. In this example, those addresses are 10.0.2.4 and 10.0.2.5. You can later find these IP addresses on the Properties tab.
To update the DNS server settings for the virtual network, select the Configure button. The DNS settings are automatically configured for your virtual network.
If you selected an existing virtual network in the previous steps, any VMs connected to the network only get the new DNS settings after a restart. You can restart VMs using the Azure portal, Azure PowerShell, or the Azure CLI.
Create The Active Directory
After you have installed Windows Server 2003 on a stand-alone server, run the Active Directory Wizard to create the new Active Directory forest or domain, and then convert the Windows Server 2003 computer into the first domain controller in the forest. To convert a Windows Server 2003 computer into the first domain controller in the forest, follow these steps:
Insert the Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM into your computer’s CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
Click Start, click Run, and then type dcpromo.
Click OK to start the Active Directory Installation Wizard, and then click Next.
Click Domain controller for a new domain, and then click Next.
Click Domain in a new forest, and then click Next.
Specify the full DNS name for the new domain. Note that because this procedure is for a laboratory environment and you are not integrating this environment into your existing DNS infrastructure, you can use something generic, such as mycompany.local, for this setting. Click Next.
Accept the default domain NetBIOS name . Click Next.
Set the database and log file location to the default setting of the c:\winnt\ntds folder, and then click Next.
Set the Sysvol folder location to the default setting of the c:\winnt\sysvol folder, and then click Next.
Click Install and configure the DNS server on this computer, and then click Next.
Click Permissions compatible only with Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 servers or operating systems, and then click Next.
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Add New User Account From Command Line
Some times we may want to add new users from command line instead of using the UI. For example, if we have to add some 100 users, using a script will save lot of time and manual effort. Windows provides net user command for this purpose. This command works on Windows 2000, Windows XP/2003, Vista and Windows 7.
To add a new user account on the local computer:
net user username password /ADD
Example: To add a new user account with the loginid John and with password fadf24as
net user John fadf24as /ADD
Hide password
If you do not want the password to be visible while adding new user account, you can use * as shown below.
C:\> net user /add John *Type a password for the user: Retype the password to confirm:The command completed successfully.C:\>
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Active Directory Reporting With Solarwinds Access Rights Manager
Generating reports on Active Directory is essential for optimizing performance and staying in accordance with regulatory compliance. One of the best Active Directory reporting tools is SolarWinds Access Rights Manager . The tool has been created to increase visibility into how directory credentials are used and managed. For example, you can view accounts with insecure configurations and credential abuse that could indicate a cyber attack.
Using a third-party tool like SolarWinds Access Rights Manager is beneficial because it provides you with information and features that would be much more difficult or impossible to access through Active Directory directly.
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Connection To The Server
If the connection is successful, then the server in the domain has been added correctly.
Although Windows recommends that you keep the Firewall turned on for all networks, we recommend that you disable it for both domain and private networks to avoid unpredictable behaviour. For a public network, however, we recommend that you leave it turned on.
Do Research Your Domain
Spend time looking into your domains past. Someone else could have purchased it a long time ago to build a site in a separate space, or it could have a shady past that youre unaware of.
Keep an eye out for competitors that have similar domains, or other businesses that have a similar company name. Youll want something thats completely unique and free of any existing negative association.
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Logging Into Local Accounts On Windows
After the computer is joined to the Active Directory domain, you can sign in under the domain or local user account. On the login screen in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, there is a drop-down list Log on to. Here you can choose whether you want to log in under the domain account or using a local user .
However, in newer versions of Windows, this drop-down menu no longer exists. Instead of this, a user is facing with a small button How to log on to another domain which appears near on the domain-joined computers Welcome Screen. If you click this button, the following tip will appear:
Type domain namedomain user name to sign in to another domain.Type NY-FS01\local user name to sign in to this PC only
As you can see, the message contains the name of your computer/server . If you want to login with a local account , type in NY-FS01\Administrator in the User name field and type the password. Of course, if your computer name is quite long, the input can be a real challenge!
Fortunately, there is a simple trick that allows you to log in under a local account.
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Simple Methods To Join Windows 11 Computer To Domain
If you got Windows 11 machines running in your setup, you can join Windows 11 computer to domain. You can perform the Windows 11 domain join process using multiple methods.
When you set up an Active Directory Domain Controller server in your network, you can then join one or more Windows 11 machines to the Active Directory domain.
The Windows 11 AD domain join process adds your computer to active directory domain allowing the computers to access the resources within the domain.
Active Directory stores information about objects on the network and makes this information easy for administrators and users to find and use. Active Directory uses a structured data store as the basis for a logical, hierarchical organization of directory information.
If you are new to the concept of Active Directory, I recommend reading Overview of Active Directory Domain Services.
Using AD Domain Controller, you can centrally manage domain-joined Windows 11 PCs. You can create, configure and apply group policies to push various user and computer settings to a domain-joined Windows 11 computers.
In addition, you can also create and manage user accounts accessing the domain-joined Windows 11 computers and other resources of the Active Directory domain.
The steps used for Windows 11 domain join process is slightly different from the one that we used with Windows 10. However, it is not difficult and if you are a Windows admin, it shouldnt make much difference.
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How To Join A Windows 10 Pc To A Domain
Domains provide single user log on from any networked computer within the network perimeter. Heres how to join a Windows 10 client to a domain.
A Domain-based network provides centralized administration of an entire network from a single computer called a server. Domains provide single user log on from any networked computer within the network perimeter. Users can access resources for which they have appropriate permission. While I do not want to go into the complexities of Domain networks, you can find out more by contacting your Network Administrator if you have difficulties connecting to your workplace domain.
To join a Domain, you must first ensure you have the following information and resources:
- a User Account on the Domain, this information you can get from your Network Administrator.
- Name of Domain.
- A computer running Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise/Education editions
- Domain Controller must be running Windows Server 2003 .
- I discovered during testing that Windows 10 does not support Windows 2000 Server Domain Controllers.
Convert To Administrator Account
Youre all set now. You dont have to do this if youre going to share your PC with someone else since administrator permissions will give them full access to your computer.
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Join A Windows 10 Pc Or Device To A Domain
On the Windows 10 PC, go to Settings > System > About, then click Join a domain.
Enter the Domain name and click Next. You should have the correct domain info, but if not, contact your Network Administrator.
Enter account information that is used to authenticate on the Domain and then click OK.
Wait while your computer is authenticated on the Domain.
And then, youll need to restart to complete the process.
When the sign-in screen appears, you will notice the DOMAIN\User account is displayed. Enter your password, and you will now be logged onto your Domain.
You will notice that once you are connected to the Domain, your About setting no longer lists options presented before. This is because the server centrally manages your computer.
Leaving the Domain or log into your local account
If a need arises where you need to leave the domain or log into your local account, you can easily do so. Log into your local account while your computer is joined to a Domain. Sign out of your machine at the sign-in screen, select Other user.
Enter the machine name followed by a backslash and then your local user account, as shown below.
On A Computer In The Iu Ads Domain
To create an administrator account on a Windows computer in the Indiana University ADS domain:
In Windows 8.x, select the radio button titled Other:, and then, from the drop-down menu, choose Administrators.
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Add Users And Computers To The Active Directory Domain
After the new Active Directory domain is established, create a user account in that domain to use as an administrative account. When that user is added to the appropriate security groups, use that account to add computers to the domain.
To create a new user, follow these steps:
Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers to start the Active Directory Users and Computers console.
Right-click Users, point to New, and then click User.
Type the first name, last name, and user logon name of the new user, and then click Next.
Type a new password, confirm the password, and then click to select one of the following check boxes:
Click Next.
Review the information that you provided, and if everything is correct, click Finish.
After you create the new user, give this user account membership in a group that permits that user to perform administrative tasks. Because this is a laboratory environment that you are in control of, you can give this user account full administrative access by making it a member of the Schema, Enterprise, and Domain administrators groups. To add the account to the Schema, Enterprise, and Domain administrators groups, follow these steps:
Active Directory Events To Monitor
Like all forms of infrastructure, Active Directory needs to be monitored to stay protected. Monitoring the directory service is essential for preventing cyber-attacks and delivering the best end-user experience to your users.
Below were going to list some of the most important network events that you should look out for. If you see any of these events then you should investigate further ASAP to make sure that your service hasnt been compromised.
| Current Windows Event ID |
|---|
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What Happens To My Email And Website
After you finish setup, the MX record for your domain is updated to point to Microsoft 365 and all email for your domain will start coming to Microsoft 365. Make sure you’ve added users and set up mailboxes in Microsoft 365 for everyone who gets email on your domain!
If you have a website that you use with your business, it will keep working where it is. The Domain Connect setup steps don’t affect your website.
Register The Clients To The Active Directory Domain
Check that you can ping the domain controller from the clients:
C:\Users\wwwolf> ping dc.whitewinterwolf.comPinging dc.whitewinterwolf.com with 32 bytes of data:Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time< 1ms TTL=128Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=128Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=128Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=128Ping statistics for 192.168.0.1: Packets: Sent =4, Received =4, Lost = 0 ,Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = Oms, Maximum = 1ms, Average = 0msC:\Users\wwwolf>
The location of the option to join an Active Directory domain differs dependingon your Windows version:
- Settings> System> About> Connect to work or school> Connect> Join this device to a local Active Directory domain.
- Control Panel> Systems and Security> System> Change Settings.
Type-in the domain name, you should be prompted for the domain administratorlogin and password to validate the operation.
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