How to create a Domain Controller – DC on Windows Server 2012, 2019

The following article will guide how to create a Domain Controller in Windows Server 2012, 2019

Go to Server Manager > Add roles and features as shown below:

Click next.

The next screen displays select Server Roles> Active Directory Domain Services and click Add Features:

Then, click Next and keep the default options. Go to this Confirmation window, click Install to begin the installation and create the necessary of Domain Controller services:

To start creating the Domain Controller, click on the Promote this server to a domain controller link at the Role installation end screen above, or outside the Server Manager interface, click Deployment Configuration as shown:

Create a new ADD forest called ADMIN.local, click Next: ( example (admin.local) )

Next to Domain Controller Options, select Forest Functional Level – FFL and Domain Controller Level – DCL at the default option, and enter the DSRM password. Besides, this is the system’s first DC, so Windows Server 2012, 2019 will claim to be the Global Catalog – GC, and we cannot change this option. Click Next:

Warning about DNS show, ignore click Next:

Check the NetBIOS name section. Since you named the AD Forest admin.local in the preceding step, the NetBIOS Name will be admin:

Next keep the folders and paths related to Active Directory (including Database, Logs file and Sysvol) and click Next:

Check all the information and options in this Review Options section, or you can export it to a script file to run by PowerShell if you click the View Script button:

Once OK, then move on to the Prerequisites Check section to officially create a DC:

After installing and creating the DC successfully, Windows Server will automatically restart. You need to note that during this reboot, the login account will be in the form of domain/username, not a simple username as before. At the same time, in the Server Manager interface, in the Tools section you can also see additional services such as:

• Active Directory Administrative Center
• Active Directory Domains and Trusts
• Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell
• Active Directory Sites and Services
• Active Directory Users and Computers
• ADSI Edit
• DNS
• Group Policy Management