Tag Archives: Active Directory Domain Services

How to rollback AD DS Forest Function Levels in Windows Server using PowerShell

So you have recently raised your Active Directory Domain services Forest Functional Level from Server 2008 to either Sever 2008 R2 or Server 2012.  Now you have realized you need to go back to either Server 2008 or Server 2008 R2, in previous operating systems this was not possible.  In Windows Server 2008 R2 and … Continue reading How to rollback AD DS Forest Function Levels in Windows Server using PowerShell

Using PowerShell to rollback AD DS Domain Functional Level in Windows Server 2008 R2 and 2012

So you have recently raised you Active Directory Domain Services Domain Functional Level from Server 2008 to either Sever 2008 R2 or Server 2012.  Now you have realized you need to go back to either Server 2008 or Server 2008 R2, in previous operating systems this was not possible.  In Windows Server 2008 R2 and … Continue reading Using PowerShell to rollback AD DS Domain Functional Level in Windows Server 2008 R2 and 2012

How to configure Forest Level Trust in Windows Server

Scenario – Two organizations, USSHQ (USSHQ.Local) and Dulce Base (DulceBase.Local) need to be able to share resources. A forest trust relationship between the two organizations Active Directory Domain Services is desired. Before the trust can be created name resolution needs to configured and tested for connectivity between the two domains. Once the trust relationship is configured, resource administrators … Continue reading How to configure Forest Level Trust in Windows Server

Windows Server – How to configure a Conditional Forwarder in DNS

Conditional Forwarders are a DNS feature introduced in Windows Server 2003. A Conditional Forwarder allows an organization to resolve names to a private namespace or speed up name resolution to a public namespace.  When a DNS server receives a client query request for a host address that is not part of its authoritative namespace, it … Continue reading Windows Server – How to configure a Conditional Forwarder in DNS

Windows Server – How to identify which domain controller authenticated a user

A question came up in class this week which is asked quite often when I am teaching an Active Directory class. Whether it is the Active Directory administration class or the advanced design class I am asked, “I have a user that is logged on. I don’t think they received the correct GPO settings, is there … Continue reading Windows Server – How to identify which domain controller authenticated a user

How to demote a Domain Controller (DC) in Windows Server 2012 Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)

In this blog we will explore how to demote a domain controller in Windows Server 2012 Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). In previous versions of Windows Server to demote a domain controller you would use the DCPROMO.exe utility.  In Windows Sever 2012 the DCPROMO utility has been deprecated. In Windows Server 2012 we will … Continue reading How to demote a Domain Controller (DC) in Windows Server 2012 Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)

Installing Active Directory Adding a child domain to an existing Active Directory Domain Services Forest in Windows Server – Part 3

In Part 1 of this series (Installing Active Directory Domain Services – Establishing an AD DS Forest in Windows Server – Part 1) I wrote on how to establish an Active Directory Forest. In Part 2 (Installing Active Directory – Adding a child domain to an existing Active Directory Domain Services Forest (AD DS) in Windows … Continue reading Installing Active Directory Adding a child domain to an existing Active Directory Domain Services Forest in Windows Server – Part 3

Installing Active Directory – Adding a child domain to an existing Active Directory Domain Services Forest (AD DS) in Windows Server – Part 2

In Part 1 of this series (Installing Active Directory Domain Services – Establishing an AD DS Forest in Windows Server – Part 1) I wrote on how to establish an Active Directory Forest. This is Part 2. In this blog we will explore how to add a child domain to an existing AD DS Forest. … Continue reading Installing Active Directory – Adding a child domain to an existing Active Directory Domain Services Forest (AD DS) in Windows Server – Part 2