Windows Server 2012 R2

Restoring Active Directory Domain Services objects using Authoritative Restore in Windows Server 2012 R2

Authoritative restore is a method to recover objects and containers that have been deleted for AD DS. An authoritative restore marks specific data as current and prevents the replication from overwriting that data. The authoritative data is then replicated throughout the domain. The basic process for performing an authoritative restore of AD DS is the same as a Non-authoritative restore […]

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Windows Server 2012 R2

Converting from a Server Core to Server with a GUI in Windows Server 2012 R2

In Windows Server 2012/ 2012 R2, you can convert Server Core to Server with a GUI or Server with a GUI to Server Core without reinstalling the entire operating system as in the previous version in Windows Server 2008 R2. With this features, administrators can easily switch between Server Core to Server with a GUI or vice-versa within few steps. […]

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Windows Server 2012 R2

How to Backup Active Directory Domain Services Database in Windows Server 2012 R2

Maintaining an AD DS Database is an important administrative task that you must schedule regular to ensure that, in the case of disaster. You can recover lost or corrupted data and repair the AD DS Database. The AD DS has its own database engine, the Extensible Storage Engine (ESE), which manages the storage of all AD DS objects in an […]

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Windows Server 2012 R2

Resetting the Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) Password in Windows Server 2012 R2

Directory Services Mode (DSRM) password is created during the domain controller promotion process. During Active Directory Domain Services Installation Wizard, you were asked to provide a password for the DSRM administrator. This administrator account (Administrator) is separate from the domain administrator account. This account is used once you boot in DSRM.

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Windows Server 2012 R2

Configuring DNS Backup and Recovery in Windows Server 2012 R2

DNS is a core piece of AD DS infrastructure. AD DS relies heavily on DNS name resolution. When DNS Server disaster occurs, we need to restore DNS zone to a previous state as soon as possible. For this scenario, we have two options to perform this operation. First one is AD DS authoritative restore, an authoritative restore of Active Directory […]

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Windows Server 2012 R2

Install an Additional Domain Controller from IFM (Install From Media) in Windows Server 2012

We can use the Install from media (IFM) option to install an Additional Domain Controller in an existing domain is the best option such as a branch office scenario where network is slow, unreliable and costly. IFM will minimize replication traffic during the installation because it uses restored backup files to populate the AD DS database. This will significantly reduce […]

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Windows Server 2012 R2

Migrating Active Directory Domain Controller from Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows Server 2012

Windows Server 2012 is the Microsoft latest Windows Server Operating System which is more powerful than previous versions of Windows Server. For examples, Hyper-V replication, DHCP failover, Dynamic Access Control, Improvements in Active Directory Recycle Bin, Virtual Domain Controller etc. So it’s better to migrate Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows Server 2012 Domain Controller because of the new cool […]

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Windows Server 2012 R2

Creating a Fine –Grained Password Policy in Windows Server 2012

In Windows Server 2012, fine-grained password policy management is made much easier than Windows Server 2008/2008 R2. Windows Administrators not have to use ADSI Edit and configure complicated settings to create the Password Settings Object (PSO) in the Password Settings Container. Instead we can configure fine-grained password policy directly in Active Directory Administrative Center (ADAC). So all level of Windows […]

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Windows Server 2012 R2

Configuring Active Directory Recycle Bin in Windows Server 2012

Active Directory Recycle Bin feature is a Long-Awaited to recover accidentally deleted Active Directory objects without restoring Active Directory data from backups, restarting Active Directory Domain Service (AD DS), or rebooting domain controller from Microsoft, which was introduced in Windows Server 2008 R2. Active Directory objects are preserved in the recycle bin for an amount of time to match the […]

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Windows Server 2012 R2

Promoting New Domain Controller / DNS Server on Windows Server “8” Beta

In Windows Server “8” Beta, Microsoft claims 300 new and improved features than Windows Server 2008 R2. In this article, we will install and Configure Active Directory Domain Services on Windows Server “8” Beta domain controller. In Windows Server “8” Beta, Microsoft discontinues (Dcpromo.exe), Active Directory Domain Services Installation Wizard. We hope Microsoft will continue this feature in next version […]

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