Steps in Setting Up Your Active Directory and DNS Server

Active Directory Installation
Requirements

• An NTFS partition with enough free space
• An Administrator's username and password
• l The correct operating system version
• A NIC
• Properly configured TCP/IP (IP address, subnet mask and - optional - default gateway)
• A network connection (to a hub or to another computer via a crossover cable)
• An operational DNS server (which can be installed on the DC itself)
• A Domain name that you want to use
• The Windows 2000 CD media (or at least the i386 folder)
• Brains (recommended, not required...)

Step 1: Configure the computer's suffix

• Right click My Computer and choose Properties.
• Click the Network Identification tab, then Properties.
• Set the computer's NetBIOS name. On a W2K server this cannot be changed after the computer has been promoted to Domain Controller.
• Click More.
• In the Primary DNS suffix of this computer box enter the would-be domain name. We will use sample.edu.ph for this example; you should use your own domain name. Make sure you got it right. No spelling mistakes, no "oh, I thought I did it right..." because on W2K this cannot be changed after the computer has been promoted to Domain Controller and if you got it wrong the Dcpromo process might fail.
• Click Ok.
• You'll get a warning window.
• Click Ok.
• Check your settings. See if they're correct.
• Click Ok.
• You'll get a warning window.
• Click Ok to restart.

Step 2: Configuring the computer's TCP/IP settings

• You must configure the would-be Domain Controller to use its own IP address as the address of the DNS server, so it will point to itself when registering SRV records and when querying the DNS database.

Configure TCP/IP

• Click Start, point to Settings and then click Control Panel.
• Double-click Network and Dial-up Connections.
• Right-click Local Area Connection and then click Properties.
• Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.
• Assign this server a static IP address, subnet mask, and gateway address. Enter the server's IP address in the Preferred DNS server box
• Click Advanced.
• Click the DNS Tab.
• Select "Append primary and connection specific DNS suffixes
• Check "Append parent suffixes of the primary DNS suffix"
• Check "Register this connection's addresses in DNS". If this Windows 2000-based DNS server is on an intranet, it should only point to its own IP address for DNS; do not enter IP addresses for other DNS servers here. If this server needs to resolve names on the Internet, it should have a forwarder configured.
• Click OK to close the Advanced TCP/IP Settings properties.
• Click OK to accept the changes to your TCP/IP configuration.
• Click OK to close the Local Area Connections properties.

Step 3: Install and configure the DNS Service

• The Domain Name System (DNS) is the Active Directory locator in Windows 2000. Active Directory clients and client tools use DNS to locate domain controllers for administration and logon. You must have a DNS server installed and configured for Active Directory and the associated client software to function correctly. This article guides you through the required DNS configuration.

Install Microsoft DNS Server

• Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
• Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
• Click Add and Remove Windows Components.
• The Windows Components Wizard starts. Click Next.
• Click Networking Services, and then click Details.
• Click to select the Domain Name System (DNS) check box, and then click OK.
• Click OK to start server Setup. The DNS server and tool files are copied to your computer.
• Continue to the next step to configure the DNS server.

Configure the DNS Server Using DNS Manage

• Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DNS Manager. You see two zones under your computer name: Forward Lookup Zone and Reverse Lookup Zone.
• The DNS Server Configuration Wizard starts. Click Next.
• If the Wizard does not auto-start, right-click your server name object in the DNS Manager console and choose Configure your Server.
• Choose to add a forward lookup zone. Click Next. The new forward lookup zone must be a primary zone so that it can accept dynamic updates. Click Primary, and then click Next.
• The zone name must be exactly the same as your Active Directory Domain name, or, if on a stand-alone or workgroup environment - the same as the suffix for all of the network computers that are to register with this DNS server. Type the name of the zone, and then click Next.
• Accept the default name for the new zone file. Click Next.
• Choose to add a reverse lookup zone now. Click Next.
• Click Primary, and then click Next.
• Type the name of the zone, and then click Next. The zone name should match the Network ID of your local subnet. For example, if your subnet range is from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.254, type 192.168.0 in the name value.
• Accept the default name for the new zone file. Click Next.
• Click Finish to complete the Server Configuration Wizard.
• After the Server Configuration Wizard is finished, DNS Manager starts. Proceed to the next step to enable dynamic update on the zone you just added.

Enable Dynamic Update on the Forward and Reverse Lookup Zones (Optional - Recommended)

• In DNS Manager, expand the DNS Server object.
• Expand the Forward Lookup Zones folder.
• Right-click the zone you created, and then click Properties.
• On the General tab, click to select the Allow Dynamic Update check box, and then click OK to accept the change.
• Do the same for the Reverse Lookup Zone.

Enable DNS Forwarding for Internet connections

• Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DNS to start the DNS Management Console.
• Right click the DNS Server object for your server in the left pane of the console, and click Properties.
• Click the Forwarders tab.
• Check the Enable forwarders check-box.
• In the IP address box enter the IP address of the DNS servers you want to forward queries to - typically the DNS server of your ISP. You can also move them up or down. The one that is highest in the list gets the first try, and if it does not respond within a given time limit - the query will be forwarded to the next server in the list.
• Click OK.

Step 4: Running DCPROMO

• After completing all the previous steps (remember you didn't have to do them) and after double checking your requirements you should now run Dcpromo.exe from the Run command.
• Click Start, point to Run and type "dcpromo".
• The wizard windows will appear. Click Next.
• Choose Domain Controller for a new domain and click Next.
• Choose Create a new domain tree and click Next.
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• Choose Create a new forest of domain trees and click Next.
• Enter the full DNS name of the new domain, for example - dpetri.net - this must be the same as the DNS zone you've created in step 3, and the same as the computer name suffix you've created in step 1. Click Next.
• This step might take some time because the computer is searching for the DNS server and checking to see if any naming conflicts exist.
• Accept the the down-level NetBIOS domain name, in this case it's amalipa. Click Next
• Accept the Database and Log file location dialog box (unless you want to change them of course). The location of the files is by default %systemroot%\NTDS, and you should not change it unless you have performance issues in mind. Click Next.
• Accept the Sysvol folder location dialog box (unless you want to change it of course). The location of the files is by default %systemroot%\SYSVOL, and you should not change it unless you have performance issues in mind. This folder must be on an NTFS v5.0 partition. This folder will hold all the GPO and scripts you'll create, and will be replicated to all other Domain Controllers. Click Next.
• If your DNS server, zone and/or computer name suffix were not configured correctly you will get the following warning:
• This means the Dcpromo wizard could not contact the DNS server, or it did contact it but could not find a zone with the name of the future domain. You should check your settings. Go back to steps 1, 2 and 3. Click Ok.
• You do have an option to let Dcpromo do the configuration for you. If you want, Dcpromo can install the DNS service, create the appropriate zone, configure it to accept dynamic updates, and configure the TCP/IP settings for the DNS server IP address. Click Next.
• Accept the default choice or, if you want, quit Dcpromo and check steps 1-3.
• Accept the Pre-Windows 2000 compatible permissions.
• Enter the Restore Mode administrator's password. You can leave it blank (in Windows Server 2003 you must enter a password) but whatever you do - remember it! Without it you'll have a hard time restoring the AD if you ever need to do so. Click Next.
• Review your settings and if you like what you see - Click Next.
• See the wizard going through the various stages of installing AD. Whatever you do - NEVER click Cancel!!! You'll wreck your computer if you do. If you see you made a mistake and want to undo it, you'd better let the wizard finish and then run it again to undo the AD.
• If all went well you'll see the final confirmation window. Click Finish.
• You must reboot in order for the AD to function properly. Click Restart now.

Step 5: Checking the AD installation

• First, see that the Administrative Tools folder has all the AD management tools installed.
• Run Active Directory Users and Computers (or type "dsa.msc" from the Run command). See that all OUs and Containers are there.
• Run Active Directory Sites and Services. See that you have a site named Default-First-Site-Name, and that in it your server is listed.
• Open the DNS console. See that you have a zone with the same name as your AD domain (the one you've just created, remember? Duh...). See that within it you have the 4 SRV record folders. They must exist.
• This might happen if you did not manually configure your DNS server and let the DCPROMO process do it for you.
• Another reason for the lack of SRV records (and of all other records for that matter) is the fact that you DID configure the DNS server manually, but you made a mistake, either with the computer suffix name or with the IP address of the DNS server (see steps 1 through 3).