Create a Windows Demo Environment: Promote Server to Domain Controller

This article is part of the Create a Windows Demo Environment series where I am installing and configuring a small Windows domain for use with demo installs of software.

With the domain controller machine renamed, that machine can now be promoted to be the domain controller. I used to do this through the front-end settings applets, but in 2019 I worked out some PowerShell wich could be used instead.

There are two steps in promoting a machine to be a domain controller.

1. Install the Active Directory Domain Services Windows Feature.
2. Install the Active Directory forest.

To install the Active Directory Domain Services Windows Feature the following PowerShell command can be used:

Install-WindowsFeature AD-Domain-Services -IncludeManagementTools

To install the AD forest, there are two elements which need to be defined:

1. Domain name (such as UK.azurecurve)
2. NETBIOS (such as UK)

The PowerShell command using these two elements is:

Install-ADDSForest -DomainName {domain name} -DomainNetbiosName {netbios}