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.
- Install the Active Directory Domain Services Windows Feature.
- 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:
- Domain name (such as UK.azurecurve)
- NETBIOS (such as UK)
The PowerShell command using these two elements is:
Install-ADDSForest -DomainName {domain name} -DomainNetbiosName {netbios}