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      Because Group Policy can be so all-encompassing, I highly recommend that you try the examples in a test lab environment first before making changes for real in your production environment.

      Bringing Up a Windows Server as a Domain Controller

      The DCPROMO.EXE you knew and loved is dead as of Windows Server 2012.

      Before continuing, ensure that your server is already named DC01. If it isn’t, rename it and reboot before continuing. Additionally, ensure that DC01 has a static IP address and is configured to use itself as the DNS server.

      Now, you’ll need to use the Server Manager’s “Add Roles and Features Wizard” to add the roles required to make your server a DC. It’s not hard. Here’s a sketch of the steps.

      First, fire up Server Manager, which is the leftmost icon when you’re on the server. Next, click Dashboard and select “Add roles and features,” as seen here.

      Then you’ll be at the “Add Roles and Features Wizard,” as seen here.

      Click Next to visit the Installation Type screen and select “Role-based or feature-based installation.” Then click Next.

      At Server Selection, click “Select a server from the server pool” and select your only machine: DC01.

      At Server Roles, select Active Directory Domain Services, as seen here, and say yes when prompted to load the additional items, which must come along for the ride.

      At the Features screen, click Next.

      At the AD DS screen, click Next.

      At the Confirmation screen, select “Restart the destination server automatically if required” and then click Install.

      Next, Active Directory components will be installed on DC01 along with the GPMC. When done, you’ll be able to select “Promote this server to a domain controller,” as seen here.

      At this point it should be pretty familiar. At the Deployment Configuration page, select “Add a new forest” and type Corp.com as the root domain name. Click Next.

      At the Domain Controller Options page, leave the defaults as is. Provide a Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) password. I recommend p@ssw0rd. (My suggested password in all my books is p@ssw0rd. That’s a lowercase p, the at sign, an s, an s, a w, a zero, then r, and d.) Click Next to continue.

      At the DNS Options page, you might get a warning; click Next.

      At the Additional Options page, leave the defaults and click Next.

      At the Paths page, leave the defaults as is and click Next.

      At the Review Options page, click Next.

      At the Prerequisites Check page, make sure there are no showstoppers. Finally, click Install on that same page.

      The computer should restart automatically and reboot.

      Congrats! You have your first Domain Controller!