Along with developing systems, our environments and the systems we use have also started to change. These changes and developments require us to manage our environments more reliably. One of the most efficient and reliable ways to provide this management is Microsoft's Windows Server Core operating systems may be.
In this article, we have a minimal interface Windows Server On the core Active DirectoryWe will explain step by step how to install . By covering this process in detail, we aim to help IT professionals perform this installation efficiently.
Table of Contents
What is Windows Server Core?
Server Core, Windows ServerIt is an installation of and offers a full-featured server operating system but lacks a traditional desktop interface. This command-line-only (CLI)-managed version is stripped of unnecessary components and services, making it less resource-intensive and less vulnerable to security.
Server Core's minimal structure, especially Active Directory It is ideal for managing critical server roles such as , because it increases performance and security by keeping the system free from unnecessary load.
What is Active Directory?
Active Directory (AD) plays a central role in businesses’ technology infrastructures. This powerful administrative tool allows you to manage user accounts and resources from a central location, improving business network security and efficiency.
Active Directory Installation on Windows Server Core
Since our topic is clear, we have a ready-made Windows Server Core üzerinde Active Directory I will talk about the role setup and Windows Server Core I will not explain any process for installation.
There is also one in my environment Windows Server 2019 I have a Core system running on it, on this system Active Directory I will provide the role setup and Primary Domain Controller I will provide service as.
Windows Server Core on my system LOGIN After completing the process, via the console PowerShell I need to provide the session.
Server Core üzerinde PowerShell As we can trade with SCONFIG We can also make basic edits using the .
For this process Windows Server Core After logging in to SCONFIG It will be enough to write it.
All Windows Update operations must be completed for the Active Directory Role or Domain Controller server on which we will install the Active Directory Role.
SCONFIG To perform Windows Update with the tool, it is enough to type "6", then we will be asked whether we want to install all updates or updates recommended by Windows. Since we need to perform all update operations, we need to continue with the "A" option.
After all the updates are installed, an option to restart the console appears and we continue with YES.
Windows Server Core After the update process, a restart is performed and SCONFIG We continue to use the tool.
Active Directory Roles After the installation, we continue to make our preliminary configurations. We need to change our Server Hostname information, IP and DNS information.
Our first step will be to change the server name, for this I start with command number 2.
We changed the name of our server and restarted it. Our next step will be to set a STATIC IP. To do this, I enter the Network Settings tab by selecting command number 8 and it starts listing our Network Adapters. We will continue the process by selecting the adapters we want to process from here.
The command asking us to select the Network Adapter opens and 1 I continue with the adapter number. It shows our IP address, Gateway and DNS addresses in detail. First of all, we will configure my IP address for this. 1 I continue with the command numbered . It asks whether you want to set it as DHCP or Static.
WE S We follow the Static configuration path with the letter. S We configure my IP Address, Subnet and Gateway addresses statically with the command.
We have completed our IP configuration process. Now we will configure our DNS address with command number 2. When we select our command number 2, it asks us to enter the DNS address, in this way we complete our network configuration.
Our network configuration sconfig We have completed using . We can also do this configuration process via powershell. For this sconfig We return to the console window with command number 15 from the main menu.
Note: Server Core working on Active Directory environment and server, Windows Admin Center (WAC) You can manage it with , because this article explains how to perform operations on Server Core WAC No additional action will be taken on it.
Windows Server Core to our server running on Active Directory Roles To install it, you can use the command below.
Install-WindowsFeature AD-Domain-Services -IncludeManagementTools
Active Directory Roles After our installation is completed, PowerShell Import for AD Module we need to perform the operation.
Import-Module ADDSDeployment
Then we need to set a password for DSRM. If we ask what DSRM is;
What is DSRM?
This special mode, Active Directory Domain ServicesIt is used to troubleshoot critical problems of (AD DS) and restore the system to a previous state. Active Directory, It manages a network's resources, such as user and computer accounts, so the healthy operation of AD is crucial to the overall health of the network.
DSRM, Active Directory provides a safe way to restore the database, system state, or specific items. This mode differs from a normal operating system installation by ADDS It starts by disabling its services. This allows more system access to fix problems or clean systems infected with malware.
Steps to Set DSRM Password
Windows Server Core üzerinde Powershell We need to run the following command on the console and enter the password information it asks us for.
$Password = Read-Host -Prompt 'Enter SafeMode Admin Password' -AsSecureStringEnter the "Enter SafeMode Admin Password" for your environment. DSRM You must enter the password.
Our next step will be to select the PATH where our DomainName, NETBIOS and LOG files will be saved.
Install-ADDSForest -DomainName "cozumpark.com" -InstallDNS -CreateDnsDelegation:$false -DatabasePath "C:WindowsNTDS" -DomainMode 7 -DomainNetbiosName "CENGIZ"-ForestMode 7 -LogPath "C:WindowsNTDS" -SysvolPath "C:WindowsSYSVOL" -NoDnsOnNetwork -NoRebootOnCompletionWe can explain the commands I mentioned above as follows.
- Forest Mode and – Domain Mode; ForestMode and Domain Type (DomainMode) are determined. For example: I will use 2019 for Server 7. Since there is no separate domain for Server 2019, I used mode 2016 defined for Server 7.
- The Database Path and Log Path commands specify the recording locations of our database and log files.
- Install DNS: Provides the installation of DNS service.
- Domain Name: Specifies my domain name.
After these operations, we need to restart our server. After the restart operation, the Windows Server Core server will LOGIN in the Domain environment.
restart-computerWhen our server is turned on again, we perform the LOGIN process with our domain information and enter the SCONFIG tool again. Here we can check the Domain information of our server.
Windows Server Core Active Directory Service Control Operations
We have performed Windows Update operations on Windows Server Core, installed Active Directory Role and configured it as a Domain Controller. Now we need to check the services of our Domain Controller server.
Get-Service adws,kdc,netlogon,dns
Next, we need to check the SYSVOL and NETLOGON shares, which are important for our Active Directory environments.
Get-SMBShare
Viewing Server Core Active Directory Users (PowerShell)
While we can perform these operations via Windows Admin Center (WAC), we can also control them using PowerShell via Server Core.
To view the Groups in our newly installed Active Directory environment;
Get-ADGroup -Filter * | Select name | more
Similarly, if you want to create a Domain User via PowerShell;
New-ADUser -Name user1 -GivenName cozum -SamAccountName cozum -UserPrincipalName [email protected]If you want to set a password for the user you created;
Set-ADAccountPassword ‘CN=cozum,CN=Users,DC=cozumpark,DC=com’ -Reset -NewPassword (convertTo-SecureString -AsPlainText “şifre" -Force)
If we want to activate our user with PowerShell;
Enable-ADAccount -Identity cozumIn this way, we can also provide Active Directory management on Server Core with PowerShell. For speed and practicality, it is recommended to use Windows Admin Center (WAC).
You can read the article below to install Additional Domain Controller on Windows Server.
As a result, Active Directory deployment on Windows Server Core provides a powerful, secure, and manageable solution for the needs of modern IT infrastructures. This configuration is ideal for enterprise environments where security and performance are at the forefront. An Active Directory deployment based on Server Core allows businesses to manage their technology infrastructure more effectively, while also reducing operational costs.
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