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Windows Server 2012 : Preparing for deploying domain controllers (part 1) - AD DS deployment scenarios

12/26/2013 3:00:23 AM

Careful planning is of key importance when you roll out or make changes to an AD DS environment by adding, replacing, or upgrading domain controllers. A number of different scenarios are possible, and you should identify best practices for each scenario you need to implement for your organization. This lesson describes some common AD DS deployment scenarios and the different ways that domain controllers can be deployed for these scenarios.

1. AD DS deployment scenarios

Here are the two basic scenarios for AD DS deployment:

  • Deploying a new forest based on AD DS in Windows Server 2012

  • Deploying domain controllers in an existing forest based on AD DS in an earlier version of Windows Server

The sections that follow describe the high-level differences between these scenarios.

New forest deployments

If your organization has not yet deployed AD DS, you’re in luck: this is your opportunity to get it right. Although deploying a new forest based on Windows Server 2012 AD DS is as simple as deploying your first domain controller (the forest root domain controller), there are numerous planning considerations you need to be aware of before you perform this task.

At a basic level, the technical requirements for deploying your forest root domain controller are straightforward:

  • You must have local Administrator credentials on the server.

  • You must have one or more local fixed NTFS volumes to store the directory database, log files, and SYSVOL share.

  • You need to appropriately configure TCP/IP settings, including Domain Name Server (DNS) server addresses.

  • You either need to use an existing DNS server infrastructure or deploy the DNS Server role together with the Active Directory Domain Services role when you make your server a domain controller.

The preceding technical requirements, however, are only a small part of the overall AD DS planning process. The key at this stage is to plan the entire directory structure of your organization so that you won’t need to make drastic changes later on, like renaming domains or modifying your hierarchy of OUs.

After you create your forest by deploying the forest root domain controller, you can then deploy additional controllers for the following purposes:

  • Deploy additional domain controllers in your forest root domain for redundancy and load-balancing purposes.

  • Deploy domain controllers that create additional domains within your forest based on your organization’s administrative or geographical structure.

  • Deploy read-only domain controllers (RODCs) at less secure, branch-office sites within your organization.

  • Deploy virtualized domain controllers to provide greater support for private and public cloud-computing environments.

Note

MORE INFO Resources for AD DS planning and design

The following resources can be helpful if you are planning an implementation of AD DS for the first time:

  • Designing and Deploying Directory and Security Services This section of the Windows Server 2003 Deployment Guide on Microsoft TechNet—found at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc787010(v=WS.10).aspx—is a bit dated, but it’s still a good starting point to learn how to design and plan an AD DS environment. Be sure to supplement this resource, however, with the more recent resources that follow.

  • AD DS Design Guide This section of the TechNet Library—found at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754678(v=ws.10)—provides updated guidance on how to design an AD DS environment based on Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012.

  • Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Resource Kit from Microsoft Press This book provides an excellent introduction to basic AD DS concepts, design, and administration. The book is available from O’Reilly Media at http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780735625150.do in various formats, including APK, DAISY, ePub, Mobi, PDF, and print-on-demand.

Finally, a good place to find answers to your AD DS questions is the Directory Services forum on TechNet at http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-us/winserverDS/threads.

Best practices for new forest deployments

The actual number of domain controllers and the types needed for your environment depends on a number of factors, but here are some key best practices to keep in mind:

  • Each domain should have at least two functioning writeable domain controllers to provide fault tolerance. If a domain has only one domain controller and this domain controller fails, users will not be able to log on to the domain or access any resources in the domain. And if you have only one writable domain controller in your domain and this domain controller fails, you won’t be able to perform any AD DS management tasks.

  • Each domain in each location should also have a sufficient number of domain controllers to service the needs of users for logging on and accessing network resources. The TechNet sections described in the earlier “More Info” topic include some recommendations on how to determine the number of domain controllers based on their hardware configuration and the number of users at the location.

  • Domain controllers should be dedicated servers that are used only for hosting the AD DS and DNS Server roles and nothing else. Their full attention should be directed to performing their main job, which is authenticating users and computers for client logons and for accessing network resources.

  • The simplest forest design is to have only one domain. The more domains you have, the more administrative overhead you will experience in the form of managing multiple service administrator groups, maintaining consistency among Group Policy settings that are common to different domains, maintaining consistency among access control and auditing settings that are common to different domains, and so on.

  • If your organization has multiple sites, such as a head office and one or more remote branch offices, you should generally deploy at least one domain controller at each remote office to provide users with faster logon times and more efficient access to network resources. For best security, domain controllers at remote offices should be RODCs.

Important

End of support date for Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 exited mainstream support in July 2010 and will exit extended support in July 2015, so if you are planning to upgrade your AD DS environment to Windows Server 2012, you should do it soon.

 
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