Managing Active Directory Forests in Windows Server 2022

Posted on 17th June 2023

Overview

As your organization’s Active Directory (AD) deployment grows, you’ll need to put more thought into how you manage your AD forests. This is especially true if you have multiple forests or if you plan to connect your forests to one another. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the considerations you’ll need to make when managing Active Directory forests in Windows Server 2022.

Planning for Forest Management

Before you can start managing your Active Directory forests, you need to have a plan in place. This plan should take into account your organization’s current and future needs. Some of the things you’ll need to consider include:

• The number of forests you’ll need
• The structure of your forests
• How your forests will be connected to one another
• Who will have access to each forest
• What tools you’ll need to manage your forests

Once you have a plan in place, you can start working on implementing it. If you have multiple forests, you’ll need to decide how they will be connected to one another. There are a few different ways to do this, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. You’ll also need to decide who will have access to each forest. In most cases, it’s best to give access to only those who need it. This will help to keep your forests secure.

Implementing Your Forest Management Plan

Once you have a plan in place, you can start working on implementing it. If you have multiple forests, you’ll need to decide how they will be connected to one another. There are a few different ways to do this, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. You’ll also need to decide who will have access to each forest. In most cases, it’s best to give access to only those who need it. This will help to keep your forests secure.

One of the most important aspects of forest management is security. You’ll need to make sure that only authorized users have access to your forests. You can do this by using access control lists (ACLs) and by setting up proper authentication and authorization. You’ll also need to make sure that your data is backed up and that you have a plan in place for disaster recovery.

Conclusion

As your organization’s Active Directory deployment grows, you’ll need to put more thought into how you manage your AD forests. This is especially true if you have multiple forests or if you plan to connect your forests to one another. In this article, we’ve taken a look at some of the considerations you’ll need to make when managing Active Directory forests in Windows Server 2022.

Managing Active Directory Forests in Windows Server 2022

Overview

Microsoft’s Active Directory (AD) is a directory service that stores information about objects on a network and makes this information available to users and computers. Active Directory forests are the foundation of an AD deployment, and they are used to store information about objects in a hierarchical structure.

Creating a New Forest

To create a new Active Directory forest in Windows Server 2022, use the following steps:

1. Log into the server with an account that has administrative privileges.
2. Open the Server Manager application.
3. In the left pane, expand the Roles node and click on Active Directory Domain Services.
4. In the right pane, click on the Add Roles and Features link.
5. On the Before you begin page, click Next.
6. On the Select installation type page, select Role-based or feature-based installation and click Next.
7. On the Select destination server page, select the server on which you want to install AD DS and click Next.
8. On the Select server roles page, select the Active Directory Domain Services check box and click Next.
9. On the Confirm installation selections page, click Install.
10. On the Results page, click Close.

Adding a Domain Controller to an Existing Forest

If you have an existing Active Directory forest and you want to add a new domain controller to it, use the following steps:

1. Log into the server with an account that has administrative privileges.
2. Open the Server Manager application.
3. In the left pane, expand the Roles node and click on Active Directory Domain Services.
4. In the right pane, click on the Add Roles and Features link.
5. On the Before you begin page, click Next.
6. On the Select installation type page, select Role-based or feature-based installation and click Next.
7. On the Select destination server page, select the server on which you want to install AD DS and click Next.
8. On the Select server roles page, select the Active Directory Domain Services check box and click Next.
9. On the Confirm installation selections page, click Install.
10. On the Results page, click Close.

11. Open the Active Directory Domains and Trusts console.

12. In the left pane, expand the forest node and click on the Domains node.
13. In the right pane, right-click on the domain in which you want to add the new domain controller and click on the Properties command.
14. On the General tab, click on the Change button.
15. In the Select Domain Controller Type dialog box, select the Domain controller for a new domain option and click OK.
16. In the New Domain Controller Name dialog box, type the name of the new domain controller and click OK.
17. In the Change Domain Controller Type dialog box, click OK.
18. In the Active Directory Domains and Trusts console, right-click on the new domain controller and click on the Raise Domain Controller command.
19. In the Raise Domain Controller Wizard, click Next.
20. On the Deployment Configuration page, select the Add a domain controller to an existing domain option and click Next.
21. On the Domain Controller Options page, enter the administrator password for the domain and click Next.
22. On the DNS Delegation page, click Next.
23. On the Additional Options page, click Next.
24. On the Paths page, click Next.
25. On the Review Options page, click Next.
26. On the Prerequisites Check page, click Install.
27. On the Installation Progress page, wait for the installation to complete and click Close.
28. On the Completion page, click Finish.

Removing a Domain Controller from a Domain

If you need to remove a domain controller from a domain, use the following steps:

1. Log into the server with an account that has administrative privileges.
2. Open the Server Manager application.
3. In the left pane, expand the Roles node and click on Active Directory Domain Services.
4. In the right pane, click on the Remove Roles and Features link.
5. On the Before you begin page, click Next.
6. On the Remove Server Roles page, clear the check box next to Active Directory Domain Services and click Next.
7. On the Remove Features page, click Next.
8. On the Confirm installation selections page, click Uninstall.
9. On the Results page, click Close.

10. Open the Active Directory Sites and Services console.

11. In the left pane, expand the Sites node and click on the site in which the domain controller is located.
12. In the right pane, right-click on the domain controller that you want to remove and click on the Delete command.
13. In the Confirm Deletion dialog box, click Yes.

14. Open the DNS console.

15. In the left pane, expand the Forward Lookup Zones node and click on the zone in which the domain controller is located.
16. In the right pane, right-click on the record for the domain controller that you want to remove and click on the Delete command.
17. In the Confirm Deletion dialog box, click Yes.

Conclusion

In this article, we have seen how to manage Active Directory forests in Windows Server 2022. We have seen how to create a new forest, add a domain controller to an existing forest, and remove a domain controller from a domain.