| 136 |
| Set up Active Directory right |
| Active Directory (AD) is Microsoft's directory service included in Windows 2000. AD installation is |
| a very complex task, even though it's set up through a simple wizard (Dcpromo.exe). However, |
| many experienced administrators don't trust wizards and try to do most tasks on their own. |
| DNS is a critical step in AD deployment; if it's not set up right, Active Directory won't work |
| correctly. While Dcpromo.exe can automatically install and configure the DNS server for you, it's |
| much better to do this step manually. |
| Follow these steps before installing Active Directory on the first computer: |
| Install and configure a DNS server on your network. |
| Test the DNS server and make sure it's working properly. |
| Configure the soon-to-be domain controller to use this DNS server. |
| On the DNS tab in the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box, configure the correct DNS suffix for |
| Again, make sure the computer can successfully use the DNS server. |
| Use Dcpromo.exe to install Active Directory. |
| Even though it's easy to use Dcpromo.exe and let the wizard do everything for you, it's much harder |
| to troubleshoot problems after the installation. Install and verify DNS before installing AD, and |
| you'll know that DNS is working correctly and that the cause of any problems lies elsewhere. |
First Previous Next Last |