Perhaps no aspect of a Windows environment can cause as many headaches, frustrations, and consumption of valuable IT time as Active Directory (AD). Active Directory was first introduced into Windows Server with the release of Server 2000 and has steadily evolved in subsequent Windows Server versions. Server 2012 includes the most polished Active Directory services offering to date. One major reason why this is the best AD yet is that an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) deployment now integrates all the steps required to deploy new domain controllers into a single interface with the new Active Directory Domain Services Configuration Wizard.

AD DS is also easier to manage in Server 2012 due to an enhanced wizard built on PowerShell that integrates with Server Manager. Preinstallation checks with the Adprep.exe tool and prerequisite validation are part of the install process, helping to lessen the chance of errors with an AD DS install.

Do these enhancements mean deploying and managing AD is flawless in Server 2012? Not by any means. While deploying Server 2012 AD for the first time, I ran into some errors and cautions warning me that certain services or features had to be added or configured a certain way for a successful AD install.

Yet I got those warnings and errors automatically, not by having to hunt through Event Viewer for AD-related warnings, as I would normally have to do in Server 2008 R2 and older Windows Server versions. Warnings, errors, and suggestions for getting the server in shape to run AD are all displayed as easy-to-read, comprehensible alerts within the updated Server Manager. The entire AD install deployment centralized in Server Manager makes AD deployment more efficient and easier to troubleshoot.

This chapter introduces the new Active Directory Administrative Center (ADAC) interface. I’ll also cover deploying and managing AD DS, as well as how to join Server 2012 to an existing domain and, conversely, join a member Server 2012 machine to a Server 2008 R2 domain.

The chapter also outlines using new and updated features in AD, such as using the AD Recycle Bin to restore deleted objects, performing AD searches, deploying AD with PowerShell, and remotely managing Server 2012.