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2024.12.15 - [Windows Server] - Windows Server 2025. Configure Active Directory(AD) Domain Controller(DC)

Following the Domain Controller configuration, this time I will cover configuring Exchange Server 2019 on Windows Server 2022. It appears that Windows Server 2025 will be supported starting with CU15.

The VM environment is as follows:

DC: Windows Server 2025, 4 Core, RAM: 4GB

EX: Windows Server 2022, 8 Core, RAM: 10GB, Exchange Server 2019 CU12

This was written based on the following resources.

Exchange Server prerequisites, Exchange 2019 system requirements, Exchange 2019 requirements | Microsoft Learn

https://youtu.be/OV9L2GOKe2U

[Step 1] Pre-configuration

Create a service account to be used for Exchange Server.

Assign the Enterprise Admins and Schema Admins permissions to the service account.

Join the server to the Active Directory (AD) using the service account.

Run Netplwiz.

Grant Administrator permissions to the service account.

[Step 2] Virtual Memory Configuration

Since virtual memory can impact performance, it is highly recommended to set it to a fixed size.

System -> Advanced system settings -> Advanced -> Settings

Advanced -> Change

Specify the virtual memory size -> Click Set -> Click OK.

According to the 2019 technical documentation, virtual memory is recommended to be set to 25% of the configured RAM, likely because the minimum recommended RAM is 128GB.

(However, in a test environment, it is recommended to set it to RAM + 10MB.)

OK

Restart Now

[Step 3] Install Required Features and Roles

Install the following prerequisite components.

Visual C++ Redistributable Package for Visual Studio 2012

Download Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012 Update 4 from Official Microsoft Download Center

Visual C++ Redistributable Package for Visual Studio 2013

Update for Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package - Microsoft Support

Unified Communications Managed API 4.0 Runtime

Download Unified Communications Managed API 4.0 Runtime from Official Microsoft Download Center

Right-click on the Start button -> Run PowerShell as Administrator.

Install the required features and roles using the command below:

Install-WindowsFeature Server-Media-Foundation, NET-Framework-45-Features, RPC-over-HTTP-proxy, RSAT-Clustering, RSAT-Clustering-CmdInterface, RSAT-Clustering-Mgmt, RSAT-Clustering-PowerShell, WAS-Process-Model, Web-Asp-Net45, Web-Basic-Auth, Web-Client-Auth, Web-Digest-Auth, Web-Dir-Browsing, Web-Dyn-Compression, Web-Http-Errors, Web-Http-Logging, Web-Http-Redirect, Web-Http-Tracing, Web-ISAPI-Ext, Web-ISAPI-Filter, Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console, Web-Metabase, Web-Mgmt-Console, Web-Mgmt-Service, Web-Net-Ext45, Web-Request-Monitor, Web-Server, Web-Stat-Compression, Web-Static-Content, Web-Windows-Auth, Web-WMI, Windows-Identity-Foundation, RSAT-ADDS, Failover-Clustering

#Failover-Clustering is required when configuring a Database Availability Group (DAG).

Click the link below to install the IIS URL Rewrite Module.

IIS URL Rewrite Module

[Step 4] Installation Process

Download the latest Cumulative Update (CU) for Exchange Server 2019 from the Build Number page linked below.

(Note: Security Updates (SU) should be applied after installing the CU.)

Exchange Server build numbers and release dates | Microsoft Learn

Run Setup from the installation disk or image.

Don’t' check for updates right now -> next

Next

Check the second option -> Click Next.

Don't user recommended settings -> Next

Mailbox role -> Next

Specify the installation path -> Click Next.

Enter the Organization Name -> Click Next.

Next

Install

Proceed with the installation process.

Installation complete.

[Step 5] Install SU (Security Update)

SU is a Security Update that must be installed after the Cumulative Update (CU).

Download the latest SU from the Build Number Page.

Proceed with the installation -> Click Next.

I accept the License Terms -> Next

The installation is in progress.

Finish

Click Yes -> The system will reboot.

Run the Exchange Admin Center (EAC).

Advanced

Click Continue to localhost (unsafe).

Sign in using the service account.

Verify that the connection is successful.

In the Servers menu, check the Build Number to confirm the version.

In the next post, I will cover the initial configuration steps.

https://youtu.be/TDQl9q3wMk0

Taking advantage of the release of Windows Server 2025, I’m planning to rewrite my previously posted test environment configuration. This time, I’ll pay more attention to creating a YouTube video as well.

Since Windows Server 2016, the methods and UI for configuring a Domain Controller (DC) have remained almost the same. However, engineers who are just starting out often prefer to work with the latest version, and there’s a tendency to assume that if the version numbers differ, the configuration steps might differ too. To address this, I’ve written a configuration guide for Windows Server 2025, even though the content is essentially the same.

This time, I’ll focus on Domain Controller (DC) configuration, and if time permits, I’ll proceed with an Exchange setup as well.

For the virtual machine (VM) specifications, I’ve allocated 4 cores for the CPU and 4GB of RAM. In the past, 2GB used to suffice, but it seems insufficient for recent demands.

Please refer to my previous posts or videos for instructions on installing Windows Server 2025 and performing Sysprep.

Navigate to Server Manager -> Local Server -> Click on Computer Name.

Change

Change the computer name to something that clearly identifies it as a Domain Controller. -> The system will reboot.

Local Server -> Ethernet

Right-click on Network Adapter -> Select Properties.

Select IPv4.

Enter the IP address according to your environment. Set the DNS to point to the IP address of the Domain Controller itself.

Server Manager -> Dashboard -> Add roles and features

Next

Next

Next

Check Active Directory Domain Services.

Add Features

Next

Next

Next

Install

Promote Domain Controller

Add a new forest -> Root domain name 입력 -> Next

For reference, the reason for adding "Corp" before the domain name is based on Microsoft's Best Practices. From a personal perspective, adding "corp" has the following advantages:

1. It allows for separation of internal and external DNS, as the root domain might serve as the homepage in browsers.

2. Using ".local" in domains like "contoso.local" prevents the use of public certificates.

After creating the DSRM Password, proceed to Next. Until Windows Server 2022, the functional level was set to 2016, but it has now been upgraded to 2025 in Windows Server 2025.

Next

Next

Next

Next

Install

DC configuration is complete.

Click Close, and the system will reboot shortly after.

Log in using the Domain account as shown below.

Active Directory Domains and Trusts

Right-click on Active Directory Domains and Trusts -> Select Properties.

Enter the domain to be used for user accounts -> Click Add -> Click OK.

Run Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC).

Right-click on the Domain -> Select New -> Choose Organizational Unit (OU).

Create an Organizational Unit (OU) for service accounts.

Right-click on the newly created OU -> Select New -> Choose User.

Create an Admin account to be used on the DC as shown below. (It is recommended not to use the default Administrator account for security purposes.)

Enter the password -> Click Next.

Finish

Right-click on the newly created account -> Select Properties.

Go to the Member Of tab -> Click Add -> Search for and add the following groups:

Sign out and verify if you can log in using the newly created account.

Proceed with setting up a Secondary DC. While not mandatory in a test environment, having at least two Domain Controllers is essential in a production environment for redundancy and reliability.

As before, change the Computer Name.

Set the DNS of the Network Adapter to point to the Main DC.

Server Manager -> Local Server -> WORKGROUP

Change

Enter the Domain -> Click OK.

Enter the DC Service Account that was previously created.

Sign in

Add roles and features

Proceed with the installation of Active Directory Domain Services Roles in the same manner as on the Main DC.

Unlike before, select Add a domain controller to an existing domain and proceed with the configuration.

Enter the DSRM Password -> Click Next.

Next

Next

Next

Next

Click Install -> Once the installation is complete, the system will reboot.

For the Secondary DC, update the DNS settings so that the Primary DNS points to itself.

In Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC), you can verify that both Domain Controllers are listed.

This concludes the post.

Windows Server 2025 has been released.

Whenever a new OS is launched, I create a disk image of the installed system using Sysprep to facilitate testing in a Hyper-V environment.

This method is highly convenient because, when creating a new VM, I can simply copy the disk image file to immediately load the OS.

Although I’ve covered this topic before, I’m writing it again as part of a renewal for a YouTube video.

This is based on Windows Server 2025 and Hyper-V.

https://youtu.be/snj74akjzCA

Hyper-V -> New -> Virtual Machine

Name specification -> Set Default Location -> Next

Name specification -> Set Default Location -> Next

Confirm Generation 2 -> Next

(From 2025, Generation 2 is set as the default.)

Set RAM -> Next

Specify Network Adapter -> Next

Confirm Disk Location -> Next

Specify Installation Disk -> Finish

Double-click on the created VM

Start

Enter the key to proceed with the installation process.

Select Language -> Next

Next

Agree -> Next

Enter Product Key -> Next (I entered an AVMA key as I am using it in a Hyper-V environment.)

Accept

Next

Install

Proceed with Installation

The system will automatically reboot.

Once the installation is complete, the screen will appear as shown. At this point, press Shift + Ctrl + F3 simultaneously.

The system will reboot, and the screen will appear as shown. Select OOBE, Generalize, and Shutdown, then click OK.

Sysprep will run, and once completed, the system will shut down.

Back up the created VHDX disk image. This disk can be used to streamline the OS installation process.

You can select the disk image from the menu below to create a new VM.