The new VM (to be named Win2k8-Full-01) installed overnight, first things first: VM additions and a larger screen size (going graphical now). Second, not being able to do a thing with DHCP on the core-install (Win2k8-Core-01) still bugged me and while in Initial Configuration Tasks on Win2K8-Full-01 I started looking around the roles and features. There it was under features: Remote Server Administration Tools, but no remote tool for DHCP *now what*… well I just installed the DNS Server tool. Next the system wanted to REBOOT ?!? WinNT 3.51 déjà vu, I hope these kinds of reboots won’t make the final product.
The DNS Server tool on Win2K8-Full-01 threw an error “A security package specific error occurred”. I only could stop, restart or pause the DNS Service over at Win2k8-Core-01 and view the DNS Event log. I tried to see what happened if I made changes to DNS on Win2k8-Core-01 using dnscmd. Again the changes didn’t show in the DNS Server tool (although they were visible in the DNS Event log). Time for an upgrade to an Active Directory environment, I installed the role Active Directory Domain Services (reboot again), dcpromo followed by an expected reboot. After the reboot, it was apparent that the roles DNS Server and File Services were installed at Win2k8-Full-01 too.
The thing I realized after kicking off dcpromo was I didn’t look at the domain functional level. I went with the Windows Server “Longhorn” forest functional level, which made the wizards questions about domain functional levels obsolete. Hence I looked it up; Appendix of Functional Level Features a link I think will be useful when going into the Configuring Server Roles (see prep-guide), which is pretty heavy on AD-stuff.
Next step, enlist the Win2k8-Core-01 in the newly created longhorn.local domain (use NETDOM JOIN). Sounds easy, but it wasn’t. The ADSL-router (being DHCP and DNS server) complicated things, so I had to switch to manually configure DNS registration over at Win2k8-Full-01 through netsh. Once I had that setup over IPv6, the join worked.
Unfortunately after the Win2k8-Core-01 joined the domain, I was still unable to connect to its DNS Server as it kept insisting on the error “A security package specific error occurred”. In the mean time, I also found the Core Server Step-by-Step Guide. Hindsight knowledge says I should have read this paper before getting my fingers in the dirt. Anyway I think I’ve played enough with this Core server thing towards the exam.
Next stop: DHCP, DNS and AD. Win2k8-Full-01 already acting a DC, DHCPv4, DHCPv6 and DNS. Threw the Win2k8-Core-01 from the disk and now installing Win2k8-Full-02. In the mean time watching TechNet Webcast: Technical Overview of Active Directory Domain Services in Windows Server 2008.
I also want to share this link: Exam impression by Lukas Beeler.