If you read my last article on Installing Active Directory, you will remember I mentioned that the installation must be checked to make sure all is well. In this article I will run through the basic checks that can be done to make sure everything is working OK. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes, and is definitely worth it - especially if you are going to be installing Microsoft Exchange, just to be sure that the installation completed without a hitch.
Firstly, you should have all of the Active Directory management tools in the Administrative Tools folder in the start menu - along with the DNS management console. If these are present, we can check the DNS configuration. As in the screenshot below, you should have a primary zone with the name that you chose in the installation wizard.
This should have the correct zones inside:
- _msdcs
- _sites
- _tcp
- _udp
- DomainDnsZones
- ForestDnsZones
If these are all present, the DNS installation was successful.
Note: You may see 2 seperate zones, one with your domain name, and one called _msdcs. This is still correct, as long as the domain zone has the correct folders inside as listed above.
If your DNS configuration looks different to this (the folders may be missing), then it will need to be corrected before you continue to use Active Directory - as this will render it useless. A sign of this is that users may take a long time to log on (as they cannot find the Domain Controller). A common way to rectify this issue is to restart the Net Logon (netlogon) service. To do this, you can either use the services.mmc console, or type net stop netlogon followed by net start netlogon at the command prompt (to stop and start the service). Once this is done, refresh the DNS management console, and you should see the folders have been created.
Next, check the NTDS and SYSVOL folders for the correct files. These can be found at C:\WINDOWS\NTDS and C:\WINDOWS\SYSVOL\[domain name]. They should be similar to the screenshot below.
Finally, check the Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC) management console for correct operation. This can be found in the Administrative Tools folder in the start menu. The tool should list the contents of the domain which, on a default installation, should include a Users folder, a Computers folder, and a Domain Controllers folder (your server should be listed in this folder). There will be more folders, but if these exist then all should be well.
If all these checks went OK, you can rest assured that your AD installation completed flawlessly. You can now add users and computers to your domain, and install Microsoft Exchange if you wish.
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