SharePoint 2013 Installation part 3

Part 3 : Adding Active Directory Domain Services 

Part 1: Preparing the environment
Part 2: Installing Windows Server 2012
Part 3: Adding Active Directory Domain Services
Part 4: Promoting to Domain Name Server

In the Part 1 of this series we saw how to create a VM with Windows Server 2012. In part 2 we continued with server 2012 install and renaming the our VM. So far we have a good smooth sailing.I also mentioned about Sysprep the VM so we can easily create multiple copies quickly. I am still working on this and have no update on this as this is totally new to me too.Let’s get into the topic for today.

In this part we are going to see how we can enable Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) and DNS services in Windows Server 2012. ADDS is necessary for installing SharePoint.

In Server 2012 DC promo is deprecated and we can now enable ADDS from the roles similar to IIS or other services that we enable in earlier versions of windows. We will use server manager to install ADDS. Click on Add new Roles and Features in server Manager

You will now see a basic introduction  wizard screen. Click Next on this screen

Next step in the wizard will ask you about installation type.Choose Role based ot feature based installation radio button and click next

This step will ask you to select a server where you want to enable role or feature. Since in our case we only have one server select “Server from server pool” radio button and our server and click next

Now we are in a spot to choose which roles that we need ot install. There will be a list of all available roles with the checkbox next to it. Select Active Directory Domain Services roles. A pop up window will appear as shown with other dependent and related services that needs to be activated for ADDS.  

Check the checkbox to include management  tools and click add features in the pop up window.You will see the ADDS role is checked.

Scroll down to see Group Policy Management is checked automatically which is what we selected in the pop up windows. Click next 

This step gives us an overview of Active Directory Domain Services and what it does. It also talks about best practice and other information. You can read this information and click next

This the final step in the process of enabling Domain Services in our VM. The wizard will ask to confirm all the features before installing. You can enable “Restart Destination Server Automatically” checkbox so that as soon as ADDS is installed the server will be automatically restarted. You can see 2 links at the bottom, one of that allows you to export configuration settings. Click Install and wait for the process to be completed. 

You can even close the wizard at this point and installation will continue. 

Once the Role is installed the server will be automatically restarted. This completes the steps needed for adding ADDS role in Server 2012. Once the system comes back after restart we can see the steps needed to promote our server to Domain Controller.

SharePoint 2013 Installation - Part 2

Part 1: Preparing the environment. 

Part 2 : Installing Windows Server 2012 
Part 3: Adding Active Directory Domain Services
Part 4: Promoting to Domain Name Server



Part 2: Installing Windows Server 2012

In part 1 of the document we saw initial requirement for installing SharePoint 2013 and how to get setup with Virtual Machine. In this part we will see how we can install Windows Server 2012 and get a working machine.Once we have a working machine then we can enable Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) if this is the first machine or join the existing Domain if you have one set up already.

Once the VM is ready to boot the VM will boot and ask for Server 2012 License. Once you enter your License Key depending on key you will be able to install the version. Once you enter the key System will let you choose how you want to install the OS.



You can choose Core installation which is lightweight and contain only essential components. Most of your operation in core installation will be done through Powershell scripts. If you are comfortable with command line interface this is the best option and this also boots up fast because it does not have any additional components to load.

I chose the option to install with GUI so that i can document it for everyone, but I am planning to do another installation pretty soon with just code and while i do that i will make sure to document it share it here.

Accept the License terms and click next

Now you will prompted to choose installation type. If you are upgrading from existing install (Preview etc.) choose this otherwise choose custom install

Once you hit next you will prompted to select the disk where you want to install the OS. Select the disk and click next

now windows will start installing which should take about 5 to 10 minutes. So sit back and relax and if you prefer can have a coffee or beer too. But don’t have too much because we aren’t done yet.

Once windows comes back up you will be prompted to enter Administrator Password. Enter a strong password that you can remember. Click next now windows is installed and you login screen will appear.

Enter the administrator password that was created in the previous step and once you are in you should see server management come up and show you the status of the system.

Now we are almost done i say this because we want to rename the computer so that when we add ADDS it looks better.

Open Control plan by searching from the Charms which appear when you move your mouse to the end. (This is the new way of accessing applications in Windows). click search and type Control panel


Once you are in the control panel click on system and rename computer as shown below.

Rename your computer and restart the machine for the changes to take effect.



Boom.. Now we have a working Windows 2012 server environment. This is a best time to take a snapshot of your VM as well as take a Copy of this VM and store it separately. This would come handy in many scenarios like when you want to quickly create a VM with windows server 2012. You can also sysprep this VM and use it as clone similar to the way that Amazon is doing for is AWS.

I am working on the side to understand sysprep process and once i get hold of things i will surely share that information here so we all can benefit and not have to spend time spinning up VM.

SharePoint 2013 Installation - Part 1

Part 1: Preparing the environment. 
Part 2 : Installing Windows Server 201
Part 3: Adding Active Directory Domain Services
Part 4: Promoting to Domain Name Server


SharePoint 2013 with all new cool features and social capabilities and enhancements is here and available for download. It is not the preview or release candidate but the final version. We are going to see in this series how to install and configure SharePoint 2013 Virtual Machine (VM). I am going to document all the steps that in creating this as a guide along with the setbacks and obstacles that i face in the process. I am going to create a single VM (simple configuration) which I will be primarily using for development and once I am done with this I will try to create a farm and document the steps as well.

Step 1: Creating Windows Server 2012 environment

This is the first step in the process and we will see how we can create a VM with Windows Server 2012.

I am using VMWare but there are other Virtual Machines available like Oracle’s VirtualBox, Windows Hyper V and there are few open source options as well.

Preparing VMWare:

Open VMWare Player and form this place you will be able to create new Virtual Machines

Click Create New Virtual Machine






In the Welcome Screen choose “I will install the operating system Later” option. and click next

In the select Guest Operating System screen choose “Microsoft Windows” and in the version drop down Choose “Windows 2008 R2 64 bit”

Click Next and now you will be prompted to enter Virtual Machine name and Location. You can change the location where you want to create the VM like a secondary HD. Give a name that is easily identifiable and hit next

Here you would need to specify Hard Disk  capacity. Choose at least 80 GB and you can check the minimum requirement here. You can split the HD for storing or leave it as single file.

Once you click next you will be in a summary page which shows the default configuration. Before clicking finish click on customize hardware

You will see hardware screen where you can configure your RAM and other hardware here. If you have 8 GB of RAM in your laptop or desktop where you are creating this machine it is better to give at least 5GB for this machine. This is only for Development scenario but for production stick with minimum requirement given here.

Choose 2 processor and in the “New CD/DVD” use ISO image and link it to the ISO image of windows server 2012. if you have not downloaded already you can get trial version from here. SharePoint 2013 can be installed on Server 2008 R2 as well but this article is all about installing it on server 2012.

If you have SQL Server and Sharepoint Downloaded you can add those ISO files now but it is better to add it after server 2012 is installed. SQL Server can be downloaded from here and SharePoint  2013 from here.

Once you click finish our VM with Server 2012 is ready.

In Part2 we will how we can install VM and setup Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS)

Please share your comments for improvising this guide so this becomes useful for many. If you have any question post it and if I know that answer I will address it and we can learn together.