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Windows Server 2012 Connect Branch Office to HQ Domain And Replicate Domain And Replicate DNS

I had new 10K server and wanted to test out before making changes. The goal is to turn it into a VM. Test out connecting to the HQ domain and replicate the domain and dns. In this situation the branch office already had a domain. The location was purchased by HQ and needed to roll into the HQ domain.

Couple of notes before we begin:
-keep your domain flat. If you can, do NOT do subdomains, trusts, etc. It's too much of a pain later on. Keep it simple.
-you can have 2 domains on the same network (just not 2 DHCP servers).

CREATE VIRTUAL MACHINE

HYPER-V is included in WINDOWS-10. So all we have to do is create a new VHDX from the existing SDD that came with the server.

-connect SDD to WINDOWS-10 via USB caddy.
-download DISK2VHD.
-created server-2012r2 vm with DISK2VHD (you only need the main partition).
-started HYPER-V
-created new VM (do not import, etc).
-attached newly created VHDX, no-network, 4 processors, 10GB ram.
-booted for first time.
-installed dns, ad, file.
-shutdown.
-create VSWITCH external-network & allow-management-operating-system-to-share-this-network-adapter (no vlan id).
-attached VSWITCH to VM.

ADD BRANCH OFFICE TO DOMAIN

-on hq ad server: ad-sites-services > create-new-site-for-branch-office
-on hq ad server: ad-sites-services > subnets > create subnets-for-branch-office & attach to branch-office
-on hq ad server: ad-sites-services > inter-site-transports > ip > create new > hq/branch > 15 mins

JOIN BRANCH OFFICE SERVER TO HQ DOMAIN

Simple enough but if you've never done it before you might be thinking there's something more to it. There isn't.

-start VM
-change ip address to static-ip
-change dns to dns at hq
-join domain
-restart

PROMOTE BRANCH OFFICE SERVER AS DOMAIN CONTROLLER

-click MANAGE > ADD-ROLES-AND-FEATURES
-click NEXT > NEXT > NEXT
-click ACTIVE-DIRECTORY-DOMAIN-SERVICES
-let it go through its setup.
-click promote to DOMAIN-CONTROLLER (upper-right flag)
-select ADD-A-DOMAIN-CONTROLLER-TO-AN-EXISTING-DOMAIN
-select DNS SERVER & GC (global catalog)
-create DRSM password.
-except defaults until INSTALL.
-click INSTALL
-wait
-server reboots

REPLICATE BRANCH OFFICE SERVER DOMAIN CONTROLLER

-check USERS&COMPUTERS to see if in DOMAIN-CONTROLLERS
-check SITES&SERVICES
-view all servers are correct.
-click NTDS SETTINGS
-right-click right-panel
-click REPLICATE-NOW
-cycle through all NTDS SETTINGS
-right-click NTDS-SETTINGS > ALL-TASKS > CHECK-REPLICATION-TOPOLOGY
-cycle through all NTDS SETTINGS
-ps-type: repadmin /replsummary
(on the new server, the largest delta is 'unknown')
-click NTDS SETTINGS
-right-click right-panel
-click REPLICATE-NOW
-ps-type: repadmin /replsummary
(on the new server, notice the time is now a few seconds)

High-five!!!

NOTES:
thai-mswindows (youtube)