There may be cases when you need to install Active Directory in your home lab. As an example, I can specify the installation of VMware vRealize Automation, for which you require a domain. In this article I will show how to install Active Directory on Windows Server 2012 R2. I chose Windows Server 2012 R2 over the newest Windows Server 2016 because in my experience 2016 requires more hardware resources compared with 2012, hardware resources which are scarce in a lab environment.
As a prerequisite for this installation, you need to prepare in advance a Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Edition virtual machine preferable with all the normal goodies (latest hardware version, latest VMware Tools, vmxnet3 network adapter, paravirtual SCSI adapter). Install the latest security patches. You do not need the installation kit for Windows Server 2012 R2.
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