Installing Windows Server

Microsoft makes available to anyone with a browser to download the ISOs for a 180 day evaluation copy of Windows Server.

Windows Server 2016 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-server-2016
Windows Server 2019 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-server-2019
Windows Server 2022 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-server-2022

All of these links can be found using your choice of search engine.

Windows Server installation

1. Create a VM with 4 cores, 8 GB of memory and 128 GB of disk space. Mount the ISO you downloaded.
2. If you are creating this VM on Proxmox, you will need to complete a few more steps.
   • Download the KVM virtio drives from the Fedora project https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/stable-virtio/virtio-win.iso
   • Mount this ISO in the Proxmox VM as an additional CD/DVD drive.
   • Power up the VM.
   • Early in the installation process, you will be prompted to pick the disk drive to install Windows to. If it is blank (no drives listed), browse to the virtio CD drive and select the “amd64” folder. This will contain the drivers for the virtio storage device.
3. When prompted, please supply a strong “administrator” password.
4. After the installation is completed, the will VM reboot.
5. To login you will need to simulate pressing Control-Alt-Delete. In ESXi, you will need to use the VMware Remote Console (VMRC). Login as “administrator”.
6. Using Server Manager, make the following changes:
   • Set the timezone
   • Set a static IP address
   • Enable Remote Desktop
   • Change the Computer Name which requires a reboot.
7. Using the Remote Desktop Client, log into the server.
8. Perform all Windows Updates. This will take 15-30 minutes to complete including reboots. Repeat until no other updates are available.

Promote this server to be a Domain Controller

1. Using Server Manager, under Manage (upper right), select “Add Roles and Features”
2. Select “Role-based or feature-based installation
3. Select you server
4. Select “Active Directory Domain Services”. Several other supporting services will be added.
5. Select DNS server. Optionally, select DHCP server if you need it. Press “Next” three times.
6. Press “Install” and wait.
7. Once the installation is done, restart the server.
8. Login again and start Server Manager. Wait until the scanning color bar at the top stops moving.
9. In the upper right are you will see a yellow triangle appear. Click on it and promote this server to be a domain controller.
10. Select the deployment plan you need. Select “Add a New Forest” to start a new domain. Type in a FQDN (test.lan) and press next.
11. Select the functional levels and the DSRM password and press next six times.
12. Press “Install”.
13. A reboot will happen.

Disable autostart of Server Manager

1. Start Server Manager
2. Under Manage is Server Manager Properties.
3. Click on “Do not start…” and press OK.