Logo
programming4us
programming4us
programming4us
programming4us
Home
programming4us
XP
programming4us
Windows Vista
programming4us
Windows 7
programming4us
Windows Azure
programming4us
Windows Server
programming4us
Windows Phone
 
programming4us
Windows 7

Managing Windows 7 in a Domain : Joining a Domain

- How To Install Windows Server 2012 On VirtualBox
- How To Bypass Torrent Connection Blocking By Your ISP
- How To Install Actual Facebook App On Kindle Fire
6/5/2011 5:01:56 PM
When Windows 7 is first installed, it is a member of a workgroup by default. Workgroups are used in small offices, home offices, and home networks to allow users to share resources among themselves.

However, networks of more than 10 users implement domains. A domain is easier to manage and provides better security than a workgroup. One important benefit of a domain is that it provides single sign-on capabilities. In a domain, each user has one account that they can use to log on to almost any computer in the domain. In a workgroup, users need a separate account for each computer.

A Windows domain includes at least one server acting as a domain controller and hosting Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). Desktop computers (such as Windows 7 computers) are then joined to the domain so that users can access the domain resources.

AD DS includes objects such as users, computers, and groups. In order for a user to log on to the domain, the user needs a user account. In addition, the user must log on to a computer that is joined to the domain. If the computer isn't a member of the domain, the user won't be able to log on even if the user has a domain account.

That being said, it's important to know how to join a computer to a domain. In the following section, you'll have an opportunity to create a virtual test environment that includes a single domain controller hosting a domain. You can then use this to join a Windows 7 computer to the domain.

1. Creating a Test Bed

A test environment (or test bed) can be used for testing, learning, experimenting, and practicing. It includes one or more systems that can be completely isolated, connected to each other, and in some instances given limited connectivity to the live network. A virtual test bed is one or more virtual systems created in a virtual environment such as Microsoft Virtual PC or Windows Virtual PC.

Figure 1 shows a virtual network hosted on Windows 7. It includes two virtual systems—one running Active Directory as a domain controller and one running Windows 7 as a client in the domain.

Figure 1. Virtual network hosted on Windows 7

Windows 7 can run both Microsoft Virtual PC and Windows Virtual PC. Either of these products can be used to create a test bed on your local Windows 7 system. As a reminder, Microsoft Virtual PC is the older product run on Windows XP and Windows Vista. Windows Virtual PC (VPC) is the newer product that can also host Windows XP Mode to run virtualized applications.

Your system should have at least 3 GB of RAM for satisfactory performance. You can use 1 GB (1024 MB) for the virtual server running Windows Server 2008, 1 GB for the virtual desktop running Windows 7, and 1 GB for the host operating system. If necessary, you can use as little as 512 MB for Windows Server 2008 VPC, though the performance will be slow.

More RAM is always better. I'm running a 64-bit system with 6 GB of RAM, so I have given each of the VPCs 1.5 GB (1536 MB), leaving 3 GB for the host.

1.1. Creating a Domain

A domain includes a server running Active Directory Domain Services. The domain controller could be running Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003, but it's more likely you'll be working with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 servers in your domain today.

You can download a trial edition of Windows Server 2008 from Microsoft's download site (www.Microsoft.com/downloads) by searching on "Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Eval." You need to download the x86-based version (32-bit).

NOTE

Windows Virtual PC and Microsoft Virtual PC do not support x64-based operating systems. You can run VPC on a 64-bit host, but you can only add x86-based operating systems as virtual machines to VPC.

Before starting Exercise 1, you should have accomplished the following steps on your Windows 7 system:

  • Install Windows Virtual PC on the system.

  • Create a VPC machine named DC1 with at least 512 MB of RAM (1536 MB if possible), networking deselected, and a dynamically expanding virtual hard disk. Note that this step doesn't install Windows Server 2008 but only creates the VPC.

  • Obtain an evaluation copy of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise edition. An .iso image can be downloaded from www.Microsoft.com/downloads and burned to a DVD.

Exercise: Installing Windows Server 2008 on VPC

  1. Start Windows Virtual PC by clicking Start => All Programs => Windows Virtual PC => Windows Virtual PC.

  2. Insert the Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition DVD in the DVD drive.

  3. Start the DC1 VPC machine by double-clicking it. It will automatically begin booting from the DVD. If necessary, you can click the Ctrl+Alt+Del selection on the VPC menu to force a boot cycle.

  4. When the Install Windows screen appears, select your language, time and currency, and keyboard. Click Next. Click Install Now.

  5. The Type Your Product Key For Activation screen will appear. Deselect the Automatically Activate Windows When I'm Online check box. Click Next. When prompted again to enter your product key, click No.

  6. Select Windows Server 2008 Enterprise (Full Installation). Select I Have Selected The Edition Of Windows That I Purchased, and click Next.

  7. Review the software license terms and select I Accept The License Terms. Click Next.

  8. Click Custom (Advanced) to start the installation.

  9. Select Disk 0 Unallocated Space and click Next. The installation will begin at this point.

  10. While the installation is running, select Tools => Settings from the Windows Virtual PC menu. You will need to hold down the Ctrl+Alt+right-arrow keys to allow your mouse to escape the VPC window.

  11. Select Networking. Adapter 1 should be listed as Not Connected. Change this to Internal Network, as shown in the following graphic. Click OK. This will allow the virtual systems to connect to each other but not with the network or Internet.



  12. The installation process will complete after several minutes, and the VPC will reboot. When prompted to change the password, click OK.

  13. Enter P@ssw0rd in the New Password and Confirm Password text boxes. Press Enter or click the right arrow. When prompted that the password has been changed, click OK.

  14. When the desktop appears, the Initial Configuration Tasks screen will start. Use the Ctrl+Alt+right-arrow keys to allow your mouse to escape the VPC window. Select Tools => Install Integration Components from the Windows Virtual PC menu. Review the information in the dialog box, and click Continue.

  15. If the installer doesn't start automatically, click Start => Computer. Double-click the DVD drive and double-click Setup.

  16. Review the information on the Welcome page, and click Next.

  17. When installation completes, click Finish. When prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.


This evaluation edition is a fully functional copy of Windows Server 2008 edition, but the evaluation period expires after 60 days. You can renew this evaluation period up to three times for a total of 240 days by entering the following command at the command prompt with elevated permissions:

Slmgr.vbs -rearm

KB article 948472, which includes full details on rearming Windows Server 2008, can be viewed here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/948472.

Exercise 2 shows how to configure a Windows Server 2008 server.

Exercise: Configuring a Windows Server 2008 Server

  1. Start DC1 created in Exercise 9.1, and log on with the Administrator account and a password of P@ssw0rd.

  2. The Initial Configuration Tasks screen will appear.

  3. Click Set Time Zone. If the time zone is incorrect for your location, click Change Time Zone and select the correct time zone. Click OK twice.

  4. Click Configure Networking. Right-click Local Area Connection and select Properties. Deselect Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6). It's not needed for a small virtual network.

  5. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and click Properties. You can configure any TCP/IP settings desired, but exercises in this book assume the following settings are being used:

    • IP Address: 192.168.1.10

    • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

    • Preferred DNS Server: 192.168.1.10

    Your display will look similar to the following graphic.



    Click OK. Click Close. Close Network Connections.

  6. On the Initial Configuration Tasks screen, click Provide Computer Name And Domain. Click Change. Type in DC1 as the Computer Name and click OK.

  7. When prompted that you'll need to restart your computer, click OK. Click Close and click Restart Now.


The system is now configured as a virtual Windows Server 2008 server. The next step is to promote it to a domain controller as the first domain controller in a domain, as shown in Exercise 3.

Domain names need to have at least two parts such as Microsoft.com or Wiley.com. However, they don't need to have a legal top-level domain name such as .com, .org, or .net. You can use a test bed domain name of test.bed if desired. For examples in the book, I'm using wiley.com as the domain name.

Exercise: Promoting a Server to a Domain Controller

  1. Start DC1 and log on with the Administrator account.

  2. Click Start, type DCPromo in the Start Search box, and press Enter.

  3. After a moment, the DCPromo Wizard will start. Click Next.

  4. Click Next on the Operating System Compatibility screen.

  5. Select Create A New Domain In A New Forest, and click Next.

  6. Enter a fully qualified domain name for the domain, such as wiley.com. Click Next.

  7. Select Windows Server 2008 from the drop-down menu as the Forest Functional Level. Click Next.

  8. The Additional Domain Controller Options page will appear. It will have DNS Server and Global Catalog both selected. Leave them selected and click Next. A warning will appear because DNS hasn't been created yet. This is normal. Click Yes to continue.

  9. Accept the default locations for Active Directory files, and click Next.

  10. Type P@ssw0rd in the Password and Confirm Password text boxes for the Directory Services Restore Mode Administrator Password. Click Next.

  11. Review the information on the Summary screen, and click Next.

  12. Select Reboot On Completion. Active Directory will be installed and the server will reboot.


To complete your virtual network, you'll also need to add a Windows 7 VPC machine.

  • Create a VPC machine named Win7 with at least 1024 MB of RAM (1536 MB if your system has enough RAM), networking deselected, and a dynamically expanding virtual hard disk.

  • Install Windows 7 on the VPC.

Configure the networking for the Windows 7 VPC machine using the following settings.

  • IP Address: 192.168.1.5

  • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

  • Preferred DNS Server: 192.168.1.10

1.2. Joining the Domain

Once you've created a domain by promoting a server to a domain controller, you can add the Windows 7 client to the domain. Adding a Windows 7 client will result in the following:

  • A computer object will be created in the domain.

  • A password will be established for the computer to authenticate in the domain. This password will automatically be changed periodically.

  • Users will be able to log on using a domain account and access domain resources.

  • Group Policy objects will be applied to the computer and to users logging on to the computer.

Exercise 4 shows how to join a Windows 7 computer to a domain. If you're using the virtual network, both the domain controller and the Windows 7 client need to be running. It's critical that the Windows 7 client can reach the DNS server that is running on the domain controller. The Windows 7 VPC should have the Preferred DNS address configured with the address of the domain controller .

Exercise: Joining Windows 7 to a Domain

  1. Start Windows 7 and log on.

  2. Click Start, right-click Computer, and select Properties.

  3. Click Advanced System Settings. Select the Computer Name tab.

  4. Click Change.

  5. On the Computer Name/Domain Changes page, select Domain and enter the name of the domain. Click OK. You'll be prompted to enter the credentials for an account in the domain that has permission to join the domain. Your display will look similar to the following graphic.



  6. Enter the credentials of a user account that has permission to join the domain (such as the Administrator account), and click OK. After a moment, a dialog box will appear welcoming you to the domain. Click OK.

  7. You'll be prompted that you must restart the computer to apply the changes. Click OK.

  8. Click Close. When prompted to restart the computer, click Restart Now.


At this point, you have a virtual network that includes a domain controller and a Windows 7 server that has been joined to the domain.
Other -----------------
- Accessing Resources on a Network : Identifying and Resolving Network Printer Issues
- Accessing Resources on a Network : Understanding Permissions (part 2)
- Accessing Resources on a Network : Understanding Permissions (part 1) - SIDs, DACLs & NTFS
- Accessing Network Resources (part 3) - Installing and Sharing Printers on Windows 7 & Connecting to a Shared Printer
- Accessing Network Resources (part 2) - Working with Printers on Windows 7
- Accessing Network Resources (part 1) - Pointing to Network Resources & Creating Shares on Windows 7
- Networking with Windows 7 : Troubleshooting Network Connectivity Problems
- Networking with Windows 7 : Using the Network and Sharing Center
- Networking with Windows 7 : Resolving Names to IP Addresses
- Understanding Network Connectivity in an Enterprise (part 4) - Configuring a Network Interface Card & Using Proxy Servers
 
 
Top 10
- Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Structure to Your Diagrams - Finding containers and lists in Visio (part 2) - Wireframes,Legends
- Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Structure to Your Diagrams - Finding containers and lists in Visio (part 1) - Swimlanes
- Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Structure to Your Diagrams - Formatting and sizing lists
- Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Structure to Your Diagrams - Adding shapes to lists
- Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Structure to Your Diagrams - Sizing containers
- Microsoft Access 2010 : Control Properties and Why to Use Them (part 3) - The Other Properties of a Control
- Microsoft Access 2010 : Control Properties and Why to Use Them (part 2) - The Data Properties of a Control
- Microsoft Access 2010 : Control Properties and Why to Use Them (part 1) - The Format Properties of a Control
- Microsoft Access 2010 : Form Properties and Why Should You Use Them - Working with the Properties Window
- Microsoft Visio 2013 : Using the Organization Chart Wizard with new data
- First look: Apple Watch

- 3 Tips for Maintaining Your Cell Phone Battery (part 1)

- 3 Tips for Maintaining Your Cell Phone Battery (part 2)
programming4us programming4us
Popular tags
Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel Microsoft OneNote Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Project Microsoft Visio Microsoft Word Active Directory Biztalk Exchange Server Microsoft LynC Server Microsoft Dynamic Sharepoint Sql Server Windows Server 2008 Windows Server 2012 Windows 7 Windows 8 windows Phone 7 windows Phone 8
programming4us programming4us
 
programming4us
Natural Miscarriage
programming4us
Windows Vista
programming4us
Windows 7
programming4us
Windows Azure
programming4us
Windows Server
programming4us
Game Trailer