Author: Bob Lin

Bob Lin, Chicagotech-MVP, MCSE & CNE Data recovery, Windows OS Recovery, Networking, and Computer Troubleshooting on http://www.ChicagoTech.net How to Install and Configure Windows, VMware, Virtualization and Cisco on http://www.HowToNetworking.com

How to raise Windows Domain and Forest Function level

  1. Login domain admin account in one of Domain controllers.
  2. Open Active Directory Users and Computers by clicking Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.
  3. Right-click the domain node and then click Raise Domain Functional Level

4. Under Select an available domain functional level, select domain function level.

5. When popup warning message, click Ok.

6. Click OK when you will receive an acknowledgement message telling you that the operation was completed successfully.

7. Go to Active Directory domains and trusts and right click on it. Select Raise Forest Function Level.

To check the domain and forest function level, please refer to this page:

What can be done prior to raise Windows function level?

Q: What can be done prior to raise Windows function level?

A: Verify that Active Directory is replicating properly to all DCs. The Domain and Forest Functional Levels are essentially just attributes in Active Directory. The Domain Functional Level for all domains must be properly replicated before you’ll be able to raise the Forest Functional level. This practice also addresses the question of how long one should wait to raise the Forest Functional Level after you’ve raised the Domain Functional Level for all the domains in the forest. Well…what is your end-to-end replication latency? How long does it take a change to replicate to all the DCs in the forest?

Which client and server OS are supported to join Windows domain

Q: Which client and server OS are supported to join Windows domain?

A: Quoted from Microsoft article:

The following Windows client and Windows Server operating systems are supported for domain member computers with domain controllers that run Windows Server 2012 or later:

  • Client operating systems: Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista
    • Computers that run Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 are also able to join domains that have domain controllers that run earlier version of Windows Server, including Windows Server 2003 or later. In this case however, some Windows 8 features may require additional configuration or may not be available. For more information about those features and other recommendations for managing Windows 8 clients in downlevel domains, see Running Windows 8 member computers in Windows Server 2003 domains.
  • Server operating systems: Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003

Domain Functional level features and requirements

Q: Our Domain is Windows 2012 R2 wit 2003 function level. If we upgrade to Windows 2012 R2 function level, does that cause any problem on Windows 2008 servers?

A: That should be fine. Quote from Microsoft article:

Windows Server 2012 requires a Windows Server 2003 forest functional level. That is, before you can add a domain controller that runs Windows Server 2012 to an existing Active Directory forest, the forest functional level must be Windows Server 2003 or higher. This means that domain controllers that run Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2003 can operate in the same forest, but domain controllers that run Windows 2000 Server are not supported and will block installation of a domain controller that runs Windows Server 2012. If the forest contains domain controllers running Windows Server 2003 or later but the forest functional level is still Windows 2000, the installation is also blocked.

How to combine and merge files into one PDF

You can merge two or more files into one PDF using Adobe Acrobat. Here is how.

  1. With Acrobat open, click on the Tools or Create.

  2. Click Combine Files, and then click Add Files to select the files you want to include in your PDF.

  3. Click, drag, and drop to reorder the files and pages. Double-click on a file to expand and rearrange individual pages. Press the Delete key to remove unwanted content.

  4. When finished arranging files, click Combine Files.

  5. Click the Save button.

Can we sync our Windows 2012 r2 AD to azure AD 2016?

Q: We are small company and running two Windows 2012 r2 as domain controllers. We are planning to use Microsoft cloud services and will sync our active directory to Azure Active directory.

Can we sync our Windows 2012 r2 AD to azure AD 2016?

A: It should work. Azure AD has no versioning and you can sync your 2012 R2 environment.

How to get Forest and domain information

Q: We are small company and running two Windows 2012 r2 as domain controllers. We are planning to use Microsoft cloud services and will sync our active directory to Azure Active directory.

To answer some questions from the form sent to us, what are the Forest Name, Forest, site. I can search for the concepts, but can someone give me the example or where can I find them?

The article I read are example, forest name=forest.local, domain name is domain.local, Forest=corporate.local, domain=corporate.local, site=datacenter. I assume since we have only one forest and one domain, all forest name, forest, domain name and domain are the same, for example mydomain.com. The site is Default-First-Site-Name? Not sure.

A: Run PowerShell commands:

Get-ADForest

Get-ADDomain