Category: Windows Server 2012

• Resolving Hyper-v Error: “‘Unnamed VM’ could not initialize… The security ID structure is invalid.”

  While moving my Lab to a new environment using the Hyper-v Export and Import VM options, I ran into an “‘Unnamed VM’ could not initialize… The security ID structure is invalid” error when trying to start the Domain Controller Virtual machines. After doing some research, I found out that after a VM Import, Hyper-v doesn’t…

  jbernec

  February 4, 2015

  Hyper-v, Hyper-v 2012 R2, Hyper-v Manager, Microsoft Hyper-v, PowerShell, Powershell 4.0, Uncategorized, VHDX, Virtual Machines, WIndows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

  Cmdlets, Grant-VMConnectAccess, Invalid Security ID, Unnamed VM

• Configuring Windows Server 2012 R2 DHCP Failover with PowerShell and Resolving Custom Options Error 20010.

  For the first time, WS 2012 R2 offers a true DHCP failover and load balance solution that works. After recently migrating to Windows Server 2012 R2 DHCP, I went a step further to configure failover to a partner server with the following steps: 1) Log in to the primary Windows Server 2012 R2 DHCP server…

  jbernec

  January 29, 2015

  DHCP, DHCP Failover, DHCP High Availability, PowerShell, Powershell 4.0, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

  DHCP, DHCP Custom Options, DHCP Failover, Error 20010, Failover, PowerShell 4.0, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

• PowerShell Script Monitors Security Logs and Sends Email Alerts.

  I wrote this PowerShell script to send email alerts when Active Directory User Account, Security and Distribution Group Management events occur in the Security logs.A few parameters will need to be edited to adapt the script to any Active Directory domain environment.Also, the script will not work on Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Domain Controllers…

  jbernec

  November 12, 2014

  Active Directory, Active Directory Domain Services, Audit Logs, Domain Controller, Event Logs, PowerShell, PowerShell 3.0, Powershell 4.0, Windows Server 2008 R2 Backup, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

  Audits, Eventviewer, Log Source, Security Logs

• Uninstalling Software with Powershell.

  I have a number of Hyper-v Windows Server 2012 R2 core host machines in my environment. Once in a while, I have to check for installed software and uninstall software for maintenance. The following WMIObject class helped me achieve the task in PowerShell. Check for installed software: Filter by Software to be Uninstalled: Locate the…

  jbernec

  June 9, 2014

  Hyper-v, Hyper-v 2012 R2, Microsoft Hyper-v, PowerShell, PowerShell 3.0, Powershell 4.0, Windows Server 2008 R2 Backup, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

  Powershell 3.0, Windows PowerShell, WMIObject

• Setting Up a WS2012 R2 Windows Deployment Server (WDS) for Pre-Boot Execution Environment (PXE).

  In this post I want to quickly go through my experience setting up a Windows Deployment Server for PXE Boot(Pre-Boot Execution Environment) for my lab servers. Platform is Windows Server 2012 R2 .I outline the steps as follows: 1) Open a PowerShell console and use the Install-WindowsFeature cmdlet to install the specific role as indicated…

  jbernec

  February 11, 2014

  Active Directory, Active Directory Domain Services, DHCP, PowerShell, PowerShell 3.0, Powershell 4.0, Pre-Boot Execution Environment, PXE, Virtual Machines, WDS, Windows Deployment Server, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

  Legacy Network Adapter, PXE, VM, WDS, Windows Deployment Server

• Using NTDSUTIL Metada Cleanup to Remove a Failed/Offline Domain Controller Object.

  In this post, I would like to talk about using the ntdsutil utility for metadata cleanup. A domain controller failure ‘DC00’ recently occurred in my lab. Running the repadmin /replsum command confirmed a replication error and showed DC00 as unavailable: Since a dcpromo was obviously out of the question, I used the Ntdsutil metadata cleanup…

  jbernec

  January 27, 2014

  Active Directory, Active Directory Domain Services, AD Forest, DCPromo, Domain Controller, DSRM, Flexible Single Master Operations, FSMO, NTDSUtil, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008 R2 Backup, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

  Active Directory, DNS, Domain controller, Flexible Single Master Operations, FSMO, metadata cleanup, ntdsutil

• Demoting the last Windows Server 2012 R2 Domain Controller with PowerShell.

  As with promoting a server to domain controller, demoting the a domain controller is also a straight forward process with PowerShell. The following PowerShell cmdlets are available from the ADDSDeployment module: Uninstall Active Directory: The demote process got a little tricky because this was the last DC in the domain and had an Operations Master…

  jbernec

  January 13, 2014

  Active Directory, Active Directory Domain Services, AD Forest, DCPromo, Domain Controller, PowerShell, PowerShell 3.0, Powershell 4.0, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

  Active Directory, Cmdlets, Powershell 3.0, Windows PowerShell, Windows Server 2012, WS 2012, WS2012 R2

• Configuring a Single Windows Server 2012 R2 Active Directory Domain Controller in a new Forest.

  Pre-Windows Server 2012 and PowerShell 4.0, the primary tool/command for Active Directory Domain Controller promotion and demotion has always been the Dcpromo command. With Windows Server 2012, it’s been replaced by a suite of PowerShell cmdlets contained in the ADDSDeployment module. In this post, I’ll talk about my experience setting up a single WS2012 R2…

  jbernec

  January 6, 2014

  Active Directory, Active Directory Domain Services, AD Forest, PowerShell, PowerShell 3.0, Powershell 4.0, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

  Domain controller, Domainname, PowerShell, Server, Windows PowerShell, Windows Server 2012

• Deploying a Windows Server 2012 R2 Domain Controller in an existing Win2003 Functional Level Domain.

  My first task before deploying a Windows Server 2012 R2 Domain Controller in a Windows Server 2003 forest functional level environment was to run the Test-ADDSDomainControllerInstallation cmdlet and determine my domain environment’s readiness to accept the new Windows Server 2012 R2 Domain Controller installation without any glitches: [ws2012r2]: PS C:\Users\admin\Documents> Test-ADDSDomainControllerInstallation -DomainName genesys.net | fl…

  jbernec

  December 30, 2013

  Active Directory, Active Directory Domain Services, AD Forest, DCPromo, Domain Controller, DSRM, Flexible Single Master Operations, FSMO, NTDSUtil, PowerShell, PowerShell 3.0, Powershell 4.0, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

  Active Directory, Cmdlets, dcdiag, DNS, Domain controller, Flexible Single Master Operations, FSMO, Operations Master, Powershell 3.0, Schema Version, Windows PowerShell, WS2012 R2

• Seizing Active Directory FSMO (Flexible Single Master Operations ) roles with Powershell.

  I have been running 2 Virtual Machines as Active Directory Domain Controllers in the Lab for sometime now. DC00 was running Windows Server 2003 R2 and DC01 is running Windows Server 2008 R2. But recently I lost a Hyper-v machine hosting DC00 Domain Controller VM, I had no replica available to immediately failover and didn’t…

  jbernec

  December 23, 2013

  Active Directory, Active Directory Domain Services, AD Forest, Domain Controller, Flexible Single Master Operations, FSMO, NTDSUtil, PowerShell, PowerShell 3.0, Powershell 4.0, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

  Active Directory, Cmdlets, Domain controller, Flexible Single Master Operations, FSMO, ntdsutil, Operations Master, Powershell 3.0, Windows PowerShell