Server Administration: Essential Tasks and Configuration

Posted on Mar 1, 2025 in Computers

Creating a Domain

Server Manager: Add Roles and Features, Active Directory Domain Services.

Adding a Computer to the Domain

Steps:

1. Control Panel
2. System
3. Change Settings
4. Computer Name: Change
5. Member of: Input domain

Creating Local and Domain Accounts

Domain Accounts

Steps:

1. Control Panel
2. System
3. Administrative Tools
4. AD Users and Computers
5. Right-click, New User, and create the user
6. Right-click on the user created, Add to group, Find now
7. Click on the group to add

Local Accounts

Steps:

1. Login to local host
2. System
3. Administrative Tools
4. Computer Management
5. Local Users and Groups
6. Right-click on users, New user
7. Right-click on the user created, Properties, Member of, Add to a group

Adding Server 2008 as a Second DC

Steps:

1. Control Panel
2. System
3. Change Settings
4. Under computer name, click Change
5. Member of: Type the domain to add to

Adding a Virtual NIC to a VM

Steps:

1. Go to Hyper-V Manager
2. Virtual Switch Manager
3. New virtual network switch
4. Click on external
5. Create and name the switch

Creating a Virtual Switch and Adding VMs

Steps:

1. Hyper-V Manager
2. Settings on VM that is off (right-click)
3. Add hardware
4. Choose the virtual switch created

Remotely Managing Server 2012

RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol)

Steps:

1. Open remote desktop connection
2. Enter computer to connect to
3. Enter credentials to connect

Computer Management

Steps:

1. Open MMC
2. Click on File, Add or remove snap-in
3. Add computer management
4. Select another computer to access

RSAT (Remote Server Admin Tool)

Steps:

1. Control Panel
2. Administrative Tools
3. Click on DNS
4. Input computer/domain to connect to

Creating a Custom MMC

Steps:

1. Open MMC
2. Click on File, Add or remove snap-in

Creating a User in PowerShell or CMD

Command:

dsadd user "cn=dsuser, ou=test, dc=yournamedom.cent, dc=cent"

Creating and Mounting a Hard Disk for a VM

Steps:

1. Go to Hyper-V Management
2. Access the settings for the desired VM (ensure the VM is off)
3. Select add hardware, SCSI, New hard drive, VHDX, Dynamically expanding
4. Once created, turn on the VM
5. Open Computer Management
6. Click Disk Management
7. Turn hard drive online and it will automatically mount to the VM
8. Initialize disk, Select MBR then hit okay
9. Right-click and select new simple volume, Follow the wizard
10. Make sure it is NTFS

Creating an iSCSI LUN and Mapping Server 2012

Steps:

1. Open a browser and access 172.16.1.100
2. The management interface to the Iomega SAN should appear
3. Access Shared Storage
4. Under Shared Storage Type, change the folder to ISCSI Drive
5. Name the share “yourname”
6. Create a .1 GB storage (100MB)
7. Click apply
8. Verify that you have created an ISCSI target
9. Access Control Panel, Click on ISCSI Initiator
10. Start the service and allow the service through the firewall
11. Under ISCSI properties, select the Discovery tab
12. Click on Add Portal, Enter the IP address of your SAN Server
13. Click okay (you might get an error)
14. Access the Target tab, Click Refresh
15. Verify that you can see your ISCSI Target
16. Check “automatically restore this connection when the computer starts” and click OK
17. You should be connected

Mounting the iSCSI LUN

Steps:

1. Access Disk Management
2. You should see an unknown disk
3. Right-click and select Initialize Disk
4. Select MBR and click OK
5. The disk should be Online
6. Right-click on the free space and create a drive
7. Format the drive
8. Verify it is NTFS

Running PowerShell Cmdlets

Examples:

• Get-Command
• Get-Help

Managing the Firewall on Server Core

Cmdlets:

Get-NetFirewallRule | format-table name, displaygroup, action, direction, enabled -autosize

Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup “Remote Event Log Management”

Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup “Remote Server Management”

Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup “File And Printer Sharing”