First 2016 Domain Controller

[Archipelego1]

Afternoon all,

 

We're looking to commission our first 2016 DC/DNS Server. Our domain currently runs on 2012 (R1) DCs, the Forest and Domain functional levels are at 2008 R2. We have Azure AD Sync running to our O365 tenancy.

 

Reading through the install guide on https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/deploy/upgrade-domain-controllers , the article mentions that a new install of a 2016 DC will automatically run the domainprep and forestprep commands.

 

From this, I have a couple of questions:

 

1.) Can anyone provide feedback on their experiences of installing their first 2016 DC (potentially on a 2008 R2 functional level). Did everything work ok and the adprep command automatically run ok?

2.) Did anything to do with AD sync, either from Azure Sync or third party SSO, break when the 2016 DC was installed?

 

Thanks in advance

[Norphy]

I've done this. The bigger issue than running DomainPrep/ForestPrep is, assuming you've not done it already, upgrading the SYSVOL replication method from FRS to DFSR. It's not especially hard but it is time consuming depending on how many DCs you've got

 

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Storage-at-Microsoft/Streamlined-Migration-of-FRS-to-DFSR-SYSVOL/ba-p/425405

 

Once that was done, putting 2016 DCs onto the domain was trivial.

[Archipelego1]

Thanks for this Norphy. Wasn't ware that 2016 RS3 had deprecated FRS for SYSVOL. I've read through this and we're showing the global state as eliminated, which is great. Never normally have things already completed, normally end up chasing myself in circles

 

Given this, you reckon a 2016 DC is no problem and that it doesn't affect Azure sync?

[Norphy]

I will admit that I've not done this on a domain with Azure AD Sync installed on it but I don't see why it would cause a problem.

[TechMonkey]

Maybe OT but wouldn't you skip 2016 and go straight to 2019?

[Archipelego1]

A consideration, yes.

 

We tend to avoid the latest Windows release though and go for the previous version. Just because of stability.

[Arthur]

We tend to avoid the latest Windows release though and go for the previous version. Just because of stability.

2016 has the incredibly slow Windows Updates issue which Microsoft aren't going to fix (because 2019 is the fix).

 

www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-server-2016/207993-windows-server-2016-stuck-restarting.html#post1779459

 

https://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295047-general-feedback/suggestions/32121229-stop-the-windows-update-madness-on-ws2016

 

2019 has been very stable on all of the VMs I have upgraded at my school. I would also recommend skipping 2016.

[XiJ]

We’ve done a few win2k8r2 to win2k16 migrations. Including a P2V of an original Win2k8 physical setup. No problems at all

 

We have a few windows 2019 hosts and a few DC’s. Again. I real issue other than a start menu issue where it resets / removing any user added tiles. But that’s minor.

 

Can’t comment in azure AD sync tho.

[free780]

2016 has the incredibly slow Windows Updates issue which Microsoft aren't going to fix (because 2019 is the fix).

 

www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-server-2016/207993-windows-server-2016-stuck-restarting.html#post1779459

 

https://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295047-general-feedback/suggestions/32121229-stop-the-windows-update-madness-on-ws2016

 

2019 has been very stable on all of the VMs I have upgraded at my school. I would also recommend skipping 2016.

Yep upgraded/migrated over half our servers to 2019. No issues and Windows Update is fast. Had the odd server lose domain membership post upgrade but ghats easily fixed. I did the FRS to DFS migration using Ned Pyles blog post. The key thing was parience.

[DavR]

+1 for Server 2019.

 

I initially tried Server 2016, again not wanting to go latest and greatest, and found the slow updating just made it unusable.

 

2019 works fine though, absolutely no problems with the domain promotion, adprep etc runs seamlessly. It's just the FRS to DFSR migration that you need to be aware of really.

 

Currently running 2012 R2 and 2019 DCs side by side with no problems.

[Roberto]

Thanks for this Norphy. Wasn't ware that 2016 RS3 had deprecated FRS for SYSVOL. I've read through this and we're showing the global state as eliminated, which is great. Never normally have things already completed, normally end up chasing myself in circles

 

Given this, you reckon a 2016 DC is no problem and that it doesn't affect Azure sync?

 

When you say “AD Sync”, you do mean AD Connect, right?