Introduction
Hey fellow and aspiring I.T. professionals, I'm Pragmat1c_0n3. This blog post is four of the Cyb3r-S3c series on Microsoft's Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). In the previous blog post, I discussed AD object management and the tools available. In this post, I'll explore the essential management and maintenance tasks for AD domain controllers (DC). I'll begin by discussing their deployment, backup and recovery, and schema management. I'll also describe the AD global catalog (GC) role and its placement considerations, as well as the AD operations master roles, their placement considerations, and their management tasks. Lastly, I'll delve into the AD schema and its management tasks. Let's get started.
AD DC On-Premise Deployment
To ensure a successful deployment of domain controllers in an AD environment, it's crucial to follow two essential steps.
First, you need to install the necessary files required for the domain controller role, which can be accomplished through Windows Admin Center or Server Manager. Keep in mind that although the AD DS files are installed at this stage, AD DS is not yet configured on the server.
Secondly, you must configure the AD DS role, and the easiest way to do this is by using the Active Directory Domain Services Configuration Wizard, which can be accessed by selecting the AD DS link in Server Manager.
When configuring the AD DS role, it's essential to provide answers to several questions. These questions include:
Deploying DC Role on Server Core
When working with a Windows Server that is running a Server Core installation, the OS graphical user interface (GUI) is not available. As a result, alternative methods are required to install both the files for the domain controller role and the role itself. Some possible options include using Windows Admin Center, Server Manager, Windows PowerShell, or Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT). RSAT can be installed on any supported version of Windows Server that has the Desktop Experience feature, or any supported Windows client like Windows 10.
Deploying DC Role from Media
When faced with a slow, unreliable, or costly network connection between sites, deploying an additional domain controller at a remote location or branch office can prove advantageous. To minimize the impact on the wide area network (WAN) link, you can employ the following approach:
1. Create an AD DS backup and transfer it to the remote location using a portable storage device, such as a USB drive. This ensures that the majority of the data copying process occurs locally, reducing the amount of traffic transmitted over the WAN link.
2. Once you are at the remote location, use Server Manager to initiate the installation of AD DS. Opt for the "Install from media" option, allowing you to leverage the backup you previously created. This further minimizes the data transfer over the WAN link.
3. By following this method, the WAN link primarily handles security-related traffic and AD changes that transpire after the backup was created. This guarantees that the new domain controller remains synchronized with any modifications made to the central AD.
By adopting this approach, you can effectively mitigate the impact on the WAN link, ensuring it is primarily utilized for essential security-related traffic and post-backup AD updates.
Branch Office Deployments
Deploying an RODC in the branch office provides significant advantages in minimizing the risks associated with a security breach. An RODC operates with a read-only copy of the AD DS database, ensuring that modifications to the domain controller's data are restricted. Furthermore, by default, an RODC does not cache user passwords, thereby reinforcing the overall security posture. However, if necessary, you have the flexibility to configure the RODC to selectively cache passwords for branch office users. This configuration facilitates improved authentication performance and enables offline access for these users while maintaining a heightened level of security.
In the unfortunate event of an RODC compromise, the potential loss of information and the impact of the breach are significantly reduced compared to a full read/write domain controller. The read-only nature of the RODC prevents unauthorized modifications or tampering with data within the Active Directory environment, bolstering the overall security posture. By strategically implementing an RODC in branch offices with limited physical security, you can enhance security measures, effectively mitigate the risks associated with potential breaches, and ensure the integrity of your Active Directory infrastructure. This approach contributes to a more robust and resilient network environment.
Sometimes DC's need to be upgraded
In a majority of cases, the method for upgrading a DC remains the same across various versions of Windows Server, from Windows Server 2012 R2 to Windows Server 2022. There are two primary methods for upgrading to a Windows Server 2022 domain:
1. Upgrade existing domain controllers: You have the option to upgrade the operating system on your current domain controllers that are already running Windows Server 2012 R2 or a later version. This involves performing an in-place upgrade on each domain controller to seamlessly transition them to Windows Server 2022. This method allows you to retain your existing domain configuration, settings, and data while taking advantage of the latest server operating system.
2. Introduce new domain controllers: Another recommended approach is to introduce new servers running Windows Server 2022 as additional domain controllers within your existing domain. By adding these new domain controllers, you can benefit from a clean installation of both the Windows Server 2022 operating system and the AD DS database. This ensures a fresh and optimized domain environment, maximizing the capabilities and improvements offered by the latest server platform.
When new domain controllers are added, Windows Server automatically updates the domain DNS records, facilitating the easy location and utilization of the newly introduced domain controllers by client systems. This automatic update ensures efficient communication and seamless integration within the domain infrastructure.
Opting for the method of introducing new domain controllers brings several advantages, including compatibility with Windows Server 2022, enhanced functionality, and the ability to leverage the full benefits of the latest server operating system. This approach enables a smooth and efficient upgrade process while maintaining the stability and functionality of your existing domain. By following these recommended practices, you can successfully upgrade your domain controllers to Windows Server 2022, ensuring a reliable, secure, and up-to-date domain environment for your organization.
Deploy Azure DC
Azure offers Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), providing a cloud-based virtualization platform for deploying AD DS (Active Directory Domain Services). When implementing AD DS on Azure IaaS, it is crucial to consider the following guidelines:
Network Topology: Create an Azure Virtual Network and attach your virtual machines (VMs) to it to meet AD DS requirements. For integration with an existing on-premises AD DS infrastructure, establish network connectivity between Azure and your on-premises environment. Hybrid connectivity options like a virtual private network (VPN) connection or an Azure ExpressRoute circuit can be utilized based on your organization's specific needs for speed, reliability, and security.
Site Topology: Define and configure an AD DS site that corresponds to the IP address space of your Azure Virtual Network. This ensures effective management and replication of AD DS data within the Azure environment.
IP Addressing: While Azure VMs typically receive DHCP addresses by default, it is recommended to configure static IP addresses for AD DS deployment. Static IP addresses persist across VM restarts and shutdowns, ensuring consistent communication and stability.
DNS: Azure's built-in DNS may not meet the requirements of AD DS, including Dynamic DNS and SRV (Service) resource records. To enable DNS functionality for AD DS in Azure, consider utilizing the Windows Server DNS server role or other available DNS solutions in Azure, such as Azure Private DNS zones.
Disks: Take control of Azure VM disk configurations, including caching. During AD DS installation on an Azure VM, it is best practice to allocate a dedicated data disk for the NTDS.DIT and SYSVOL files. Additionally, set the Host Cache Preference setting of that disk to NONE. This configuration optimizes the performance and reliability of AD DS within the Azure environment.
By adhering to these recommendations, you can ensure a successful deployment of AD DS on Azure IaaS. These considerations cover aspects such as network connectivity, site topology, IP addressing, DNS functionality, and disk configurations. Following these guidelines will result in a robust and reliable AD DS infrastructure in the Azure cloud environment.
DC Maintenance
Operational aspects are crucial for maintaining business continuity in any AD DS environment, with a primary focus on the preservation of authentication services. Key considerations in this regard involve backup and recovery procedures for domain controllers and the AD DS objects they host.
Backup Strategy: It is essential to establish a robust backup strategy that encompasses regular backups of domain controllers. This ensures the preservation of critical AD DS data, including user accounts, group policies, and other objects. Implementing a regular backup schedule minimizes the risk of data loss and facilitates swift recovery in the event of a system failure or inadvertent data corruption.
Recovery Planning: Alongside a backup strategy, organizations should develop comprehensive recovery plans for domain controllers and AD DS objects. These plans outline the steps to be followed in the event of a system failure, allowing for the prompt restoration of services. Recovery plans may include procedures for restoring a domain controller from a backup, initiating authoritative and non-authoritative restore operations, and resolving replication conflicts.
Testing and Validation: To ensure the effectiveness of backup and recovery processes, it is vital to periodically test and validate the restoration procedures. Conducting test recoveries in a controlled environment enables organizations to identify any potential issues or gaps in the recovery plan. Regular testing helps guarantee that the backup and recovery mechanisms are functioning as intended and provides confidence in the ability to restore AD DS services successfully.
Monitoring and Alerting: Implementing monitoring and alerting mechanisms allows for proactive identification of potential issues with domain controllers and AD DS objects. Monitoring tools can track the health and performance of AD DS services, alerting administrators to any abnormalities or critical events. By promptly addressing such issues, organizations can mitigate the risk of service disruptions and minimize downtime.
Documentation and Training: Thorough documentation of backup, recovery, and monitoring procedures is crucial for maintaining operational continuity. Administrators should maintain up-to-date documentation outlining the step-by-step processes involved in backup, recovery, and monitoring operations. Additionally, providing appropriate training and knowledge transfer to IT staff ensures that they are proficient in executing these tasks efficiently.
By incorporating these operational aspects into the management of an AD DS environment, organizations can enhance business continuity and ensure the uninterrupted functioning of authentication services. Proactive measures such as implementing a robust backup strategy, developing comprehensive recovery plans, conducting regular testing, and maintaining documentation and training all contribute to the resilience and reliability of AD DS operations.
DC Availability
Domain controllers in an AD DS (Active Directory Domain Services) environment utilize a multi-master replication process to synchronize data across multiple domain controllers. To ensure optimal availability and performance, it is recommended to adhere to the following best practices:
Minimum Number of Domain Controllers: Each AD DS domain should have a minimum of two domain controllers per AD DS site. This redundancy enhances the availability of the AD DS database and distributes the authentication load, especially during periods of high sign-in activity.
Geographical Distribution: For most enterprises, it is advisable to have a minimum of two domain controllers per geographical region. This approach ensures high availability and performance by spreading the domain controllers across different physical locations. Geographic distribution reduces the risk of a single point of failure and enhances fault tolerance in the event of a localized disruption.
Load Balancing: Having multiple domain controllers in a site enables load balancing during peak sign-in times. By distributing the authentication load across multiple domain controllers, organizations can handle increased user activity more efficiently, ensuring a smooth authentication process.
Redundancy and Failover: Deploying multiple domain controllers not only provides redundancy but also facilitates failover capabilities. In the event of a domain controller failure or maintenance, the presence of additional domain controllers ensures uninterrupted access to AD DS services. The remaining domain controllers continue to serve authentication requests, maintaining business continuity.
Considerations for Scalability: The recommended minimum of two domain controllers per site or geographical region serves as a baseline for high availability and performance. However, depending on the organization's size, infrastructure complexity, and user demands, it may be necessary to deploy additional domain controllers to accommodate scalability requirements. Evaluating the specific needs of the environment and planning accordingly helps ensure a resilient and scalable AD DS deployment.
By following these best practices, organizations can establish a robust AD DS infrastructure that offers high availability, efficient load balancing, and resilience to potential failures. Adequate redundancy, geographic distribution, and scalability considerations contribute to a reliable and responsive authentication system, meeting the demands of modern enterprise environments.
DC Backup and Restore Planning
Maintaining the reliability of Active Directory data is a critical aspect of managing an AD DS (Active Directory Domain Services) environment. While performing regular backups is essential, having the knowledge and understanding of how to restore or recover data after a failure is equally crucial. Here are some best practices to ensure the integrity and recoverability of Active Directory data:
1. Regular Backups: Implement a regular backup strategy for your domain controllers, including system state backups that capture Active Directory data. Schedule backups at appropriate intervals to minimize the risk of data loss in the event of a failure or accidental deletion.
2. Test Backup and Restore Processes: Perform periodic test restores to validate the integrity of your backup data and ensure that the restore process functions correctly. Testing backups and restores in a controlled environment helps identify any potential issues or shortcomings in the backup and recovery procedures.
3. Document and Maintain Restore Procedures: Document the step-by-step procedures for restoring Active Directory data in case of a failure. Include important details such as the required backup media, recovery options, and any necessary prerequisites. Regularly review and update these procedures to align with any changes in your AD DS environment.
4. Understand Recovery Options: Familiarize yourself with the various recovery options available for Active Directory, such as authoritative and non-authoritative restores. Understand the circumstances in which each type of restore should be used to effectively recover AD DS data without compromising its integrity.
5. Test Disaster Recovery Scenarios: Simulate disaster recovery scenarios to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of your recovery processes. This can include recovering an entire domain or specific objects within Active Directory. Testing these scenarios allows you to identify any gaps or weaknesses in your disaster recovery plan and make necessary improvements.
6. Implement Monitoring and Alerting: Deploy monitoring and alerting mechanisms to proactively detect and respond to issues that may impact Active Directory data integrity. Monitor critical components such as domain controller health, replication status, and backup job completion to ensure the continuity of AD DS operations.
7. Train and Educate Administrators: Provide comprehensive training to your administrators on backup and recovery procedures, emphasizing the importance of data integrity and the steps involved in the recovery process. Regularly update their knowledge to keep them well-informed about best practices and any changes in AD DS recovery technologies.
By following these best practices, you can establish a robust backup and recovery strategy for Active Directory, ensuring the reliability and availability of your AD DS environment. Being prepared to restore or recover data after a failure significantly reduces downtime, safeguards against data loss, and helps maintain the continuity of your organization's operations.
Recycling Bin: Deleted AD Object Restore
The Active Directory Recycle Bin feature in Windows Server provides a convenient and efficient method to restore deleted objects in AD DS (Active Directory Domain Services) without causing any downtime. Here are some key points to consider regarding the Active Directory Recycle Bin:
1. Eliminating OS Downtime: Unlike traditional backup methods that involve temporary OS downtime to restore deleted objects, the Active Directory Recycle Bin allows you to restore deleted objects seamlessly without any AD DS downtime. This ensures continuous availability of the AD DS environment during the restoration process.
2. Enabling Active Directory Recycle Bin: Once enabled, the Deleted Objects container becomes visible in the Active Directory Administrative Center. This container retains deleted objects until their deleted object lifetime expires. By default, the lifetime is set to 180 days for new AD DS deployments, but you have the flexibility to adjust this duration based on your specific requirements.
3. Restoration Options: When using Active Directory Recycle Bin, you can choose to restore deleted objects either to their original location within AD DS or to an alternate location. This provides you with flexibility in restoring objects based on your organizational needs and preferences.
4. Limitations: It's important to note that Active Directory Recycle Bin is primarily designed for restoring deleted objects and cannot be used to revert changes made to existing objects. In such cases, you would need to rely on traditional methods of backing up and restoring AD DS data.
By leveraging the Active Directory Recycle Bin feature, you can simplify the process of restoring deleted objects in AD DS without experiencing any downtime. This feature significantly enhances the efficiency and convenience of object recovery, ensuring the continuity of your AD DS environment. For situations involving changes to existing objects, it's essential to rely on appropriate backup and restore methods to maintain the integrity and recoverability of AD DS data.
DC Backup and Restore
By including system state data in the backup you can ensure the successful restoration of AD DS (Active Directory Domain Services). This encompasses critical OS and server role files, including the AD DS database and the registry. It's important to understand that a full server backup, designed for complete server recovery, does not support restoring AD DS in this particular scenario.
To initiate an AD DS restore, it is necessary to have complete access to the files on the domain controller. This requires restarting the domain controller in Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM). If you are restarting the domain controller locally, you can access the advanced startup options and select DSRM from the menu.
When you start the domain controller in DSRM, you will sign in as the Administrator using the DSRM password. Once logged in, you can leverage Windows Server Backup to restore the directory database. After the restoration process is complete, it is crucial to restart the recovered server. The domain controller will then synchronize its database with other replication partners to ensure data consistency and incorporate any changes that have occurred in the directory since the backup date. By diligently following these steps, you can successfully restore AD DS, guarantee data integrity, and bring the domain controller back to an up-to-date state. This process ensures the reliable functioning of Active Directory within your environment.
Non-Authoritative DC Restore
When restoring an AD DS (Active Directory Domain Services) backup, the default behavior is to restore the domain controller to a known good date, essentially rolling it back in time. Upon restarting AD DS on the domain controller, it contacts its replication partners to request all subsequent updates. In this way, the domain controller catches up with the rest of the domain using standard replication mechanisms.
This type of restore is particularly useful when the directory on a domain controller has suffered damage or corruption, but the issue has not spread to other domain controllers. However, it's important to note that this approach may not be suitable in all scenarios. For instance, it will not allow you to recover an object that was deleted after the backup was taken, if that deletion has already replicated to other domain controllers. If you restore a known good version of AD DS and restart the domain controller, the deletion that occurred after the backup was taken will simply replicate back to the domain controller.
To address such scenarios, Windows Server provides additional mechanisms to recover specific objects or attributes in AD DS. For example, the Active Directory Recycle Bin feature allows you to restore deleted objects without requiring a complete rollback of AD DS. This feature can be enabled and used to restore individual objects that were deleted, even if the deletion has replicated to other domain controllers. By considering the specific requirements of your AD DS environment and employing the appropriate restoration methods, you can effectively recover AD DS data while minimizing potential data loss and maintaining the integrity of your Active Directory infrastructure.
Authoritative DC Restore
An authoritative restore is a method that allows you to restore a known good copy of specific AD DS (Active Directory Domain Services) objects, effectively replacing the current version of these objects in the AD DS database. Unlike a non-authoritative restore, an authoritative restore designates the restored objects as authoritative, ensuring that they replicate from the restored domain controller outbound to its replication partners.
To perform an authoritative restore, you follow a similar sequence of steps as with a non-authoritative restore. However, there is an additional step before restarting the domain controller. After the restore process, you mark the specific objects that you want to persist as authoritative. This authoritative designation ensures that these objects take precedence over any conflicting versions in the replication process. When the domain controller restarts, the restored objects marked as authoritative will be replicated to other domain controllers in the environment. This process effectively restores the selected objects to their known good state across the AD DS infrastructure.
By utilizing an authoritative restore, you can regain control over specific objects in AD DS and ensure that the desired version of these objects is replicated to all domain controllers. This method is particularly useful when you need to recover specific objects that have been inadvertently modified or deleted and ensure their proper state throughout the AD DS replication process.
Conclusion
In conclusion, in this post "Active Directory Fundamentals (Part Four: Deploying, Backup, and Restoring)" I provided a comprehensive overview of deploying, backup, and restoring Active Directory Domain Services. I provided insight about AD DS on-premise deployments, different methods for deploying a DC, upgrading a DC, deploying to the cloud, DC maintenance, availability, backup, and restore. Hopefully by applying the knowledge gained from this video, I can help you efficiently manage AD objects and enhance your AD environments performance.
Thank you for reading "Active Directory Fundamentals (Part Four: Deploying, Backup, and Restoring)" in the Active Directory Fundamentals series on Cyb3r-S3c. If you find this content informative and you are interested in cybersecurity, please regularly check back on the Cyb3r-S3c website. For more free content, please like and subscribe to the Cyb3r-0verwatch channel. Until next time keep learning, the only way to improve is to keep learning.
/Signing Off,
Pragmat1c_0n3
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