Validate Planning Regional Domain Controller Placement with AD/DNS evidence
Microsoft states: “To ensure cost efficiency, plan to place as few regional domain controllers as possible.”
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Stage Virtualized Domain Controller Cloning Test Guidance for Application Vendors with AD/DNS rollback checks
Microsoft states: “This topic explains what application vendors should consider to help ensure their application continues to work as expected after the virtualized domain controller (DC) cloning process completes.”
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Trace Integrating AD DS into an Existing DNS Infrastructure across Active Directory and Windows DNS
Microsoft states: “This involves creating a DNS server and DNS client configuration.”
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Review Service Accounts in Windows Server before AD/DNS changes
Microsoft states: “A service account is a user account that’s created explicitly to provide a security context for services that are running on Windows Server operating systems.”
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Scope Transfer Flexible Single Master Operations roles in Windows Server in observed AD/DNS state
Microsoft states: “When you create a new domain, the Active Directory Domain Services Installation Wizard automatically assigns all the domain-level Flexible Single Master Operations (FSMO) to the first domain controller that is created in that domain.”
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Validate Raise Domain and Forest Functional Levels in AD DS on Windows Server with AD/DNS evidence
Microsoft states: “Functional levels determine the available Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) domain or forest capabilities.”
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Stage Flexible Single Master Operations roles in Windows Server with AD/DNS rollback checks
Microsoft states: “Domain controllers that hold operations master roles, also known as flexible single master operations (FSMO) roles, to keep the directory functioning properly by performing a unique set of domain and forest management tasks.”
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Trace Active Directory LDAP client performance counters in Windows Server across Active Directory and Windows DNS
Microsoft states: “Beginning with Windows Server 2025, you can use Active Directory Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) client performance counters to monitor the performance of LDAP clients.”
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Review Appendix G - Securing Administrators Groups in Active Directory before AD/DNS changes
Microsoft states: “As is the case with the Enterprise Admins (EA) and Domain Admins (DA) groups, membership in the built-in Administrators (BA) group should be required only in build or disaster recovery scenarios.”
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Scope Active Directory DC Locator performance counters in Windows Server in observed AD/DNS state
Microsoft states: “Beginning with Windows Server 2025, you can use Active Directory Domain Service Domain Controller (DC) Locator performance counters to monitor the performance of DC locator clients.”
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