Comments on: Install Read-Only Domain Controller on Windows Server 2008

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:17:11 +0000

Joy,
It would be my guess that if it is hanging like that then the operation is not completing and thus never triggering the reboot option. Note how this is different than the operation failing which would reboot whether even if it failed (assuming using RebootOnCompletion). To test this theory, I would set RebootOnSuccess to No. Then, if you never get the prompt or control never returns, then you would know that your operation is hanging somewhere else and you just can’t see it because it isn’t writing anything to the screen. The manual reboot would cause the system to stop waiting for whatever response it is looking for. If that is the case, you might look to see if one or more of your parameters doesn’t seem to be taking. That could indicate that those parameters come later in the operation than the one that is hanging up, so they are not getting applied.

By the way, if you are using ONLY the text in the article, then you may be missing a necessary parameter for your environment. That block of text is the MINIMUM required. You may need to add a line or two depending on how you are set up.

Take a look at: http://207.46.196.114/windowsserver2008/en/library/d2521765-9e7b-44b6-9021-496908f4b9521033.mspx?mfr=true

to see if there are any parameters that would apply to your environment.

If that link doesn’t work, then you can navigate to it:

Windows Server 2008 Technical Library > Active Directory Domain Services > Getting Started: AD DS > Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Installation and Removal > Appendix of Unattended Installation Parameters

*************

For your second question, look in your domain log files. Again, it can be hanging in such a way that an error never gets written (it doesn’t think it is finished, it is just waiting for an answer, so it won’t write an error). You can use the /LogPath parameter (see that same Microsoft link) to explicitly define a location.

You could try piping the return code to a text file but again, this will only work if the operation COMPLETES. Then, you can use Unattended Installation Return Codes. It was here last I checked:

http://207.46.196.114/windowsserver2008/en/library/d2521765-9e7b-44b6-9021-496908f4b9521033.mspx?mfr=true

By: Joy

Joy — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 08:45:34 +0000

Thanks! Just a question, did it ever happen to you that when running DCPromo unattended inside a script and calling it via “cmd /c” that it is hanging? Restarting the machine will then make it continue. RebootOnCompletion and RebootOnSuccess have both been used but to no avail

Additionally, how do you check (logs, etc) that it dcpromo unattended has actually completed?

By: Dean

Dean — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:12:45 +0000

You can watch a whole bunch of online Screencasts here:
http://www.netometer.com/video/windows+2008.php

Installing and configuring server core are just some of the scenarious demonstated there.

Dean

By: The things that are better left unspoken : 4 methods to add Server Core RODCs to your environment

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:54:57 +0000

[...] You lose AD, you can’t do anything… Directory Services in Windows Server "Longhorn" Read-Only Domain Controller and Server Core Step-by-Step Guide for Read-only Domain Controllers Windows Server 2008 dcpromo Changes Active Directory Domain Services: Install from (restored backup) media (IFM) Command Line switches for DCPROMO Windows Server Codename Longhorn Installing AD on writable and read-only DCs from a media set Deploying Windows Server 2008 Read Only Domain Controllers Performing a Staged RODC Installation Determine the Number of Domain Controllers RODC deployment guide RODC Compatility Pack for Legacy OSes RODC compatibility pack for down-level clients How to promote Server Core to be a RODC Creating an Unattend Installation File for DCPROMO in Windows Server 2008 PowerShell script to automate deployment of Read-only Domain Controllers on Hyper-V Install It – Read-Only Domain Controller on Windows Server 2008 Installing Windows 2008 Active Directory on Server Core (Existing Forest) Read-Only Domain Controllers – What’s Old is New Again Windows Server 2008 Core – Active Directory Domain Services Active Directory Domain Services: Install from (restored backup) media (IFM) The Crosby Blog – Windows Server 2008 Core: Read-Only DC (using the scripting method) Understanding “Read Only Domain Controller” authentication Installing Active Directory on Server Core with an Answer File How to Promote Server Core Installation to a Read Only Domain Controller Windows Server 2008 dcpromo Changes III (or Server Core Setup) How to Configure a Server Core Domain Controller: Vanilla to First DC in a Forest Install AD DS from media [...]