Essentials Role and PDC

Answered

I’ve always read that with Essentials it is and has to be the PDC in your environment. Was looking for some advice. This is a home network.

I have a Windows 2016 Essentials Server and using most of it’s features.

I have a separate Windows 2016 Server (BDC)

Both run DNS and DHCP for reference.

I am building new systems and the first one will be Windows Server 2022 Standard with Hyper-V setup but Hyper-V will be for other things.

Questions:

Should I remove the separate Windows 2016 Server first and setup a new Windows 2022 server as a BDC to replace it or replace the Essentials server first?
With the Essentials Server role. When you install this on a server does it maintain the same restrictions as the full Essentials environment did where it is and must be the only PDC?
If it’s yes to 2 above, how do you set this up? Since you can’t setup a new Windows 2022 server in “migration mode”, when do you install the Essentials role? After everything is transferred over and that system is turned off?
How do you deal with the names and IP’s? So if you want them to have the same DNS names and same IP addresses, can you just change those once the other system is off?

Thanks.

WSEE Installer / WSEE Updater

JR asked 2 years ago
last edited 2 years ago

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Answers (1)

Best Answer

Windows Server Essentials (when installed via the WSEE server role that’s part of the Standard or Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2016, and that’s NOT installed via the “Essentials” SKU edition of Windows Server 2016) does not necessarily have to be the PDC within your environment. Rather, if you already have a PDC, then you can simply natively join your (to be Essentials) server to your existing PDC BEFORE you install the WSEE server role onto it. When doing things that way, the Windows Server Essentials configuration wizard will recognize that the server it’s being installed onto is already a member server within an existing domain, and it will then setup the Windows Server Essentials Experience accordingly.

1. Yes, if you are currently running the “Windows Server 2016 Essentials” SKU, then you would indeed need to remove it, and use Windows Server 2016 Standard/Datacenter instead (with its WSEE server role). Natively join Windows Server 2016 Standard/Datacenter to your existing PDC, and afterwards, add the Windows Server Essentials Experience (WSEE) server role to it.

2. Yes. For the Windows Server 2016 Essentials SKU, it MUST be the PDC in your environment. For Windows Server 2016 Standard/Datacenter with the WSEE server role, it MUST be, or see, a PDC (of which there can only be one).

3. As I’ve explained above, you natively join the server to your PDC BEFORE installing the WSEE server role, and then the Windows Server Essentials configuration wizard will recognize that the server is a member server within an existing domain, and it will setup Essentials accordingly.

4. The Windows Server Essentials configuration wizard will guide you through all of that when it’s run. For more info see here and here.

Mike answered 2 years ago

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