So you have a lot of servers you need promoted to DC's and you want to ensure they are all configured identically. Well thanks to answer files this is possible. You probably already know how to install Windows 2000 or 2003 with an answer file, and I have already described how to configure and install IIS 6.0 with an answer file, so running DCPromo with an answer file will be a breeze.
The command to specify an answer file is pretty straightforward
dcpromo /answer:{answer file}Open notepad and create a line at the top and enter [DCInstall] Under this header you will add the entries to allow the unattended install to answer the questions that will arise. There are a number of entries for an answer file and not all are required. Here are the most useful ones.
AdministratorPassword = password for the future domain administrator account
AutoConfigDNS = (Yes | No) will configure DNS (or not configure it)
CreateOrJoin = (Create | Join) will create a new DC in a new forest, or in an existing forest.
DomainNetBiosName = will set the NetBIOS name for the domain
NewDomainDNSName = will set the DNS name for the domain
SiteName = will set the name of the Site. If you omit this it will default to "Default-First-Site.
TreeOrChild = (Tree | Child) will determine if it is a new tree or a child in the existing domain.
ReplicaOrDomain = will specify if this is a DC in a new domain or a replica for an existing domain.
RebootOnSucess = (Yes | No) will automatically reboot the server if the promotion was successful.
You can see an example of a file I used in a lab below. It is set up to create a new forest called TheLazyadmin.lab with the NetBIOS name of THELAZYADMIN in a site called TLA Site. DNS will be install and configured automatically as well.
I also used the second example to add a second DC to my test forest I created above. It will add a replica DC to the TheLazyadmin.lab domain. I also created a list of other entries I know about here, If you know of others drop me a line and let me know! This answer file can be used in conjuction with an unattended setup to run DCPromo after install is complete using buy placing the following line in the [GUIRunOnce] section of the unattended install answer file.
"DCpromo /answer:%systemroot%\system32\$winnt$.inf"For more information see:
DCPromo Answer File Sample New DC (1KB TXT)DCPromo Answer File Sample 2 Additional DC(1KB TXT)