Essential knowledge for Server 2012 R2 administration
Essential knowledge for Server 2012 R2 administration
Have you set up the ADDS service or promoted the server? Open Server Manager -> add roles and features -> proceed through options until you see a list of items, select ADDS, it will ask for necessary prerequisites and you’ll confirm them before installation. After completion, in Server Manager’s ADDS tab you’ll notice a warning prompting you to configure the domain/forest. EDIT: I didn’t install the Essentials 2012 box; it seems to be a different product. Check this link: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/libr...81793.aspx. Also, CBTNuggets – consider subscribing for ~USD$70/month. The course will cover everything needed for Windows Server exams (70-410, 411, 412) and will help you understand the environment better. EDIT2: Ideally someone experienced should handle this deployment; incorrect settings can cause major problems later if not set right from the start.
You're checking if you need to disable Domain Services. Microsoft states that Server 2012 R2 Essentials depends on them. You may need to upgrade to Standard version, which would involve handling licensing details. Relevant links include guides and downloads from trusted sources.
It wasn't difficult to take out AD server certificates, domain services, web services, and DNS services once I realized you needed to dive into the subtrees and remove them in a specific sequence rather than just at the root. No need to hire someone; I could handle it with a few hours of effort, though time pressure made it tougher.
Honestly, the setup seems to work without a dedicated server operating system. Installing Server 2012 and turning off certain features makes it behave like Windows 8.1. It looks like their configuration might be off—perhaps using Homegroup instead of a domain—or maybe they didn’t need a server OS at all.
After turning off domain services, there were no issues reported. Although Microsoft indicated that the 2012 essentials version needs domain support, you can still install Win 8.1 Pro since it also handles homegroup functionality.
It was exactly what the program required. I tested it on a standard Windows 7 setup and it didn’t work. I prefer a straightforward data server, but the software is really frustrating. Server 2012 feels more modern for editing, though it’s still tougher than Server 2003 or 2008. Worse still, it’s running a 14-core X99 Xeon E5-2695 v3 with 64GB RAM for two doctors and two front office staff—enough for them to use it, but they asked me to disable most features. Lol.
The system needs a server operating system for a doctor's office setup. The creator of that software seems to have gone too far, but it still didn’t work well. Running it on a dual-socket machine would have been better, or they could have used more powerful hardware like Xeon E7s.
These medical software firms often try to sell expensive equipment—like a high-end server with multiple cores, large storage, and plenty of RAM—for a steep price.