Adprep in Windows Server 2012

  • Article

We recently published TechNet topics about Adprep.exe
for Windows Server 2012. Adprep has many changes for this release:

  • Adprep runs automatically as needed as part of
    AD DS installation. For example, if you are installing AD DS on a server
    that runs Windows Server 2012 in a forest where all existing domain controllers
    run a previous version of Windows Server, then adprep /forestprep and adprep
    /domainprep run automatically before the AD DS installation on the Windows
    Server 2012 server begins. If you are installing a read-only domain controller in this
    case, then adprep /rodcprep runs automatically in addition to the other
    commands.
  • Adprep runs remotely, and targets the
    appropriate operations master roles (FSMOs) as needed. These FSMO role holders
    must be online and reachable from the server where you run Adprep.
  • Although it runs automatically during AD DS
    installation, you can also run Adprep.exe separately in advance of an AD DS
    installation, as with previous releases of Windows Server and Active Directory.
  • Adprep must  be run on a 64-bit server that runs Windows
    Server 2008 or later. There is no longer a 32-bit version (Adprep32.exe).
  • The forest functional level must be Windows
    Server 2003 or higher in order to run Adprep.   
  • Adprep /domainprep /gpprep does not run
    automatically, so it must be run separately as needed. You will still be able
    to install AD DS without running this command, but RSOP Planning Mode will
    function correctly only after this command has been run. See KB 2737129.

The following TechNet topics related
to Adprep have been updated for Windows Server 2012:

 

Justin [Active Directory
Documentation Team]