Setting up Domain controllers on Server Core.

One of the things I have pointed people to a few times recently  is the Windows Server Core document in the step by step guides for Server 2008. Want to know how to install a role ? It's in there. Configure TCP/IP from the command line ? That's there too. Put in the key that you skipped during installation ? You got it.

Fantastic. It's the repository of all knowledge and wisdom ... Except, to set up a domain controller, it tells you to run DCPROMO with an unattend file. What goes in the file ? I've carefully avoided this ....

Right at this moment I'm trying to prepare a presentation for the morning. I found a great way of explaining objects over the on the PowerShell blog: I was always told that plagiarism was the sincerest form of flattery and I was planning to flatter Ben who produced it. Sadly the slide deck isn't linked to from his blog (and proving that I'm a complete numpty I missed the Link on the bottom of the PowerShell blog post)What I did find on Ben's blog was How to Configure a Server Core Domain Controller: a-ha ! Better still it gave me something I could throw into a search and that turned up  KB 947034: How to use unattended mode to install and remove Active Directory Domain Services on Windows Server 2008-based domain controllers. Problem solved.