Step 1: Configure Local Server.

1. Select Local Server from the Server Manger Display
2. Rename the local computer to the name you want to appear in network discovery. You will not be able to change this after domain configuration!
3. Change time zone if necessary.
4. Turn on Automatic windows updating. Install updates if necessary.
5. Deactivate IE Enhanced security for administrators. Otherwise basic web browsing requires 5-50 confirmation clicks every time you want to search or open a new page. This probably only applies to IE, but simply to download Google Chrome from IE with this on took over 100 mouse clicks.
6. Activate Windows in the server options menu. This will ask for your windows key. You can get this online from the same site where you can download the server iso
7. install the NVIDIA graphics card

Step 2: Domain Promotion

• Follows this Guide
• NOTE: Be sure that AD Tools is installed in the optional features.
  • Otherwise you will not be able to add users.
  • The old add users from control panel approach does not work on domain configurations
  • also be sure the local computer name is set. Windows won’t tell you this in advance, but you can not change it later.
• You will need to create a security certificate
• domain set to CajalDomain.local
• NETBOIS name set to Cajal0 (can’t be same as local name)

Step 3: Install Remote Desktop Software and Add Licenses

• Follow this Guide
• self signed certiicate name: Cajal.CajalDomain.local
• store the certificate: Users\Aministrator\Documents\CAJAL.cer
• In the Add Groups prompt, be sure to Add “Domain Users”. I think it is a good idea to also add “Domain Admins” and “Domain Computers”

What I did

• First installed google chrome.
• Turn off IE enhanced security (one can do nothing on the internet until this done. Just installing chrome required 60 + conformation clicks for all of goggles network checks).
• install NVIDIA drivers to get graphics card working
• set up user accounts under control panel. Set up core users as admins

Then I tried to configure remote desktop.

1. First followed this guide: http://www.wackytechtips.com/installing-and-configuring-remote-desktop-services-rds-on-windows-server-2012/
   • This actually does lead you to a place where you can create enter the remote desktop User/Cal license number
   • this was not sufficient to get remote desktop working
   • I set CAJALusers.cer as my certificate
   • this made references to domain guides
2. So I tried to add domain users.
   • I followed this step by step guide for setting up a windows 2012 domain controller.
   • https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/12370.step-by-step-guide-for-setting-up-a-windows-server-2012-domain-controller.aspx
   • it wouldn’t let me use Cajal as the domain name (already in use as the local name). So I set it to Cajal0
   • this converted all the users to CAJAL0/username.
   • this still did not enable remote desktop access
   • I think this was a mistake.

I then went through the buttons following the ‘Remote Desktop Services’ on the server manager GUI (which none of the online guides I found mentioned).

First, I think this configuration is sufficient to get initial access and you don’t need to do any of the other things. This gets you launched with the 120 day trial at least.

Working through the licenses section I was able to configure things and I think add the licenses that I had built when going through the first GUI. I also created a new security certificate CajalCert.cer

A major bug?

• after upgrading to a domain controller, I have to log in as domain Cajal0
• more troubling, I can’t add users. I go to add users, and then it tells me Cajal/newusername doesn’t exist, and that Cajal0/newusername doesn’t exist. I know it doesn’t exist, I’m trying to create it!

I think the domain controller addition was a mistake, so I set out to downgrade it following this guide: http://terrytlslau.tls1.cc/2012/03/domain-controller-demotion-on-windows.html

Was wrong about domain user

• Turns out this is necessary, remote desktop services button doesn’t display anything

Start again from scratch

Basic configuration

1. Deactivate IE secutiry
2. Activate Windows in the server options

Active Directory Domain Services Configuration

• domain set to cajal.local
• Bio name selected Cajal
• Server name is stil WIN-KF8BIF09SKR

Third time’s the charm