Can i add a windows server 2019 machine that is not activated to an activated windows server 2019 domain controller pc?

Question

I am having a problem adding a new windows server 2019 machine to the company domain controller. The DNS is pointing to the domain controller as usual but cannot find the DNS to the AD of the domain controller.

Can it be because the OS of the new server is not yet activated? Or what could be the other problem?

Forgot to mention that the server environment is on Promox V6.1.7

Answer 1

Hello,

Yes, you can add a Windows Server 2019 machine that is not activated to an activated Windows Server 2019 domain controller PC. Activation is not a requirement for joining a domain or participating as a member server in an Active Directory environment.

When you join a Windows Server machine to a domain, it establishes a trust relationship with the domain controller and allows the server to access domain resources and services. Activation, on the other hand, is a separate process that verifies the authenticity and licensing of the operating system but does not impact the ability to join a domain.

However, it's important to note that running an unactivated Windows Server instance is not compliant with Microsoft's licensing terms. To ensure compliance, it is recommended to activate your Windows Server installation by obtaining a valid license from Microsoft.

For Domain Join operations troubleshooting, please refer to the the log information and errors recorded at %windir%\debug\Netsetup. log file in the affected machine.

I used AI provided by ChatGPT to formulate part of this response. I have verified that the information is accurate before sharing it with you.

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Answer 2

Please run;

Dcdiag /v /c /d /e /s:%computername% >C:\dcdiag.log (run on PDC emulator)
repadmin /showrepl >C:\repl.txt (run on any domain controller)
ipconfig /all > C:\%computername%.txt (run on EVERY domain controller)
ipconfig /all > C:\problemworkstation.txt (run on problem pc)

Also check the domain controller System and Replication (DFS or FRS) event logs for errors since last boot. Post the Event Source and Event IDs of any found. (no evtx files)

then put unzipped text files up on OneDrive and share a link.