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I have a small domain in my office (7 PCs) with a single DC installed physically, on a desktop running Windows Server 2012R2. All the components in the domain have static IPs - both the DC and the PCs.

I want to install a hypervisor OS on the desktop that will run the DC in order to use my hardware more efficiently.

How can I turn the physical single DC (which is also DNS and have FSMOs) into a VM without making any changes to other PCs in the domain? I would like to avoid having my server's IP or computer name changed.

I thought about creating a backup image from the physical DC and applying it to a VM, but I'm not sure how to do that.

Edit:

This is a small office which is inactive at night & weekends. It can tolerate long downtimes, so that shouldn't be a consideration.

eden881
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  • Purchase another piece of hardware: something that is server-grade. Then install ESXi, then a windows 2016 VM, then add it as an additional domain controller. Do not try and re-use the machine you already have. – EEAA Apr 20 '17 at 23:07
  • @EEAA Why shouldn't I re-use my hardware? Getting another piece of physical hardware seems like an expansive overkill to me. This is a really small office, and the single DC is performing just fine on it's own... – eden881 Apr 21 '17 at 00:11
  • 1) You're using a single desktop as a server. Your domain controller no less. 2) ESXi has a limited HCL, and it's unlikely that your desktop machine would be supported. 3) You need a second domain controller anyway, on a separate piece of hardware, for resiliency's sake. – EEAA Apr 21 '17 at 00:19

2 Answers2

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Here's one way that involves multiple steps, but it offers good insurance against potential problems. You'll need another computer to use temporarily until the process is done. For reference, I'll call your existing domain controller "DC1".

  1. Setup a new Windows Server machine on new hardware, and join it to the domain as a second domain controller. I'll call this "DC2".

  2. Make sure your domain information is fully replicated to DC2. Then, power off DC1 but don't do anything else to it just yet. Make sure your domain can function normally using DC2 only as the domain controller.

  3. Once you are sure of that, remove DC1 from the domain.

  4. Install a fresh copy of Windows Server on the old DC1 machine and join it to the domain. I recommend using Server Core but that's up to you. Install the Hyper-V role. If your own computer (the one you use for your regular work) is Windows 8.1 or above, you can install all of the management tools you need, and manage the servers from there. You'll need RSAT (Remote Server Administration Tools), and Hyper-V manager.

  5. Once Hyper-V is up and running, install a new copy of Windows Server as a VM. This will be your new domain controller. You can use the same hostname and IP address as the original DC1. Set it up as a domain controller and let it replicate.

  6. Power off DC2 and make sure you can function OK with your new DC1. Once you're sure, then you can decommission DC2.

Now you can install more VM's if you want. With 16 GB of RAM on the host, you should be able to run 2 or 3 additional VM's.

Note that I haven't addressed any licensing concerns. You should check with your vendor to make sure you'll still be in compliance. You'll likely need to purchase additional server licenses.

Oh, one additional comment: you can use ESXi for your host instead of Hyper-V if you want to. That's really up to you, but be aware that ESXi is really picky about which network adapters it supports. Unless your machine has a Broadcom or an Intel NIC, it probably won't work.

Charles Burge
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If you want to go the VMware route, you can get an external HDD and connect it to the DC. Download vCenter Standalone Converter and install it on the DC. You can convert the DC while it's powered on to a VM and save it to the external HDD. Once this is done, you can install ESXi (vSphere Free) onto the desktop. You might want to make sure you have a backup first.

Once ESXi is installed, you'll need to set a static IP and DNS settings (point DNS to your DC). Log into the hypervisor with the IP you set to it. Connect the external HDD to your computer and upload the folder with the VM of your DC to the datastore on your ESXi host. Right-click on the .VMX file and click "Add to Inventory". You can boot up your DC on the ESXi server now. You might need to reconfigure your NIC on the VM to give it the same IP as it had before.

Jarrod L. J. Gibson
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