After deploying a new domain controller running Windows Server 2012 using Server Manager, you should verify the installation by performing the following steps:
Add the new domain controller to the server pool and to any server group you created for grouping together your Windows Server 2012 domain controllers.
Select the new domain controller from any applicable page of Server Manager.
Check for any alerts raised concerning the new controller on the Notifications menu.
Scroll down the page to the Events tile, and review any events raised for the new domain controller. Pay special attention to any critical, error, or warning events raised, and perform any additional configuration or remedial action needed to address these events.
Scroll down the page to the Services tile, and review the condition of the services on the new domain controller. Make sure that all services have their startup values configured appropriately and that automatic services are running.
Scroll down the page, and start a Best Practices Analyzer (BPA) scan on the new domain controller by selecting Start BPA Scan from the Tasks menu of the Best Practices Analyzer tile. (See Figure 7.) BPAs are server management tools built into Windows Server 2012 that help you adhere to best practices by scanning installed server roles and reporting any violations discovered.
As an example, Figure 8 shows the results of running a BPA scan on two Windows Server 2012 domain controllers deployed in a new forest. These domain controllers have been grouped together in Server Manager by creating a custom server group named Domain Controllers. The Error displayed in the Best Practices Analyzer tile indicates that domain controller SEA-DC-1 is the PDC Emulator operations master for the forest and needs to be able to synchronize its clock with a reliable time source on the Internet. After you run a BPA scan on your domain controllers, be sure to carefully review the results displayed in the tile.
