Blain Barton, Senior IT Pro Evangelist, has been with Microsoft for more than 19 years. His recent post in the TechNet Migration & Deployment Blog Series focuses on an area that many seem to either delay or avoid addressing, yet Barton clearly states in his post that “When we look at upgrading our existing infrastructure to the latest Windows Server edition we always have to consider the implications when upgrading Active Directory.”

The post provides excellent information and links to resources regarding Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) in Windows Server 2012, and focuses on domain controller upgrade processes.

Some of the useful links include:

• What's new in AD DS in Windows Server 2012?
• AD DS server role installation changes
• Deprecated features and behavior changes related AD DS in Windows Server 2012
• Supported in-place upgrade paths
• Functional level features and requirements
• Evaluation versions and upgrade options for Windows Server 2012

Barton demonstrates his appreciation for the common perception that AD is a signficant challenge but suggesting that IT managers start by considering the in place-upgrade scenarios to see how they may be used to facilitate the migration. 

He then discusses changes that have taken place between the changeover from Windows Server 2003 and 2008 R2 to Windows Server 2012, most specifically the role of Windows PowerShell and the ADDSDeployment Module in Windows PowerShell. Barton points out how much more automation has been provided, along with early checks to identify and resolve potential errors before the installation actually begins.  Barton points out, “Taken together, the AD DS installation changes in Windows Server 2012 simplify the DC role installation process and reduce the likelihood of administrative errors, especially when you are deploying multiple domain controllers across global regions and domains.”

More detailed information on GUI and Windows PowerShell-based installations, including command line syntax and step-by-step wizard instructions, see Install Active Directory Domain Services.

You can get all the information on issues and other main areas of migrations and upgrades by going to: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh994618.aspx#BKMK_UpgradePaths.