Domain Functional Level 2016 Prerequisites

Exchange 2016 cu3 added support for installing exchange 2016 onto windows server 2016 and also to have windows 2016 domain controllers dcs in the environment.

Domain functional level 2016 prerequisites. Just one block one role exchange 2016 prerequisites supported forest functional level for exchange server 2016 active directory must be at windows server 2008 forest functionality mode or higher. Windows server 2016 domain functional level features all default active directory features all features from the windows server 2012r2 domain functional level plus the following features. All support for environments with windows server 2003 domain controllers has ended.

This article discusses raising the domain and forest functional levels that are supported by microsoft windows server 2003 based or newer domain controllers. Our september 2016 release blog included a statement that is causing some confusion with customers. When you raise the domain functional level to windows server 2016 and if the forest functional level is windows server 2012 or lower you have the option of rolling the domain functional level back to windows server 2012 or windows server 2012 r2.

Dcs can support automatic rolling of the ntlm and other password based secrets on a user account configured to require pki authentication. For information about windows server 2016 and new features in active directory domain services ad ds see what s new in active directory domain services for windows server 2016. Furthermore the dfl dictates the lowest version of windows server that admins can use to promote new domain controllers.

There is no windows 2019 domain level. Weitere informationen zu features die auf niedrigeren funktionsebenen verfügbar sind finden sie unter understanding active directory domain. There is a nuance with the latter.

The confusion relates to our support of windows server 2016 with exchange server 2016. At least one windows server 2016 domain controller is required for microsoft passport for work. The blog included a statement that read domain controllers running windows server 2016 are supported provided forest functional level is windows server 2008r2 or later.

It s a shame really because many new active directory features and optional active directory features are only available when the functional level is raised. In order to be supported with windows 2016 dcs the active directory ad ds had to be at a minimum of windows 2008 r2 forest functionality level ffl. All user account domains and the domain to which the ad fs servers are joined must be.