When you install Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) on a server running Windows Server 2008 R2, a set of basic Active Directory features is enabled by default. In addition to the basic Active Directory features on individual domain controllers, there are new domain-wide and forest-wide Active Directory features available when all domain controllers in a domain or forest are running Windows Server 2008 R2.
To enable new forest-wide features, all domain controllers in the forest must be running Windows Server 2008 R2, and the forest functional level must be raised to Windows Server 2008 R2.
Membership in Domain Admins or Enterprise Admins, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477.
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To raise the forest functional level |
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Open Active Directory Domains and Trusts. To open Active Directory Domains and Trusts, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Domains and Trusts.
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In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Domains and Trusts, and then click Raise Forest Functional Level.
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In Select an available forest functional level, do one of the following:
- To raise the forest functional level to
Windows Server 2008, click
Windows Server 2008, and then click
Raise.
- To raise the forest functional level to
Windows Server 2008 R2, click
Windows Server 2008 R2, and then click
Raise.
- To raise the forest functional level to
Windows Server 2008, click
Windows Server 2008, and then click
Raise.
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Caution |
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Do not raise the forest functional level to Windows Server 2008 R2 if you have or will have any domain controllers running Windows Server 2008 or earlier. |
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Important |
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After you set the forest functional level to a certain value, you cannot roll back or lower the forest functional level, with one exception: when you raise the forest functional level to Windows Server 2008 R2 and if Active Directory Recycle Bin is not enabled, you have the option of rolling the forest functional level back to Windows Server 2008. You can lower the forest functional level only from Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows Server 2008. If the forest functional level is set to Windows Server 2008 R2, it cannot be rolled back, for example, to Windows Server 2003. |
Additional considerations
- To perform this procedure, you must be a
member of the Domain Admins group or Enterprise Admins group in
AD DS, or you must have been delegated the appropriate
authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run
as to perform this procedure. For more information, search for
"using run as" in Help and Support.
- Windows Server 2003 is the minimum
domain functional level required for raising the forest functional
level to Windows Server 2008. Likewise, Windows
Server 2008 is the minimum domain functional level required
for raising the forest functional level to Windows
Server 2008 R2.
- Before you raise the forest functional level
to Windows Server 2008 R2, verify that all domains in the
forest are set to the domain functional level of Windows
Server 2008. Note that domains that are set to the domain
functional level of Windows Server 2008 will automatically be
raised to Windows Server 2008 R2 at the same time that
the forest functional level is raised to Windows
Server 2008 R2.
- If you are not able to raise the forest
functional level, you can click Save As in the Raise
Forest Functional Level dialog box to save a log file that
specifies which domain controllers in the forest still need to be
upgraded to a later version.
- The current forest functional level is
displayed under Current forest functional level in the
Raise Forest Functional Level dialog box.
- You can also perform the task in this
procedure by using the Active Directory module for Windows
PowerShell. To open the Active Directory module, click
Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click
Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell. For more
information, see Raise the Forest Functional Level (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=137826). For
more information about Windows PowerShell, see
Windows PowerShell (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=102372).