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Can you virtualize all domain controllers in your organization?

Hammer 20 Reputation points
2024-05-13T14:34:57.04+00:00

Can you have all of your domain controllers in your environment virtualized. Once upon a time I recall it was recommended at least 1 DC be physical, is that still the case or has Azure changed how that works?

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  1. Daisy Zhou 19,586 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2024-05-13T15:44:06.27+00:00

    Hello Hammer,

    Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

    Yes, you can virtualize all domain controllers in your organization. However, it is recommended to have at least one physical domain controller in case of any issues with the virtual environment. Additionally, it is important to ensure that the virtual environment meets the necessary hardware and software requirements for running domain controllers.

    I hope the information above is helpful.

    If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

    Best Regards,

    Daisy Zhou

    ============================================

    If the Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.

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  1. Net Runner 595 Reputation points
    2024-05-19T22:29:02.2933333+00:00

    Yes, moreover, it is recommended nowadays.

    An important aspect here is that your virtualized DCs have to run on top of independent hypervisors, clusters, or premises to prevent everything from going down at the same time. That is usually done by having a dedicated standalone hypervisor host that, in addition to running your DC virtual machine, may also host some replicas for DR purposes or having one DC running in the public cloud. Some people recommend using a host with a different hypervisor if you have a homogenous infrastructure that is managed centrally. You may use ESXi or Proxmox to avoid any issues from the Hyper-V environment impacting your last DC as well. To migrate VMs between different hypervisors, you can use free 3rd party tools like V2V Converter https://www.starwindsoftware.com/starwind-v2v-converter.

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