Comprehensive Guide for Installing and Deploying a Network Controller on Windows Server

Step 1: Establishing a Security Group

Before deploying the Network Controller, it’s essential to create an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Security Group. Follow these steps:

1. Open Active Directory Users and Computers, locate your domain, right-click the relevant organizational unit, and select New > Group.
2. Assign a name to the group (e.g., Network Admin), set the scope to Global, and choose the desired group type.
3. Right-click on the newly created group and select Properties.
4. Go to the Members tab, click Add, type “administrator” in the Enter the object names to select field, and click on Check Names. Add other users as needed.
5. Create another group named Network Ops, adding the previously included users as members.

Pro Tip: After setting up the groups, initiate the Certificate Enrollment Wizard on the server to request a certificate tailored for network controllers.

Step 2: Setting Up the Network Controller

To install the Network Controller as it is a Server Role that is not pre-installed:

1. Launch the Server Manager.
2. Select Manage > Add Roles and Features.
3. Click Next in the Add Roles and Features wizard.
4. Choose Role-based or Feature-based installation and click Next.
5. Select your server from the server pool and click Next.
6. Under Server Roles, check Network Controller, click Add Features when prompted, and then click Next.
7. Proceed by clicking Next to skip the Features tab if the necessary features are pre-installed.
8. Review information regarding the Network Controller and click Next.
9. Check Restart the destination server automatically, then click Install.

Pro Tip: Allow a few moments for the installation to finalize before progressing.

Step 3: Deploying the Network Controller

After installation, set up your Network Controller cluster by creating a cluster node. Open PowerShell as an administrator and execute the following command:

New-NetworkControllerNodeObject -Name <string> -Server <String> -FaultDomain <string> -RestInterface <string> [-NodeCertificate <X509Certificate2>]

• Name <string> : Name for the network controller node.
• Server <string> : Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the server hosting the node.
• FaultDomain <string> : Fault domain detailing potential grouped server failures.
• RestInterface <string> : Network interface for REST requests.
• NodeCertificate <X509Certificate2> : Optional for secure communication.

Next, run the following command to configure your cluster:

Install-NetworkControllerCluster -Node <NetworkControllerNode[]> -ClusterAuthentication <ClusterAuthentication> [-ManagementSecurityGroup <string>][-DiagnosticLogLocation <string>][-LogLocationCredential <PSCredential>] [-CredentialEncryptionCertificate <X509Certificate2>][-Credential <PSCredential>][-CertificateThumbprint <String>] [-UseSSL][-ComputerName <string>][-LogSizeLimitInMBs<UInt32>] [-LogTimeLimitInDays <UInt32>]

• Node <NetworkControllerNode[]> : An array of NetworkControllerNode objects for the cluster.
• ClusterAuthentication <ClusterAuthentication> : Authentication method for the cluster.
• ManagementSecurityGroup <string> : Security group managing the Network Controller.
• DiagnosticLogLocation <string> : Destination for diagnostic logs.
• LogLocationCredential <PSCredential> : Access credentials for log location.
• CredentialEncryptionCertificate <X509Certificate2> : Encryption certificate for credentials.
• Credential <PSCredential> : Credentials for the Network Controller.
• CertificateThumbprint <String> : Thumbprint of the usage certificate.
• UseSSL : Optional SSL usage for communication.
• ComputerName <string> : Computer executing the command.
• LogSizeLimitInMBs <UInt32> : Maximum log file size in MBs.
• LogTimeLimitInDays <UInt32> : Duration limit for logs in days.

Finally, execute Get-NetworkController to verify the deployment was successful.

What prerequisites do I need before installing a Network Controller?

Can I automate the entire installation process?