Step-by-Step: When creating a new Root Level Domain Controller you get the message “A delegation for this DNS server cannot be created because the authoritative parent zone cannot be found”

This is the 6th post in this series and today I am working on resolving a warning which appears when you are trying to create a new forest in a new network.

Let us walk through the above error first and then the steps to resolve it:

Step 1: Installing Active Directory Domain Services

I created a new VM and installed Windows Server 2012
In Server Manager–> click on Manage–> click Add Roles and Features Wizard–> click Next
Under Select installation type, select Role-based or feature-based installation–> click Next
Under Select destination server –> click Next
Under Select server roles –> click Active Directory Domain Services
Under Add features that are required for AD DS –> click Add Features–> click Next
Under Select features –> click Next–> click Next–> click Install
Finally the Installation progress window shows, installation completed successfully but Configuration required
Click Promote this server to a domain controller, this starts Active Directory Domain Services Configuration Wizard
Under Deployment Configuration –> click Add a new forest, type Root domain name: dotnetscraps.com–> click Next
Under Domain Controller Options, enter Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) password–> click Next
Here you are prompted with the warning..
If you continue further on the wizard, you will get the prerequisites check failure messages

Step 2: Installing DNS Server

In Server Manager–> click on Manage–> click Add Roles and Features Wizard–> click Next
Under Select installation type, select Role-based or feature-based installation–> click Next
Under Select destination server –> click Next
Under Select server roles –> click DNS Server
Under Add features that are required for DNS Server –> click Add Features–> click Next
Click Next–> click Next–> Install
Once the install the completed, let us configure DNS Server

Step 3: Configuring DNS Server

In Server Manager–> DNS
Under Servers–> right click WIN-DC–> click DNS Manager
Under DNS Manager–> right click WIN-DC–> click Configure DNS Server…
Under Configure a DNS Server Wizard –> click Next
Under Select Configuration Action –> click Create a forward lookup zone (recommended for small networks) –> click Next
Under Primary Server Location –> click This server maintains the zone–> click Next

NOTE: Since this is my Private Network, I selected This server maintains the zone else you could have selected ISP maintains the zone and followed the steps further
Under Zone Name, type dotnetscraps.com–> click Next
Under Zone File –> click Next
Under Dynamic Update, I am going with the default Do not allow dynamic updates–> click Next
Under Forwarders, I have selected No, it should not forward queries but you can select the first option as well –> click Next
The wizard will search for Root Hints and return back –> click Finish
This will give you the below error “Configure a DNS Server Wizard could not configure root hints” –> click OK
In Server Manager–> DNS–> right click WIN-DC–> DNS Manager
Expand WIN-DC–> Forward Lookup Zones, we can see dotnetscraps.com is now added in the Forward Lookup Zones
Right click dotnetscraps.com–> click Properties
Under General–> Dynamic update: select Nonsecure and secure–> click Apply

Step 4: Configure DNSSEC (Optional, but you should configure DNSSEC in your domain)

In DNS Manager–> WIN-DC–> click Forward Lookup Zones–> right click dotnetscraps.com –> DNSSEC–> Sign the Zone
I am going to use the default settings –> click Next

Click Next

Click Next

Click Finish

Step 5: Promote the server to a domain controller

In Server Manager–> Notification–> click Promote this server to a domain controller
Under Deployment Configuration –> click Add a new forest–> type dotnetscraps.com–> click Next
Under Domain Controller Options, type Directory Services Restore Mode *DSRM) password
Under DNS Options –> click Change…–> click Next
Under Additional Options –> type NetBIOS domain name:<I am leaving the default> –> click Next
Under Paths –> change the Database, Log and SYSVOL folder paths–> click Next
Under Review Options –> click Next
Under Prerequisites Check –> click Install
The server is now configured as a domain controller