Virtual Networking Setup for Azure AD Domain Services

Introduction

An Azure Active Directory Domain Services (Azure AD DS) managed domain is deployed into an Azure virtual system subnet. It provides availability to clients and applications. This virtual network subnet should be used for the managed domain resources provided by the Azure platform.

As you make your own VMs and applications, they shouldn't be deployed into the same virtual system subnet. Rather, you might create and deploy your applications into a different virtual network subnet, or in a different virtual network peered to the Azure AD DS virtual network.

Virtual Network Peering

You may have a current Azure virtual network for VMs or keep your Azure AD DS managed domain virtual network isolated. To use the managed domain, VMs in other virtual networks need an approach to communicate with the Azure AD DS domain controllers. This availability can be given using the Azure virtual network peering.

With Azure virtual network peering, two virtual networks are connected, without the requirement for a virtual private network (VPN) device. Network peering lets you rapidly interface virtual networks and confine traffic streams over your Azure environment.

Creating a Virtual Network Subnet

Sign in to the Azure portal. Then click on the Azure portal menu. Select Create a resource. Then, select the resource group of your created Azure AD DS managed the domain from the list of resources.

Resource group

Then, select the default virtual network from the list here and open it.

Virtual network

After that, open the Address space for configuring.

Address space

The virtual network is created with a single address and then used by the default subnet. After this, everything is ready. Select Save.

Save

After saving, you should receive a successfully saved address space.

Saved address space

Then, select the Subnets and open for configuring.

Subnets

Click '+ Subnet' to add a subnet.

Enter a name for the subnet. If needed, update the Address range. After that, select the OK button.

You should have a successfully added subnet notification.

Successfully added subnet

Check the newly added subnet from the list.

List

Then, select and open the Peerings option.

Peerings option

Then, select the + Add button to create a peering.

Add

After that, enter your own values for the following settings Configure, then select OK.

Configure

After, successfully Connected, See the Peering status report.

Status report

Select and open the DNS servers’ option.

DNS servers

Select By default or Custom option. The default is a virtual network that uses the built-in Azure-provided DNS servers. When using Custom DNS servers, enter the IP addresses for the Azure AD DS domain controllers.

When completed, select the Save button. It takes a few moments to update. After applying the updated DNS settings, the VM will restart.

DNS settings

Summary

In this article, I explained how to configure virtual networking for Azure Active Directory Domain Services. In my next article, I will cover the next step of this series, 'Connect a Windows Server VM to the managed domain'.