[Samba] Which guide is better for setting up and configuring Samba 4.23.5 as a Windows Server 2022 Active Directory Domain Controller?

[Rowland Penny]

On Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:49:14 +0000
Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming via samba <samba at lists.samba.org> wrote:

> Subject: Which guide is better for setting up and configuring Samba
> 4.23.5 as a Windows Server 2022 Active Directory Domain Controller?

There isn't one, you cannot setup any Linux computer as a Windows
Server and the highest functional level of a Samba AD DC is 2016

> 
> Good day from Singapore,
> 
> I have found a few guides/tutorials on the internet.
> 
> [01] Setting up Samba as an Active Directory Domain Controller
> Link:
> https://wiki.samba.org/index.php/Setting_up_Samba_as_an_Active_Directory_Domain_Controller

That is the basic Samba documentation and should get you up and
running, if you find anythin incorrect (apart from the paths, they are
aimed at a self-compiled version of Samba), then please tells us.

> 
> Date of guide: 19 Aug 2024
> 
> [02] COMPLETE AND DETAILED TUTORIAL: Installing Samba 4 Active
> Directory Domain Controller on Fedora 42+/Rocky Linux 9+ Link:
> https://meetcyber.net/full-guide-deploying-samba-active-directory-on-fedora-and-rocky-with-hybrid-dns-and-gpo-support-30f47fab1e90
> 
> Date of guide: 30 Oct 2025

What that doesn't appear to tell you (and I could have missed it, I
just quickly scanned it) is that Fedora uses MIT for the KDC and that
is still marked as experimental. It also states that it is for Rocky 9
and you cannot provision a Samba Domain using the standard OS Samba
packages on Rocky Linux, the code just isn't there.

> 
> Remarks: I have found some text which is not English, and I probably
> will not be able to understand.

Google translate ?

> 
> [03] Provisioning a Samba Active Directory Domain Controller
> Link:
> https://documentation.ubuntu.com/server/how-to/samba/provision-samba-ad-controller/
> 
> Date of guide: 10 Dec 2025

That one is a bit brief and, in my opinion, could do with some more
detail.

> 
> May I know which guide is better for setting up and configuring Samba
> 4.23.5 as a Windows Server 2022 Active Directory Domain Controller?
> 
> If there are better guides/tutorials out there which is not on the
> above list, please let me know.
> 

It doesn't really seem to matter which OS you use, you can set up Samba
as an AD DC in much the same way on all of them.

These are just my opinions, yours may differ:

You need to use an OS that regularly updates Samba to as near the
latest version as possible, Samba is a rapidly updated with new
features.

If you are going to use a redhat or redhat based OS, then do not use
the OS packages, they either use MIT as the KDC or you cannot provision
a domain with them. If you must use a redhat OS, then use third party
Samba packages e.g. the Tranquil IT ones.

Once you have decided on the OS etc, you just need to install the
correct packages, ensure that the computer has a fixed ipaddress and
FQDN set, the REALM is set in /etc/krb5.conf, time is set correctly and
there isn't a smb.conf file. At this point, you should be able to
provision a new domain.

The general consensus appear to favour using Debian 13.

Rowland