Deciding on the domain and forest functional levels
Once the domain and forest designs are ready, the next step is to decide on the forest and domain functional levels. The forest and domain functional levels define the AD DS features that can be used in the identity infrastructure. You cannot have AD DS 2022 features if your organization level is running on the Windows Server 2012 domain and forest functional levels. When you add the domain controller to the existing forest or domain, it will automatically match the existing forest and domain functional level.
There are a couple of things you need to consider when you're deciding on the forest and domain functional levels:
- Existing domain controllers: It is always good to run the latest and greatest functional levels, but it isn't always practical. The lowest domain controller version in the domain decides the maximum forest and domain function you can have without an upgrade. As an example, in your domain...
