Unable to prepare active directory schema on Windows 2012 R2 server.

Issue: -  Unable to prepare active directory schema on Windows 2012 R2 server.

Error Message: - An unexpected error has occurred and a Watson dump is being generated: The system cannot find the file specified.

[06/25/2022 02:52:33.0424] [2] Active Directory session settings for 'Install-ExchangeSchema' are: View Entire Forest: 'True', Configuration Domain Controller: 'WIN-73LUPILF5G3.learnexchange.info', Preferred Global Catalog: 'WIN-73LUPILF5G3.learnexchange.info', Preferred Domain Controllers: '{ WIN-73LUPILF5G3.learnexchange.info }'

[06/25/2022 02:52:33.0424] [2] Beginning processing install-ExchangeSchema -LdapFileName:'Setup\Data\PostWindows2003_schema0.ldf'

[06/25/2022 02:52:33.0424] [2] Running <C:\Windows\system32\ldifde.exe> with arguments <-i -s "WIN-73LUPILF5G3.learnexchange.info" -f "C:\Windows\Temp\ExchangeSetup\Setup\Data\PostWindows2003_schema0.ldf" -j "C:\Users\administrator\AppData\Local\Temp" -c "<SchemaContainerDN>" "CN=Schema,CN=Configuration,DC=learnexchange,DC=info">.

[06/25/2022 02:52:33.0454] [2] [WARNING] An unexpected error has occurred and a Watson dump is being generated: The system cannot find the file specified

[06/25/2022 02:52:33.0486] [2] [ERROR] The system cannot find the file specified

[06/25/2022 02:52:34.0037] [1] The following 1 error(s) occurred during task execution:

[06/25/2022 02:52:34.0037] [1] 0.  ErrorRecord: The system cannot find the file specified

[06/25/2022 02:52:34.0037] [1] 0.  ErrorRecord: System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: The system cannot find the file specified

   at System.Diagnostics.Process.StartWithCreateProcess(ProcessStartInfo startInfo)

   at System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(ProcessStartInfo startInfo)

   at Microsoft.Exchange.Management.Deployment.InstallExchangeSchema.RunProcess(String fileName, String arguments, WriteVerboseDelegate writeVerbose)

   at Microsoft.Exchange.Management.Deployment.InstallExchangeSchema.ImportSchemaFile(String schemaMasterServer, String schemaFilePath, String macroName, String macroValue, WriteVerboseDelegate writeVerbose)

   at Microsoft.Exchange.Management.Deployment.InstallExchangeSchema.InternalProcessRecord()

   at Microsoft.Exchange.Configuration.Tasks.Task.ProcessRecord()

   at System.Management.Automation.CommandProcessor.ProcessRecord()

[06/25/2022 02:52:34.0037] [1] [ERROR] The following error was generated when "$error.Clear();

          install-ExchangeSchema -LdapFileName ($roleInstallPath + "Setup\Data\"+$RoleSchemaPrefix + "schema0.ldf")

" was run: "The system cannot find the file specified".

[06/25/2022 02:52:34.0037] [1] [ERROR] The system cannot find the file specified

[02/25/2017 02:52:34.0037] [1] [ERROR-REFERENCE] Id=ADSchemaComponent___64bd6943575045fa880b92893321a2d5 Component=EXCHANGE14:\Current\Release\Shared\Datacenter\Setup

[06/25/2022 02:52:34.0037] [1] Setup is stopping now because of one or more critical errors.

[06/25/2022 02:52:34.0037] [1] Finished executing component tasks.

[06/25/2022 02:52:34.0059] [1] Ending processing Install-ExchangeOrganization

[06/25/2022 02:52:34.0059] [0] The Exchange Server setup operation didn't complete.  More details can be found in ExchangeSetup.log located in the <SystemDrive>:\ExchangeSetupLogs folder.

[06/25/2022 02:52:34.0059] [0] End of Setup

[06/25/2022 02:52:34.0059] [0] **********************************************

Permission Requirement: -

Will go a little bit back and we will look for the permission and required windows feature pre-requisites for better understanding above error message.

Before you install/update your exchange system, you should have below permissions,

1.    Schema Permission

2.    Enterprise Admin

3.    Domain Admin

Failure Description: -

It’s recommended and best practice to prepare Schema, AD and Domain Preparation well before on the domain controllers in the production environment. Also, you have to run the preparation on the root domain controller so that it will be replicated across all child domains.

If you didn’t prepare active directory preparation well ahead and you are doing part of Exchange installation, then you will experience this issue when you don’t have RSAT ADDS tool installed on the member server.

Below are the Windows Feature Pre-requisites for Windows 2012 R2 Server,

Add-WindowsFeature NET-Framework-Features,NET-HTTP-Activation,RPC-over-HTTP-proxy,RSAT-Clustering,RSAT-ADDS,Web-Mgmt-Console,WAS-Process-Model,Web-Asp-Net,Web-Basic-Auth,Web-Client-Auth,Web-Digest-Auth,Web-Dir-Browsing,Web-Dyn-Compression,Web-Http-Errors,Web-Http-Logging,Web-Http-Redirect,Web-Http-Tracing,Web-ISAPI-Ext,Web-ISAPI-Filter,Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console,Web-Metabase,Web-Net-Ext,Web-Request-Monitor,Web-Server,Web-Static-Content,Web-Windows-Auth,Web-WMI -Restart

Solution: - 

I have installed RSAT-ADDS Tool on my Exchange box which is fixed the issue. Now I can able to prepare active directory schema without any issues.

I hope this post is helped you. Keep visiting.