Resolving Local User Account Issue While Creating SharePoint Server 2016 Configuration Database

SharePoint Server 2016 set up is mainly a two-step process.

• Installation of SharePoint setup files.
  
  
• Running Configuration Wizard to configure the SharePoint environment.

Once SharePoint installation file runs to completion, we will have to run SharePoint Configuration Wizard to create the Configuration data base, which will complete SharePoint installation and configuration. You can check out the installation of SharePoint Server 2016 here.

Once the installation is done, we will get the screenshot, given below, which will create and configure the Configuration database.



Usually, we would enter the configuration Server Name and database name and proceed.



Now, if we click next, it should ideally proceed with the creation of the Configuration DB. However, if we try to create a SharePoint Server where Active Directory is not configured we would stumble upon the below issue which states that the “user being used is a local account”.

The workaround for this issue is to either,

• Configure the Active Directory prior to the installation of SharePoint and run SharePoint Configuration Wizard later or,
  
  
• Create Configuration Database prior to running the SharePoint Configuration Wizard (continue without AD creation).
  

How to work around the Local Account issue (In an environment without AD)

In order to circumvent the issue that occurs during the creation of Config DB, we will try to create it using PowerShell. Open SharePoint 2016 Management Shell.



Run the script, given below, that will create Config DB for the Sharepoint 2016 farm.

New-SPConfigurationDatabase –DatabaseName “SharePoint_Config” –DatabaseServer “PRIYAN” –AdministrationContentDatabaseName “SharePoint_Content” –Passphrase (ConvertTo-SecureString “Password-1” –AsPlaintext –Force) –FarmCredentials (Get-Credential) -localserverroleSingleServerFarm.

• DatabaseName is the name of the Configuration database.
  
  
• Database Server is the DB Server Name, where SQL Server is installed.
  
  
• AdministrationContentDatabaseName is the name of the Central Admin Content DB.
  
  
• Passphrase is the Passkey combination, which should be saved by clicking a new Server to the farm at any point of time in the future.
  
  

Since Get-Credential is present within the Cmdlet, it will pop up a dialog box to accept the credentials as an input. Once the installation account user name and password is entered, it will create the required databases for you.



This will take some time; i.e., close to 25 minutes.

Let’s quickly go to the SQL Server Management Studio and let’s have a look at the databases created for us.



As you can see, SharePoint_Config DB has been created in the SQL Server. Now, let’s run the configuration wizard and associate the Config DB with SharePoint.



Click Next. Since Config DB is already created, it will proceed to the next step.



Specify the port number for the central administration.



Click Next to complete the Configuration Wizard.

Thus, we have seen how to work around the local account issue that acts as a showstopper in Config DB creation by creating Config DB via PowerShell. However,  we can also resolve this issue by configuring Active Directory and using AD user instead of the local user while creating the Config DB.