You Can Do That: Check Domain Controller OS Versions

This is one of those points of confusion I kind of hope you experience. The reason: if you have your security set up properly, as soon as someone hears the words "domain controller," they will assume they don't have access and need to contact a member of the directory services team.

However, checking the operating system version for all domain controllers in a domain is very simple for any user. Simply open Active Directory Users and Computers, right-click on the domain root, then select Change Domain Controller. The major version will be listed in the DC Version column.

Change Domain Controller box in ADUC

If the requester needs a more specific version, they can still look it up themselves. Back in ADUC, simply look up the computer object and go to the Operating System tab. It will have version and build info that can easily be translated with a quick online search.

Domain controller computer object

Doing these lookups doesn't require any elevated directory permissions, just access to Active Directory Users and Computers on a machine in the given domain. In my experience, these requests usually come from systems management personnel or other users who already have the tool installed for other tasks, so it's just a matter of letting them know how to get to the info they need.