This project documents the deployment and administration of a Windows Active Directory domain in a virtualized home lab environment. The lab simulates common tasks performed by IT Support, Help Desk, and junior System Administrators.
- Oracle VirtualBox
- Windows Server 2022
- Windows 10
- Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
- DNS
- DHCP
- Group Policy
- PowerShell
- Windows File Sharing
- Domain: STEFONLAB
- Domain Controller: Windows Server 2022
- Client Workstations: Windows 10
- Virtualization: Oracle VirtualBox
Downloaded the Windows Server 2022 and Windows 10 installation media required to create the virtual lab environment.
The Windows Server virtual machine was used as the domain controller, while Windows 10 virtual machines were used as domain-joined client workstations.
Created Windows Server 2022 and Windows 10 virtual machines in VirtualBox and allocated the required CPU, memory, storage, and network resources.
Installed Windows Server 2022 and configured the server for use as the domain controller.
Installed the Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) server role and promoted the Windows Server system to a domain controller.
Configured the Active Directory domain:
Domain: STEFONLAB
Created Organizational Units (OUs) to organize users, computers, and departments within Active Directory.
Departments included:
- IT
- Human Resources
- Finance
- Sales
Created 20 Active Directory user accounts and organized users into their appropriate departmental OUs.
A standardized username convention was used:
first initial + last name
Created department and role-based security groups and assigned users to the appropriate groups.
Configured DNS services, including forward and reverse lookup zones and PTR records.
Configured Windows Server DHCP to automatically provide network configuration to client systems.
Joined Windows 10 workstations to the Active Directory domain and verified successful domain authentication.
Example workstations included:
WS-HR-01WS-SALES-01
Created and applied Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to manage user and workstation settings.
Policies included:
- Password Policy
- Desktop Wallpaper
- Disable Control Panel
- Disable USB Storage
- Disable Command Prompt
- Disable Registry Editor
- 10-Minute Screen Lock
- Chrome Homepage
Created departmental network shares for:
- HR
- Finance
- IT
- Public
Configured access permissions and tested access from domain-joined Windows 10 clients.
Verified:
- Domain authentication
- User account access
- Group membership
- DNS resolution
- DHCP configuration
- Group Policy application
- Network share permissions
- Domain client connectivity
- Windows Server 2022 Administration
- Active Directory Domain Services
- Active Directory Users and Computers
- User and Group Management
- Organizational Units
- Group Policy
- DNS
- DHCP
- Windows 10 Domain Administration
- File Sharing and NTFS Permissions
- Identity and Access Management
- Network Troubleshooting
- Virtualization
- Technical Documentation
## Screenshot Evidence
This repository includes 152 screenshots documenting the lab from initial server setup through Active Directory administration, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, file sharing, client testing, and troubleshooting.
Screenshots are organized under:
Screenshots/
├── 01-Lab-Overview/
├── 02-Windows-Server-Installation/
├── 03-Active-Directory/
├── 04-DNS/
├── 05-DHCP/
├── 06-GPOs/
├── 07-Shared-Folder/
├── 08-Testing-&-Validation/
├── 09-ClientComputers/
└── 10-Troubleshooting/
Documentation/network_architecture_diagram.pdf