Active Directory Lab Setup

Overview

Most entry-level IT support roles require some familiarity with Active Directory — but without enterprise access, it's hard to build that experience. This project replicates a small business AD environment using free virtualization tools.

Environment Setup

I used VirtualBox to create two VMs on my personal laptop:

• Windows Server 2022 (Domain Controller) — 4GB RAM, 60GB disk
• Windows 10 Pro (Client Machine) — 2GB RAM, 40GB disk
• Host-only network adapter to isolate lab traffic

What I Built

1. Domain Controller Configuration

Promoted the Windows Server VM to a Domain Controller and created the domain corp.alexlab.local. Configured DNS to point to the DC's static IP.

2. Organizational Unit Structure

Designed an OU hierarchy mimicking a small company with separate departments:

• corp.alexlab.local → Departments → IT, HR, Finance, Sales
• Created 15 sample user accounts with realistic naming conventions
• Assigned users to security groups by department

3. Group Policy Objects

Created and linked three GPOs to practice common enterprise policies:

• Password Policy — 12-character minimum, complexity required, 90-day expiry
• Desktop Lockdown — disabled Control Panel access for non-IT users
• Drive Mapping — mapped a shared folder as Z: drive on login

4. Client Domain Join

Joined the Windows 10 VM to the domain, logged in as a domain user, and verified GPOs applied correctly using gpresult /r.

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