A Windows Server 2025 Active Directory lab designed to simulate a small business IT environment with centralised identity management, Group Policy, DNS, secure file sharing and Windows 11 domain administration.
The project demonstrates practical experience with technologies and support tasks commonly encountered in IT Support and Systems Administration roles.
The environment was deployed in VMware Workstation Pro using a Windows Server 2025 Domain Controller and a Windows 11 Enterprise client.
| System | Role |
|---|---|
| DC01 | Windows Server 2025 Domain Controller |
| PC01 | Windows 11 Enterprise domain client |
| Domain | home.lab |
| Network | VMware NAT 192.168.79.0/24 |
| DC01 IP | 192.168.79.10 |
- Windows Server 2025
- Windows 11 Enterprise
- Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
- DNS
- Group Policy
- NTFS Permissions
- VMware Workstation Pro
Deployed a Windows Server 2025 Domain Controller and created the home.lab Active Directory forest.
Configured:
- Organisational Units (OUs)
- Domain user accounts
- Departmental security groups
- Computer accounts
- DNS integration
Deployed a Windows 11 Enterprise workstation and joined it to the home.lab domain.
Validated domain authentication, DNS resolution and Active Directory communication from the client.
Created and applied a Corporate Desktop Policy to centrally manage domain users.
Configured policies including:
- Desktop wallpaper
- Control Panel restriction
- Run command restriction
Created departmental network shares for:
- IT
- HR
- Finance
- Executive
Configured share and NTFS permissions using departmental security groups and tested both authorised and unauthorised access.
Performed common Active Directory support tasks including:
- User account administration
- Password resets
- Account lockout recovery
- Group membership management
- File access troubleshooting
- Group Policy troubleshooting
- Domain connectivity and DNS troubleshooting
The completed environment successfully demonstrated:
- Centralised domain authentication
- Active Directory user and computer management
- DNS-based domain service discovery
- Group Policy enforcement
- Role-based access to departmental resources
- Windows 11 domain integration
- Password reset and account recovery procedures
- Infrastructure troubleshooting and validation
Detailed implementation documentation is available in the docs directory.
| Section | Documentation |
|---|---|
| 01 | Project Overview |
| 02 | Lab Environment |
| 03 | Solution Architecture |
| 04 | Server Deployment |
| 05 | Active Directory Deployment |
| 06 | Organisational Structure |
| 07 | Domain Client Deployment |
| 08 | File Shares and Permissions |
| 09 | Group Policy |
| 10 | IT Support and Validation |
| 11 | Conclusion and Lessons Learned |
Several issues were encountered and resolved during the project:
| Issue | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Domain join failed | Verified PC01 DNS configuration and connectivity to DC01 |
| Share access denied | Reviewed security group membership and NTFS permissions |
| Group Policy not applying | Used gpupdate /force and verified OU placement |
| User account locked | Unlocked the account through Active Directory Users and Computers |
| AD DS prerequisite check failed | Corrected the Administrator password configuration and repeated validation |
- Windows Server Administration
- Active Directory Domain Services
- User and Group Administration
- Identity and Access Management
- DNS Administration
- Group Policy Management
- NTFS and Share Permissions
- Windows 11 Administration
- IT Support Troubleshooting
- Virtualisation
- Technical Documentation
Potential future extensions include:
- Secondary Domain Controller
- DHCP
- Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)
- PowerShell user provisioning
- Microsoft Entra ID integration
- Microsoft 365 administration
active-directory-infrastructure-lab/
├── docs/
│ ├── 01-project-overview.md
│ ├── 02-lab-environment.md
│ ├── 03-solution-architecture.md
│ ├── 04-server-deployment.md
│ ├── 05-active-directory-deployment.md
│ ├── 06-organisational-structure.md
│ ├── 07-domain-client-deployment.md
│ ├── 08-file-shares-and-permissions.md
│ ├── 09-group-policy.md
│ ├── 10-it-support-and-validation.md
│ └── 11-conclusion-and-lessons-learned.md
├── screenshots/
│ ├── 01 - Virtual Machine Created.png
│ ├── ...
│ ├── 76 - Group Policy Validation.png
│ └── Network Topology.png
├── LICENSE
└── README.md