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Windows System Administration: Setting Up a Windows Active Directory Domain

In this lab, you’ll practice promoting a Windows server to a Domain Controller, creating a new Active Directory domain, and managing user accounts and organizational units. When you’re finished, you’ll have a basic AD domain setup.

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Lab platform
Lab Info
Rating
(51)
Level
Beginner
Last updated
Aug 05, 2025
Duration
1h 15m

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Table of Contents
  1. Challenge

    Getting Started in the Lab Environment

    Here are the initial instructions and explanation of the lab environment. Read this while your environment is busy creating itself from nothing. Yes, this violates physics; we know. How fun!

  2. Challenge

    Set Up the Active Directory Domain Controller

    You will promote a Windows Server to a Domain Controller by installing the Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) role. You will then configure the server to create a new forest with the "corp.globomantics.com" domain name. Finally, you will verify that the new domain is set up and functioning correctly using built-in Active Directory management tools.

  3. Challenge

    Create and Organize Organizational Units (OUs)

    You will use the Active Directory Administrative Center (ADAC) to create and organize Organizational Units (OUs) within the "corp.globomantics.com" domain.

  4. Challenge

    Create and Manage User Accounts

    You will use the Active Directory Administrative Center (ADAC) to create and manage user accounts in the "corp.globomantics.com" domain. You will configure basic user properties, review the available configurations for user accounts, and assign accounts to their appropriate Organizational Units (OUs).

  5. Challenge

    The Last Challenge

    Welcome to the final challenge! This is your last chance to experiment in the environment. Clicking Finish Lab will end this little world that flittered into existence just for you.

About the author

Matt is a DevOps engineer and solution architect with over 10 years of experience. Matt has presented at several conferences and has been a VMware vExpert since 2016.

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