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This Home Lab was built using Oracle VirtualBox to simulate a functional corporate network on Windows Server 2019. The project provided hands-on experience with Active Directory, DNS, and DHCP configuration for a Windows 10 client. A PowerShell script was also implemented to automate bulk user creation, demonstrating how automation simplifies everyday management tasks. This setup served as a practical way to gain direct experience with Windows networking and the core system administration tools used in IT support.
- Virtualization: Oracle VirutalBox
- Operating Systems: Windows Server 2019, Windows 10 Pro
- Networking: DHCP, DNS, NAT, Private Virtual Networks
- Automation: PowerShell Scripting
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The foundation of the lab is a virtualized corporate network designed to be completely isolated from the host machine.
- Environment Deployment: Used Oracle VirtualBox to host two virtual machines: a Windows Server 2019 Domain Controller and a Windows 10 client.
- Dual-NIC Configuration: The Domain Controller was configured with two network adapters—one for internet access and one for the internal private network—allowing it to act as a gateway.
- Internal Subnet: Established a private virtual network to ensure secure communication between the server and client.
This stage focused on transforming the standalone server into the central management hub for the network.
- Active Directory (AD DS): Installed and configured the Active Directory role, promoting the server to a Domain Controller for the internal domain.
- Network Infrastructure: Configured Static IP addressing and DNS for proper name resolution across the private subnet.
- DHCP Management: Established a DHCP scope (
$172.16.0.100 - 200$ ) to automate IP assignment for any client workstations joining the domain.
To ensure the isolated client machine could reach the web safely, the server was configured as a functional router.
- NAT Configuration: Enabled Routing and Remote Access (RAS) on the server.
- Internet Gateway: Configured Network Address Translation (NAT) so the Windows 10 client could access the internet through the Domain Controller’s external adapter.
- Connectivity Verification: Confirmed the client workstation could reach external sites while remaining on the internal subnet.
Instead of manual account creation, automation was used to simulate a large-scale employee onboarding process.
- Scripting: Developed a PowerShell script to read from a list of names and automatically generate unique user accounts.
- Efficiency: This process demonstrated how to provision hundreds of users instantly, ensuring consistent account settings and saving hours of manual entry.
Automation Scripts:
- 📂 Create Users Script – The primary logic for provisioning accounts in AD.
- 📂 Name Generation Script – Used to generate mock user data for the simulation.
The project successfully established a functional corporate network within a virtualized environment. By the end of the lab, a Windows 10 client workstation was fully integrated into a managed domain, receiving automated network configurations and maintaining stable, routed internet connectivity through a centralized Windows Server 2019 Domain Controller.
- System Administration: Hands-on experience managing a centralized Windows Server environment, including Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) and organizational unit (OU) management.
- Network Infrastructure: Configuration of critical infrastructure services, including DHCP for dynamic IP assignment and DNS for internal name resolution.
- Network Routing & NAT: Implementation of Routing and Remote Access (RAS) to provide internal-to-external internet communication for isolated client nodes.
- Workflow Automation: Utilization of PowerShell scripting to provision 1,000+ user accounts instantly, demonstrating the ability to handle high-volume administrative tasks with precision.
- Automation at Scale: Demonstrated that PowerShell is an essential force multiplier in IT, transforming a task that would take days (manual user creation) into a process that takes seconds.
- Infrastructure Interconnectivity: Gained a deep understanding of how AD, DNS, and DHCP must work in perfect synchronization for a client workstation to successfully join and authenticate with a domain.
- Virtualized Networking: Mastered the complexity of dual-homed networking, successfully using a server as a gateway to provide internet access to a private, secure subnet.
- Standardized Configuration: Recognized the importance of standardized user data and automated provisioning to prevent human error during large-scale employee onboarding.
To maintain system hygiene and resource efficiency, the virtual environment was decommissioned upon completion. This project served as a comprehensive exercise in building, securing, and automating a standard enterprise network from the ground up.