Windows Active Directory - Home-Lab 

🛠️ Setting Up Active Directory on Windows Server 2022 (Proxmox + PowerEdge)

As part of my homelab running on a Dell PowerEdge R630 with Proxmox, I provisioned a fully functional Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) environment using Windows Server 2022. This guide walks through the full setup process, which is perfect for both labs and small business deployments.

💡 Deployed in a VM on Proxmox, published this guide using Publii, and hosted it on Cloudflare Pages via GitHub.

🔧 Prerequisites

• Proxmox VM with Windows Server 2022 (4 vCPU, 8GB+ RAM)
• Static IP (e.g., 192.168.1.10)
• Hostname set (e.g., DC01)
• Internet access for updates
• Admin access

Step 1: Initial Configuration

• Assign a static IP:
  • Go to Settings > Network > Ethernet > Properties
  • Set IP, subnet, gateway, DNS (temporarily point to Google or local IP)
• Rename the server:

  Rename-Computer -NewName "DC01" -Restart
  

Step 2: Install AD DS and DNS Roles

• Open Server Manager
• Click Add Roles and Features
• Select:
  • Active Directory Domain Services
  • DNS Server
• Proceed through the wizard and install

Step 3: Promote to Domain Controller

After the role installs:

• Click “Promote this server to a domain controller”
• Choose:
  • Add a new forest
  • Root domain: homelab.local
• Set DSRM password
• Keep DNS and Global Catalog checked
• Finish and reboot

Step 4: Post-Install Verification

After reboot, login as:
[email protected]

Then check:

• ✅ ADUC (Active Directory Users and Computers)
• ✅ DNS Manager (homelab.local zone exists)
• ✅ dcdiag returns no major errors

Step 5: Join a Client to the Domain

• Set client’s DNS to the IP of DC01
• Join the domain (homelab.local)
• Reboot
• Log in with domain credentials

🧠 Pro Tips

• Use gpupdate /force on clients
• Back up the System State
• Consider adding a second DC for HA
• Create OUs (Users, Computers, Servers) for clean structure
• Create a test user (john.doe) and assign to an OU

💻 Environment Overview

🧩 Next Steps

• Add a second Domain Controller (DC02)
• Create baseline Group Policies
• Integrate file shares, Linux clients, or VPN auth

Want to see my DNS and Group Policy config? Check the GitHub repo or hit me up on linkedIn / GitHub!