Active Directory Homelab

This project shows a basic Active Directory setup created in a virtual lab using Windows Server.

🧩 Project Overview

The lab simulates a simple domain environment with:

• Domain Controller (DC01)
• Client machine (CLIENT01)
• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
• DNS configuration
• User and Organizational Units (OU)
• Group Policy Object (GPO)

⚙️ What was configured

• Installed and promoted Windows Server to Domain Controller
• Configured static IP and DNS
• Joined client machine to domain
• Created domain user
• Created Organizational Units (OU)
• Applied Group Policy to restrict user access (Control Panel)
• Verified policy on client machine

🧠 Key Concepts

• GPO (Group Policy Object) – used to manage and enforce user/system settings
• OU (Organizational Unit) – used to organize users and apply policies
• Domain Controller – central authentication and management server
• DNS – resolves domain names to IP addresses

🖼️ Screenshots

Environment setup

Domain Controller network configuration

Server Manager

User created in Active Directory

Organizational Units (OU)

Network configuration

Domain join

User login

Group Policy configuration

Result (policy applied)

✅ Result

User access to Control Panel was successfully restricted using Group Policy, confirming correct GPO configuration and application.