Posts

I’m rebuilding part of my AWS setup and figured this was a good time to write this down instead of relying on memory and vibes. Any time I need a clean Docker environment to test images or mess around without breaking anything important, I really don’t want to be clicking through the AWS console or babysitting a server. The problem is always the same. I need an Ubuntu box, Docker installed, basic access set up, and I need it quickly. Doing this manually means clicking through EC2, setting up security groups, opening ports, SSH’ing in, installing Docker, and then deciding what to do with the instance when I’m done. ...

I’ve built and documented Windows Active Directory labs before, you will find some on this website and some on my GitHub. Linux joining AD is conceptually simpler, but operationally more fragile. One wrong DNS setting, one wrong network mode, nothing works, and now I’m mad at my computer, trying to figure out what went wrong. This lab documents the correct mental model, and the exact steps I took to complete it. ...

In a previous post, I explained the steps to take to create a Windows Active Directory (AD) and get it ready for client computers to join. You can find the post here. Today, I will be walking through the process of joining a Windows 10 client to the AD and also some “fun” things we can do with the AD, and try to replicate some domain/enterprise-wide settings used in the real world. ...

This lab walks through the steps I took to build a basic Active Directory (AD) lab environment using Windows Server 2022 as the Domain Controller (DC) and Windows 10 as the client. Everything was done inside UTM. In a later post, I will cover joining a Linux client to this Windows server. Setting up the virtual machines I downloaded the Windows Server 2022 and Windows 10 Enterprise ISO files from Microsoft Evaluation Center. I noticed Microsoft took the Windows 10 ISO off their website because they stopped supporting security updates for Windows 10, but I have uploaded it here. You should still be able to find the Windows 10 Server on the Microsoft Evaluation Centre. I used to run this lab on VirtualBox on my 2019 Intel MacBook Pro, but I spilled a glass of margaritas on that computer. VirtualBox does not work well on Apple Silicon, so I switched to UTM. Don’t drink around your computer guys! ...