*NEW* Active Directory For HelpDesk - From Zero to Hero

Set up a homelab to practice active directory using VMware Workstation Pro, and learn how to download and install it through Broadcom’s support portal.

Create a second Windows 11 Pro VM in VMware Workstation Pro using the same ISO, allocate 80 GB and 4 GB RAM with two CPUs, and install VMware Tools.

Rename the server and two clients in VMware, configure a static IP on the server while the clients use DHCP, and plan an Active Directory domain controller setup.

Compare workgroups and domains, showing how workgroups lack central authority and manage local accounts, while domains use a domain controller with Active Directory for centralized authentication, security, and resource management.

Learn to reset passwords, disable and enable user accounts, and set expiration for temporary accounts in a Windows 11.1 home lab. See how users change their own passwords.

Explore security groups and distribution groups in Active Directory, learn how to assign permissions to groups for resources like folders, and use Group Policy for targeted access.

Explore global, universal, and domain local group scopes in Active Directory to see where members come from and how groups grant access.

Learn to share a folder and map it as a network drive via group policy in Active Directory, applying the tech users security group ntfs and sharing permissions in homelab.local.

Block usb storage devices with a group policy in Active Directory. Enable all removable storage classes deny all access, link to finance OU computer, and verify with gpresult.

Delegate control in Active Directory by assigning password reset permissions to admins at domain and OU levels using RSAT, then test delegation on a Windows client.

Learn to manage active directory replication using sites and services, including forcing replication, creating an organizational unit, and adjusting site link settings, replication interval, and schedules.

Configure DNS settings so each domain controller uses the other as its preferred DNS server and itself as the alternate, improving resiliency in production environments.

Explains DNS dynamic updates, shows how non-secure and secure updates affect host registrations as A records, and demonstrates domain join and replication across domain controllers in a homelab.local environment.