So I've got a couple spare machines and I've also got Virtualbox and VMware Workstation and even a machine running VMware ESXi 4.1. I'd prefer to set all of this up using just virtualbox. I really don't know where to even start, other that at the beginning, by reading over here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/libr ... 66(v=ws.10).aspx
I don't even know what questions to ask; that's how noob I am at this. I started trying to think of questions to ask here but the only question I can think of is what questions should I be asking?
If you have any advice for this noob, I'd appreciate hearing any of it. Any links to recommended resources / guides / tutorials / etc. and such too. Hopefully I'll be able to report back with some kind of success story, eventually.
EDIT:
OK, here's the success story so you don't have to read the whole thread:
flip-mode wrote:Well, I've succeeded in setting up an Active Directory domain. All done in a virtual machine environment, so my home network is totally unaffected.
So, the fundamentals were really simple. Here's what I did:
Step 1: Create an IPcop virtual machine to be your internet gateway and also the gateway to your home network. In the virtual machine settings create two network interfaces - configure one interface as bridged and one interface on an internal virtual network. Then in IPcop setup, configure the "red" interface as DHCP and the "green" interface as static 192.168.1.1. The "red" interface gets it's IP address from my Linksys router, so it's got an address on the home network. Tell IPcop not to do DHCP or anything else. It's the most basic IPcop setup possible, I imagine.
Step 2: Create a Windows Server 2008 virtual machine for the Active Directory / DNS server. The virtual machine network settings should be configured to plug this machine's network interface into the same virtual network as IPcop's "green" interface. Install Win2008 and rename your computer to something appropriate for it's mission. Mine is named a-ad1-dns ("a" is my signifier for all machines on this particular virtual network and domain, so it could just have been ad1-dns or just ad1). IP address is static 192.168.1.3. Gateway is 192.168.1.1. Primary and secondary DNS are both 192.168.1.3 (i.e. the machine looks to its own IP address for DNS - I don't know if this is the correct configuration but it seems to work, initially, at least). Then add the Active Directory role. During the course of that you will be asked if you want to configure DNS too and say "yes" to that. When you finish adding the role you'll actually have to open a command line and type "dcpromo.exe" to install Active Directory. I guess I was slightly surprised that the act of adding the role didn't also install Active Directory. Anyway, during Active Directory installation pick the obvious options, like "new forest" and such. I named my domain "first.test". Keep clicking through till you're finished. Once you're finished, well, your domain is created.
Step 3: Create a Windows Server 2008 virtual machine for DHCP. The virtual machine's network interface should also be plugged into the same virtual network that IPcop's green interface and the Active Directory server's interface are plugged into. Install Win 2008, set IP address to static 192.168.1.2, gateway 192.168.1.1, DNS 192.168.1.3. Rename the computer to whatever; mine is named a-dhcp. Join the computer to the domain; in my case that is the "first" or "first.test" domain. Add the domain administrator user to the computer. Log out then log into that account. Add the DHCP role. Go through that config process and pick the obvious things or read up where needed.
Step 4: Create client virtual machines and add them to the same virtual network, add them to the domain.
That's where I'm at so far. I'm sure there are about 1000 setting that need to be configured or something. But it's a working domain functioning at a basic level. Nifty.
FYI I have 8 gigs of RAM so I had to be sparing when giving RAM to the VM's I gave 256 MB to IPcop. I gave 1 GB to each Windows 2008 and Windows 7 virtual machine.