Windows Server Domain Controller & Active Directory Lab

Building the domain controller

The build started with promoting a server to a domain controller and configuring Active Directory, DNS, and DHCP.

A lesson in identity and naming

One early misstep turned into a useful lesson: I renamed the machine after it had already been promoted to a DC, which broke the machine account's trust relationship with the domain and locked me out on restart. Rather than dig through registry-level fixes, I rebuilt the DC from scratch — and came away with a clear, first-hand understanding of why identity and naming have to be locked in before promotion, not after.

Networking and bulk provisioning

I also configured a second NIC, separating internal domain traffic from an internet-facing connection, and used a PowerShell script to bulk-provision 1,000 domain user accounts, avoiding the manual point-and-click approach entirely.

Deliberate privilege management

With the domain populated, I created a dedicated administrative account and added it to Domain Admins, rather than relying on the built-in Administrator account — a small but deliberate choice that reflects an awareness of least-privilege practices even in a lab setting.

A real helpdesk workflow, end to end

To connect the AD environment to a realistic support process, I stood up a helpdesk workflow using Jira Service Management's free-tier IT Support template. I ran a full ticket lifecycle end to end: a simulated user submitted a ticket reporting they couldn't log in, I picked up the ticket and moved it to In Progress, logged into the DC to reset the user's password in Active Directory, replied to the ticket confirming the fix, and resolved it. The result is a complete, demonstrable loop from user-reported issue to AD-level resolution to ticket closure — the same process a Tier 1/2 support or SOC analyst would run in a live environment.

Why it matters

Together, these pieces — a properly built domain, bulk user provisioning via script, deliberate privilege management, and a real ticketing workflow tied to actual AD administration — reflect both the technical fundamentals of Active Directory and the process discipline of a support/security operations role, backed by a 20+ year software engineering background in diagnosing problems methodically and documenting the fix.