Active Directory Enterprise Lab

A virtual Windows Server domain environment for practicing identity lifecycle, OU design, security group management, Group Policy baselines, and hardening audits.

Scripts

OUs

Virtual

Lab type

What it demonstrates

Identity administration with structure and guardrails.

Domain Services

Plans a lab-only AD DS forest with DNS integration and repeatable promotion steps for an isolated Windows Server VM.

Identity Lifecycle

Builds OUs, security groups, and sample users from config and CSV data for reviewable onboarding workflows.

Policy & Audit

Scaffolds GPO baselines and collects password policy, privileged group, stale user, and stale computer audit data.

Build workflow

Plan first, apply only in the lab.

The scripts separate reviewable planning from actual domain changes. Forest creation, OU creation, user imports, and GPO setup require an explicit-Applyflag on an authorized lab VM.

Active Directory workflow from planning through forest creation, OU and user provisioning, GPO baselines, audit, and reporting

Safety controls

Designed for an isolated virtual Windows Server lab

No production domain names, reports, or credentials included

Domain-changing scripts require an explicit -Apply flag

Passwords are supplied through local environment variables

Configuration and CSV files can be validated without AD modules

Snapshots are recommended before applying changes

PowerShell

safe usage

# Validate config and sample data
.\scripts\Test-LabConfig.ps1

# Review the domain build plan
.\scripts\New-ADLabPlan.ps1

# Preview the audit workflow
.\scripts\Invoke-ADHardeningAudit.ps1 -DryRun

# Apply only inside an isolated lab VM
.\scripts\Install-ADForest.ps1 -Apply

Review the technical case study.

The diagrams and workflow summarize the environment, controls, and operational reasoning without exposing internal prep material.

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