Active Directory Lab Part III: Create the Virtual Machines

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This post is part of a series illustrating how to automate the process of deploying an AD Lab. This article details how to create the required Hyper-V virtual machines.

You can use my automation script, OZO AD Lab Create VMs to perform these steps with a single command!

Create the Virtual Machines

Use these steps to create Server and Client virtual machines. Open Hyper-V Manager and click New > Virtual Machine:

Specify Name and Location

VMName
ServerOZO AD Lab Windows AD Domain Controller
ClientOZO Ad Lab Windows Client

Specify Generation

All VMS: select Generation 2.

Assign Memory

VMStartup memory
Server2048
Client4096

Configure Networking

All VMS: select OZO AD Lab NAT.

Connect Virtual Hard Disk

All VMs: accept the default Name and Location.

Installation Options

VMoptionImage file (.iso)
ServerInstall an operating system from a bootable image fileDownloads\OZO-AD-Lab-Server.iso
ClientInstall an operating system from a bootable image fileDownloads\OZO-AD-Lab-Client.iso

Edit the Hyper-V Virtual Machine Settings

Use these steps to edit the virtual machines. Open Hyper-V Manager, select a VM, and click Settings:

Security

All VMs: enable secure boot, select the Microsoft Windows template, and enable trusted platform module.

Memory

VMMaximum RAMMemory buffer
Server20485%
Client40965%

Integration Services

All VMs: check Guest services.

Checkpoints

All VMs: uncheck Enable checkpoints.

Automatic Start Action

All VMs: select Nothing.

Automatic Stop Action

All VMs: Select Shut down the guest operating system.

Part I – Introduction

Part II – Customization

Part III – Installation

Part IV – Conclusion