Creating and Connecting to Multiple VMs: A Guide to Setting Up a Windows Server 2019 Domain and More
In this article, we will cover the process of creating and connecting to multiple virtual machines (VMs), specifically focusing on setting up a Windows Server 2019 domain and other related concepts. We will be using VirtualBox as our virtualization platform and will create three VMs: one active directory (AD) domain controller running Windows Server 2019, one normal PC running Windows 10, and another Windows Server 2019.
Creating the VMs
To begin, download and install the latest version of VirtualBox. Once installed, open the application and click on the "New" button to create a new VM. Give the VM a name, select the type as "Microsoft Windows" and the version as "Windows 2019" or "Windows 10" depending on which VM you are creating. Next, allocate the necessary memory and create a new virtual hard disk. Once the VM is created, you can start it up and begin the installation process for Windows.
<VM name="WindowsServer2019" type="Microsoft Windows" version="Windows 2019">
<Memory>4096</Memory>
<HardDisk>
<Name>WindowsServer2019.vdi</Name>
<Format>VDI</Format>
<Size>100GB</Size>
</HardDisk>
</VM>
Setting up the Active Directory Domain Controller
Once the first Windows Server 2019 VM is set up, you can begin the process of setting up the AD domain controller. To do this, open the Server Manager and click on the "Add roles and features" link. In the roles section, select "Active Directory Domain Services" and follow the prompts to install the role. Once the role is installed, you can promote the server to a domain controller by clicking on the "Promote this server to a domain controller" link in the AD Domain Services section of the Server Manager.
Connecting to the Domain
To connect the other VMs to the domain, open the System Properties on each VM and click on the "Change" button next to the computer name. In the Domain section, enter the name of the domain and click "OK". You will be prompted to enter the credentials of a user with permissions to join the domain. Once the VM is joined to the domain, you can log in using a domain account.
Additional Considerations
When working with multiple VMs, it's important to consider networking and storage. For networking, you can set up a virtual network in VirtualBox and assign static IP addresses to each VM. For storage, you can create shared folders in VirtualBox that can be accessed by all VMs. Additionally, you may want to consider setting up backup and disaster recovery solutions for your VMs.
- Created 3 VMs: 1 AD domain controller running Windows Server 2019, 1 normal PC running Windows 10, and another Windows Server 2019.
- Used VirtualBox as the virtualization platform.
- Installed Windows on each VM.
- Set up the AD domain controller on the first Windows Server 2019 VM.
- Connected the other VMs to the domain.
- Considered networking and storage solutions.
References
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VirtualBox User Manual: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch01.html
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Setting up an Active Directory Domain Controller: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/deploy/install-using-server-manager
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Joining a computer to a domain: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/manage/join-a-computer-to-a-domain
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VirtualBox Shared Folders: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04.html#sharedfolders
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VirtualBox Networking: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch06.html#networking
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Backup and Disaster Recovery for Virtual Machines: https://www.vmware.com/topics/backup-disaster-recovery-virtual-machines