Windows Server 2019 - Go from Zero to Hero (2020)

Enable Hyper-V on your PC by turning Windows features on or off, then restart to complete installation, noting it requires Windows 10 Pro.

Enable the Hyper-V feature, open Hyper-V Manager, and connect to the local computer as the virtualization server. Start Hyper-V services and restart if needed to prepare virtual machines.

Create your first virtual machine on the host with Hyper-V, using generation two for Windows Server 2019, and install from an ISO from the Microsoft Evaluation Center.

Guides a Windows Server 2019 installation with the standard desktop experience, partitions the disk into C and D drives, accepts license terms, and saves the virtual machine in Hyper-V manager.

Clone Hyper-V virtual machines by running Sysprep to generate new unique IDs, copy the VHD to a new location, and create a new VM in Hyper-V manager.

Change the server name to dc1 and set ip 192.168.0.1, then use server manager to prepare for Active Directory and make this server primary domain controller with dns and dhcp.

Install Active Directory Domain Services on Windows Server 2019 and promote the server to a domain controller. Configure DHCP, DNS, and a static IP to create your domain.

Promote a Windows Server 2019 to a domain controller by creating a new forest, configuring forest and domain functional levels, DNS, and setting a DSR password for recovery.

Explore Hyper-V virtual switches: create private, internal, and external switches, understand their host and VM connectivity, and learn to attach switches to VMs and physical adapters.

Learn to obtain the Windows 10 Enterprise ISO for a 90-day evaluation by finding the Windows 10 evaluation page, following the formal download link, and downloading the ISO.

Create a Windows 10 virtual machine in a Hyper-V environment, install from a Windows 10 Pro ISO, and demonstrate domain join during setup when DHCP is unavailable.

Connect both virtual machines to the same network, set a static IP and DNS on BC1, then join BC1 to the macromedia.com domain using domain administrator credentials.

Create organizational units and user accounts in Active Directory users and computers, configure protection from accidental deletion, and set password options for new users within a domain.

Configure memory and cpu for virtual machines by using dynamic memory with min and max ram or fixed memory, assign virtual processors, and balance resources to prevent bottlenecks.

Join a Hyper-V virtual machine to the domain using a non-administrator user, assign a static IP and DNS, then grant remote desktop rights and sign in with the domain account.

Learn to create users in PowerShell with New-ADUser, set attributes like username and display name, securely assign passwords, and specify an OU using the distinguished name.

Create and bulk import Active Directory users from Excel using PowerShell, generating users, display names, usernames, and passwords, and enable accounts across departments like procurement, sales, and accounting.

Review subnetting fundamentals using IP calculators to understand subnet masks, network IDs, broadcast addresses, and usable host ranges for 192.168.0.0/24 and from there explore /25 and beyond.

Configure a dhcp scope on Windows Server 2019 to automatically assign IPv4 addresses, with DNS, gateway, and exclusions, then activate the scope.

Configure devices to obtain IP addresses automatically from the dhcp server, verify with ipconfig, reset adapters, and confirm scope leases show bc1 as 192.168.0.100 and bc2 as 192.168.0.101.

Learn to reserve a specific ip for a device by creating a reservation with its mac address, then refresh the network to ensure the device always receives that ip.

Understand the domain name system (DNS), how domain names map to IP addresses, and practical examples using direct IP access and DNS resolution.

Explore forward lookup zones in the DNS manager, and learn how the domain controller DNS server stores host A, CNAME, and MX records, including automatic versus manual record creation.

Discover how to configure remote desktop for Windows server management, connect from a client to a domain controller, troubleshoot access errors, and enable remote settings for external access.

Configure rdp settings to save connections, remember password, enable full-screen, manage clipboard sharing, and customize authentication options for remote desktop access.

Configure HR file sharing by creating two folders, HR files and HR plans, and assign permissions for full control or read and write via Active Directory groups.

Create three security groups in Active Directory and add employee accounts to HR manager, HR assistant, and HR officer groups using both user account membership and direct group membership methods.

Learn to create and share folders on a file server, set permissions for managers, HR, and staff via domain controller and shared folders, and understand that deny overrides allow when enforcing access.

Test user permissions across accounts on the domain controller and learn to map shared folders as network drives to the file server for easier access.

Discover how group policy centralizes management in Active Directory, and learn to create and link GPOs to organizational units to control user and computer settings.

Learn to edit group policy objects by modifying the sales GPO in user configuration on domain controller, then configure desktop wallpaper via administrative templates using a shared file server path.

Test GPO on existing and new users, add them to remote desktop users, verify background settings are managed by the organization, and note inheritance blocking to be covered next.

Block inheritance for the export sales OU and create a dedicated export sales GPO, then apply and test gpupdate to verify targeted user policies in the sales domain.