Windows Server 2025 - Beginners Guide and Hands on Labs

Explore Windows Server 2025 features, improvements, and deployment strategies for modern IT. Discover enhanced security, performance, cloud and hybrid integration, and new management tools.

Windows Server 2025 enables direct upgrades from 2012 R2 onward, introduces hot patching via Azure Arc, laps for local administrator passwords, and enhanced Defender for cloud with hybrid cloud integration.

Identify Windows Server 2025 minimum hardware requirements for hands-on labs, including a 1.4 GHz 64-bit CPU, 2–4 GB RAM, 32 GB storage, and gigabit ethernet.

Install Windows Server 2025 in a lab by booting the ISO in a virtual machine, selecting language and standard evaluation desktop experience, then complete the installation with an administrator password.

Actively participate in assignments, quizzes, and role plays to apply Windows Server 2025 concepts with hands-on practice and real-world relevance.

Learn how server roles define a Windows Server 2012 environment’s main duties, such as Active Directory, DHCP, DNS, and file services, while features provide supporting tools like backup and failover.

Install and configure DNS and Active Directory Domain Services to deploy a functional domain controller and a new forest, with forwarders and tested name resolution using nslookup.

Create and manage DNS records on Windows Server 2025, including A records, CNAME aliases, MX records, and reverse PTR entries, using DNS Manager and forward and reverse lookup zones.

Explore creating an organizational unit structure, adding end users, and building security groups in Active Directory to manage access control and group policies.

Join a second Windows Server 2025 to an existing Active Directory domain and verify domain membership after reboot, learning to configure DNS and manage roles from a central domain controller.

Discover how group policy in Windows Server centralizes management of users and computers through Group Policy Objects, enabling automated deployments, security settings, and consistent configurations across Active Directory.

Install and configure a DHCP server on Windows Server 2025, create an IPv4 scope, and auto-assign IP, gateway, and DNS settings for clients, with domain-joined server and testing.

Install and configure the Windows Server IIS web server to host HTML pages and ASP.Net applications, enabling internal portals, client web apps, and test environments.

Install and configure remote desktop services on Windows Server 2025, enabling session-based access, licensing, web access, and gateway for secure remote work and centralized app access.

Hyper-V is Microsoft's virtualization platform built into Windows Server that creates and manages virtual machines. It enables cost-efficient use of Windows, Linux, and operating systems on a single host.

Enable virtualization on the host, install the Hyper-V role with GUI tools, and configure a virtual switch and default storage for virtual machines on Windows Server 2025.

Create a Hyper-V virtual machine by selecting generation, setting memory, choosing a virtual switch and 16 GB disk, then boot from a core Linux ISO to install.

Explore disks, volumes, and storage spaces in Windows Server 2025, including GPT vs MBR, simple/spanned/striped/mirrored volumes, NTFS and ReFS, and fault-tolerant, scalable storage pools.

Create and manage a storage pool with multiple disks, provision a 10 GB virtual disk, configure parity protection, and mount a formatted volume using storage spaces in Windows Server 2025.

Install and configure the file server role, create a shared folder, set ntfs permissions, and map a network drive across domain-joined servers to enable secure, centralized file access.

Set and manage NTFS permissions in Windows Server 2025 by configuring shared folder access, disabling inheritance, applying specific access to subfolders, and testing domain users and air staff groups.

PowerShell essentials for server admins show how to access PowerShell, use get command and get help, manage features, services, and users, and automate tasks on Windows Server 2025.

Automate user creation in Active Directory using a PowerShell script that imports the AD module, prompts for details, enables accounts, and enforces password change at logon.

Learn essential PowerShell efficiency tips, including using get-help, get-command, update-help, tab completion, show command, and managing aliases to speed up server tasks.

Discover how to install and use Visual Studio Code for PowerShell scripting on servers, and leverage extensions, syntax highlighting, intellisense, and the integrated terminal.

Learn how to check for Windows updates on Windows Server, pause updates during peak times, view update history, and configure active hours and restart settings using settings and sconfig.

Learn to navigate Windows Event Viewer to view and filter system, security, and application logs; identify errors, create custom views, and use event IDs and Google for security audits.

Explore task manager, resource monitor, and performance monitor to monitor real-time server performance, identify bottlenecks, and analyze detailed resource usage for Windows Server 2025.

Learn to configure the built-in Windows Defender Firewall to control inbound and outbound traffic by IP, port, and application, across domain, private, and public profiles, including adding port rules.

Learn to manage antivirus protection on Windows Server 2025 with Microsoft Defender Antivirus, including real-time protection, quick and full scans, updates, ransomware protection, and exclusions.

Explore Windows Server 2025's built-in backup tool to protect files, volumes, and system state with full or custom backups and bare metal recovery, noting enterprises prefer third-party tools for ease.

Learn to create and manage organizational units in Active Directory to structure users and computers, delegate administration, and apply targeted group policies with best-practice naming and accidental deletion protection.

Learn to create and manage Active Directory user accounts with best practices for security, password policies, and automation to optimize onboarding and access to resources.

Explore security groups in Active Directory to assign permissions efficiently, using global, domain local, and universal scopes and the ag dlp model for scalable, auditable access control.

Learn to use the delegation of control wizard in Active Directory to assign granular permissions via groups, enabling password resets and group management without full domain admin access.

Configure and apply GPOs (group policy objects) in Active Directory to centrally manage user and computer settings across domains and OUs, with proper scope, processing order, and best practices.

Explore the default domain policy in group policy management and learn to set password history, minimum length, and account lockout across the Active Directory environment.

Discover how Active Directory sites and services define the physical network to optimize replication, authentication, and service localization across multiple office locations.