Hands-on Azure labs that build a small Windows domain in the cloud, then use it to explore network traffic, file share permissions, and DNS. Each section is a step-by-step follow-along guide.
The diagram shows how the four labs fit together: the shared DC-1 and Client-1 domain used by sections 01, 03, and 04, and the standalone two-VM traffic lab in section 02.
| Section | What you'll build | Folder |
|---|---|---|
| Configuring On-premises Active Directory within Azure VMs | A Windows Server domain controller (DC-1) and a domain-joined Windows 10 client (Client-1) in Azure | 01-active-directory-in-azure-vms |
| Configure-On-Premise-AD-Powershell-Script-Users | A PowerShell script that bulk-creates AD users (Part 7 of the AD lab) | 01-active-directory-in-azure-vms, Part 7 |
| Network Security Groups (NSGs) and Inspecting Network Protocols | Two VMs behind NSGs, with Wireshark captures of ICMP, SSH, DHCP, DNS, and RDP | 02-nsgs-and-network-protocols |
| Network File Shares and Permissions | Shared folders on DC-1 with per-group permissions and a security group for access | 03-network-file-shares-and-permissions |
| Building Intuition for DNS | A and CNAME records on DC-1, resolved from Client-1, plus DNS cache behavior | 04-building-intuition-for-dns |
Start with section 01. Sections 03 and 04 reuse its DC-1 and Client-1 VMs, so keep them running until you finish those labs. Section 02 stands on its own. Delete the Azure resource group when you're done to stop charges.
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