Understanding the differences between a Physical and Virtual Server is very helpful. Most environments and companies use combinations of both.

Once you have an understanding of a Physical and Virtual Servers this video builds on what Servers on the cloud look like.

This video covers step-by-step how to download and install Windows Server 2019 for yourself. We are doing this in a virtual environment, and building this Server as a VMware VM.

** In November 2023, Broadcom completed its acquisition of VMware.

As of early 2024 you can no longer get a free licensed copy of ESXi. Although there are still free versions floating around the internet, you'll now need to obtain the ESXi installer software either from an OEM or from the Broadcom Support Portal. You can also find cutomizable versions for Dell, HPE etc, ie if you search for HPE ESXi download.

Now that Windows Server 2019 is installed, let's look at it's main features.

Discussing what is Active Directory and What is a Domain. Considering that a Domain Controller would need to be setup onto a Windows Server machine. Knowing AD is foundational to any IT Administrator.

With Windows Server 2019 now built and configured, the next step is build and configure a Domain Controller. This will allow us to setup and use Active Directory (AD)

This video goes through an overview of Active Directory (AD). What it looks like and how it is structured.

With AD built, let's look at how to manage OU's and setup new User Accounts.

How to reset a user's password If a user account is locked.

If you know when an employee is leaving the business, you can automatically disable the account after a certain date.

How to setup and set specific logon hours for user accounts...when they can and can't access the network.

How do you create a new computer account in AD? 

With user accounts created, the next step is to create and configure some security groups, along with setting up some process accounts.

What is the difference between an Enterprise and a Domain Administrator? 

Once AD users have been defined, and secruity groups have been created, how do you actually use them and apply them to system access? 

With AD now setup it's now time to get a computer on the network 'bound' to AD.

What is DHCP? Whiteboard explanation

How to install the DHCP role onto a Windows Server system.

Once the DHCP service has been installed the next step is to configure it.

DNS is the a large factor that allows the Internet and internal private networks to work correctly. We'll provide a brief overview on what DNS is.

Let's logon onto the Windows Server and see how DNS is structure, how it has been setup and configured.

Once you understand the basic concepts and how DNS is setup, let's look at creating some DNS records.

What is a group policy? What is a GPO? Overview on this great tool for IT Administrators.

This is a guide on how to setup this GPO.

This is a guide on how to setup this GPO, and an explnation of WSUS

These are my recommendations when building a Windows Server.

There are so many Server types out there, providing different functions. This video goes over some of the most common.

Regardless of what Server is built, an appropriate name needs to be given to it. A correct naming convention ensures Server names are standarized and actually mean something.

Thanks so much for registering and watching the videos in this course. Here's a summary and my final thoughts.