In this series we will set up a home lab (it doesn’t need to be in your home) so that you can get experience with Windows management. We will also add some sections on how to configure Recast products in your homelab environment so you can test new versions or simply get to know how the products work.
Assumptions
We are going to make some assumptions in this guide, for example, you should already know how to create VM’s in whatever hypervisor you prefer, and you already know how to install Windows Server and Workstation OS versions.
Setup/Design
We are setting up this lab on a separate IP Subnet, separated from other devices on the network.
Domain Name: Homelab.local
Required Virtual Machines:
- Gateway Server (optional to connect your subset of devices to the internet)
- gateway.homelab.local
- LAN 1 (DHCP to external network)
- LAN 2 192.168.2.2 (Static IP Internal lab network)
- Windows Roles
- C Drive = 100 GB
- Memory 2 GB
- CPU = 2 cores
Domain Controller
- dc.homelab.local
- LAN 1 192.168.2.1 (Static IP internal lab network)
- Windows Roles (Domain Controller, DHCP, DNS
- C Drive = 100 GB
- Memory= 2 GB
- CPU = 2 cores
ConfigMgr Server
- cm.homelab.local
- LAN 1 192.168.2.3 (Static IP internal Lab Network)
- C Drive = 100 GB
- E Drive = 50 GB
- F Drive = 250 GB
- Memory= 12 GB
- CPU = 4 cores
Recast Management Server (optional)
- rms.homelab.local
- LAN 1 192.168.2.4 (Static IP internal Lab Network)
- C Drive = 100 GB
- D Drive = 100 GB
- Memory= 8 GB
- CPU = 4 cores
Windows Test Workstation
- wks.homelab.local
- LAN 1 192.168.2.5 (Static IP internal lab network)
- C: Drive = 100GB
- Memory = 4GB
- CPU = 4 Cores
Active Directory Accounts Needed
- ConfigMgr Admin (CMAdmin)
- Network Access (CM_NA)
- Domain Join (CM_DJ)
- Workstation client push account (CM_CP_Workstations)
- Server Client Push Account (CM_CP_Servers)
- Co-Workers (you choose names)
- Service Account for Recast Proxy (Homelab_SRV)
AD Groups needed
- CM_Servers
- CM_Admins
- SQL_Admins
- Server_LocalAdmins
- Workstation_LocalAdmins
- CM_App_DeployUsers
- Certificate Admins (Allows users to enroll certs)
- Web Server Cert Enrollment (contains any webservers)
