Home Lab Step-by-Step Part-5-Infrastructure Services

 In my previous post Home Lab Step-by-Step Part-4-virtual router, we configured complete underlay networking for our Nested SDDC, We will do BGP configuration  once we advance thru the lab.

As now we have Compute, Storage and Network ready, we need the infrastructure services, such as DNS, Active Directory and NTP.

We need to install one windows server which will serve as an active directory, DNS and iSCSi server for our setup.

In order to install the windows server, we would need windows server ISO. Now we will start installation of the server.

We will login to the ESXi server we installed, https://youresxiIP and use "root" credentials for login.

We will use the same steps as we used in deploying CSR1000v in our previous post and we will deploy it on the management network. We will use below mentioned IPs for our servers.

Once VM is created, mount ISO and boot from the ISO, click on the VMRC console options.

Select removable devices>>cd/dvd drive 1>> select the ISO.

Once it find ISO file attached, it will ask you to press any key to boot from CD, press any button.

Next it will load files from the ISO, and you need to wait for that operation to complete.

Once files are loaded, you will be presented with this screen to choose the Language, Time and currency format and keyboard layout, I will leave it as is and move next with the installation wizard.

In this screen, click Install Now.

Select standard desktop experience version for installation. For evaluation purpose you can use datacenter edition as well, but for us we really don't need the features we get with DC edition.

Accept the license agreement and press next.

Select the type of installation, we do not have old version of server on this VM hence we will use the second option, which is Custom.

Select disk to install, and click next.

Installation of  windows server will start. Once installation is finished, we will start next step. Which is installing Active Directory and DNS services.

Once installation is over, server will be restarted.

Set Administrator password and finish the installation.

 With this step we have finished server installation and now we will start assigning the IP address to the server, setting up timezone and configuring Active Directory domain services with DNS.

Login to the server with administrator account, and right click on the windows icon which is located on the left hand side bottom corner and select network connections.

Under network connections window select change connection properties>> Change adaptor options.

Right click on the network adaptor, and select properties

Select Internet protocol version 4 and click properties.

Select use following IP address and assign IP address which we decided in the beginning of this post, click ok and click on close.

Next step is to set the correct time zone and time, for that we will right click on the clock displayed in the task bar, which is located on the right hand side bottom corner. Click on adjust date and time.

Select correct timezone and then click on change under change date and time.

Before we install AD, one last step is to rename the server. Right click on windows icon and click on Run

Type "sysdm.cpl" hit enter and it will open system properties. Click on change to rename the server as "ADDC" and click OK.

It would ask you to reboot the server for this to take effect. Hence click ok, and on the next popup select restart now.

After reboot, login to the server and start Active Directory installation. As soon login will finish, you will be presented with server manager, click on Add roles and features.

Click next on the first screen.

Select Role-based or feature based installation, click next.

Select server from the pool, click next.

Select Active Directory and make sure include management tools is checked, Click add features.

Now select DNS server in the same list and make sure include management tools is check for this as well. Click on add features and click next.

Do not make any changes here just click next.

Move on to the next screen and click next on the confirmation screen click install.

                                                                            

Now wait for installation to finish, before we start configuration.

Once installation is finished we need to start AD configuration. Hence click on promote this server to a domain controller.

In the AD configuration wizard select option add a new forest and provide name for the root domain. I am using lab.local as my domain name.

Leave all default options and provide Directory service restore mode password. Click next.

Ignore the warning about delegation and click next.

Keep the netbios name generated automatically and click next.

Leave default locations for AD database. Click next 

    Review the options, and click next.

Wait for pre-req checks to get complete.

Once all Pre-reqs are checked, click on install.

Once server is configured as DC, a system reboot will be triggered automatically.

Once reboot is complete, login to your newly created domain with domain admin credentials (Administrator becomes domain Admin). Open user and computers, dns management console to verify.

Now we will, add DHCP and iSCSi Server. On the server manager select add roles and feature, and in the wizard select, Role based or feature based Installation.

Select server from the pool and click next.

Select DHCP, and check add management tools.

Now expand File and Storage services, select iSCSi target server.

Just click next, until the confirm page is displayed, select the check box restart the destination server automatically if required and click install.

Now we have successfully configured our Infrastructure services and we are ready to install, nested ESXi. We will configure a new HDD for iSCSi services, when we will be presenting shared disk to nested ESXi servers.

                                             

In my next post Home Lab Step-by-Step Part-6-Nested-ESXi I will be guiding you, how to install nested ESXi.

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