Windows 7 / Networking

Creating a Test Bed

A test environment (or test bed) can be used for testing, learning, experimenting, and practicing. It includes one or more systems that can be completely isolated, connected to each other, and in some instances given limited connectivity to the live network. A virtual test bed is one or more virtual systems created in a virtual environment such as Microsoft Virtual PC or Windows Virtual PC.

Figure below shows a virtual network hosted on Windows 7. It includes two virtual systems- one running Active Directory as a domain controller and one running Windows 7 as a client in the domain. If you're running Windows 7, this is relatively easy to set up using the exercises in this tutorial.

Virtual network hosted on Windows 7

Windows 7 can run both Microsoft Virtual PC and Windows Virtual PC. Either of these products can be used to create a test bed on your local Windows 7 system. As a reminder, Microsoft Virtual PC is the older product run on Windows XP and Windows Vista. Windows Virtual PC (VPC) is the newer product that can also host Windows XP Mode to run virtualized applications.

Your system should have at least 3 GB of RAM for satisfactory performance. You can use 1 GB (1024 MB) for the virtual server running Windows Server 2008, 1 GB for the virtual desktop running Windows 7, and 1 GB for the host operating system. If necessary, you can use as little as 512 MB for Windows Server 2008 VPC, though the performance will be slow.

More RAM is always better. Running a 64-bit system with 6 GB of RAM, so I have given each of the VPCs 1.5 GB (1536 MB), leaving 3 GB for the host.

In this tutorial, we'll build on those skills to create a virtual network that includes a domain controller and a Windows 7 system.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Managing Windows 7 in a Domain
  2. The Domain
  3. What is Wrong with Workgroups
  4. The Domain Concept
  5. Active Directory
  6. Domain Security
  7. Joining a Domain
  8. Windows 7 Offline Domain Join
  9. Browsing the Domain
  10. Searching the Domain
  11. Custom Searches
  12. Assigning Permissions to Domain Members
  13. The Double-Thick Security Trick
  14. Creating a Test Bed
  15. Creating a Domain
  16. Installing Windows Server 2008 on vPC
  17. Configuring a Windows Server 2008 Server
  18. Promoting a Server to a Domain Controller
  19. Joining Windows 7 to a Domain
  20. Authentication vs Authorization
  21. Authentication
  22. Authorization
  23. Built-in Groups
  24. Organizing Users with Groups
  25. Group Scope and Group Type
  26. Creating Users and Groups in a Domain
  27. Using HomeGroup with a Domain-Based Computer
  28. Identifying and Resolving Logon Issues
  29. Hardware vs. Network
  30. Using Cached Credentials
  31. Password Expiration
  32. Determining Logon Context
  33. Logon Hours Compliance
  34. Restricting Computer Access
  35. Time Synchronization
  36. Understanding User Profiles
  37. Standard Profiles
  38. Roaming Profiles
  39. Implementing Roaming Profiles
  40. Mandatory Profiles
  41. Super-Mandatory User Profiles
  42. Modifying the Default User Profile
  43. Configuring Settings with Scripts
  44. Anti-Malware Software
  45. Microsoft Windows 7 Defender
  46. Third-Party Anti-malware Software