Objective:

Prepare two Windows Server Core (primary and backup), manually configure the domain, services (AD, DNS, DHCP, DFS, IIS), redundancy, GPOs, file structure - and document everything for further automation.

1. Deploy and basic server configuration

• Install Windows Server Core 2022 on two virtual machines.
• Set the names: SRV-CORE1, SRV-CORE2.
• Assign static IP addresses.
• Verify that the servers are pinged to each other.
• Enable PowerShell Remoting.
• Configure TrustedHosts (if not in a domain).
• Verify WinRM connectivity between machines.
• Create snapshots of VMs after basic configuration.

2. Configure the primary server (SRV-CORE1)

• Install and configure roles:
  • Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
  • DNS Server
  • DHCP Server
• Create a new domain (for example: main.local).
• Create users and groups in AD.
• Configure DNS zone.
• Configure the DHCP range and settings (gateway, DNS, etc.).