Enterprise Infrastructure Lab
Independent Systems Administration Project
Executive Summary
Designed and administer an enterprise-style, multi-host independent lab environment — Windows Server, Active Directory, Proxmox virtualization, Cisco/pfSense networking, and security monitoring (Wazuh, Suricata) — with PowerShell automation and documented configuration, validation, and troubleshooting procedures.
Architecture
A Dell PowerEdge R720XD running Proxmox VE serves as the virtualization host for the multi-server infrastructure environment. Cisco Catalyst switching and VLAN segmentation route traffic through a pfSense firewall enforcing inter-VLAN access policy, with DHCP, Pi-hole, and Unbound handling DNS resolution for the segmented network.
Services
Core services running across the environment: Active Directory Domain Services and DNS on Windows Server 2022 domain controllers, Group Policy for domain, server, and workstation baselines, DHCP with layered DNS resolution (Pi-hole and Unbound) at the network edge, and Wazuh/Suricata for endpoint and network security monitoring. Proxmox VE hosts the virtualized workload layer underneath all of it.
Administrative Work
Ongoing administration covers creating and maintaining organizational units, users, security groups, administrative accounts, and domain-joined workstations, with standard and privileged accounts kept separate. Administrative account activity is reviewed with PowerShell alongside routine Active Directory and DNS health checks on the domain controller.
Identity & Policy
Active Directory Domain Services and DNS run on Windows Server 2022 domain controllers. A tier-oriented Group Policy structure covers domain, server, and workstation baselines, applied through the organizational unit and security-group structure and validated with GPMC modeling and gpresult.
Network Administration
Configured Cisco Catalyst switching, VLAN segmentation, and routing, plus pfSense firewall services enforcing inter-VLAN access policy. DHCP and layered DNS resolution (Pi-hole and Unbound) handle network-edge name resolution, separate from the Active Directory-integrated DNS running on the domain controllers.
Administration & Automation
PowerShell tooling built for the lab covers system inventory collection, Microsoft Defender status checks, event log collection, DNS record validation, and network connectivity testing — used for both routine administration and troubleshooting across the Windows Server and domain-controller layer.
Validation
Group Policy application validated with GPMC modeling and gpresult. DNS records, service ports, domain connectivity, and general infrastructure health validated using PowerShell, alongside documented PowerShell-driven Active Directory and DNS health checks on the domain controller.
Troubleshooting & Incidents
• Restored Active Directory-related name resolution after an upstream DNS resolver interruption. • Investigated DFS-R and domain-controller health warnings using native Windows diagnostic tools. • Validated DNS records, service ports, domain connectivity, and infrastructure health using PowerShell. • Corrected deployment and service issues in Linux-hosted environments using systemd, Nginx, logs, and file validation.
Monitoring
Wazuh and Suricata deployed and evaluated for endpoint and network security monitoring across the lab environment.
Documentation
Architecture, configuration decisions, validation procedures, and troubleshooting outcomes documented alongside the lab, including the linked Active Directory Design and Network Topology references above.
Related Documentation
Evidence
Screenshot evidence above includes the physical rack and virtualization hardware, the Proxmox VE dashboard, the Active Directory organizational unit structure, and PowerShell-driven administrative account review and DNS health validation.
Next Validation Work
• Deploy a secondary domain controller (DC02). • Add centralized file services with access control. • Validate backup and recovery procedures.
Environment Disclosure
This is an independent, self-hosted lab — a multi-server infrastructure environment, not a professional production deployment — built and administered to practice and document real systems administration work. Planned work is tracked separately from what's already completed.