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Active Directory Users and Computers Basics

This lab provides a foundational understanding of Active Directory Users and Computers, guiding participants through essential tasks such as user account management, group creation, and organizational unit configuration to effectively manage network resources.

Session duration: 60 minutes· Typical launch: ~3 min

Difficulty

Beginner

Lab level

Lab VMs

1

1 Windows

XP Reward

300 XP

On completion

Virtual machines

Lab VMs

Windows

Windows Server 2025

Windows

Username / Password

user / password123

Connection type

In-browser RDP / RDP

CPU / RAM

8 vCPU · 32 GiB RAM

Lab instructions

Follow the steps below to complete the lab.

  1. Open the Active Directory Users and Computers console on your server.
  2. In the left pane, expand the domain tree to locate the "Server Academy" OU.
  3. Right-click on the "Server Academy" OU, select "New" from the context menu, then click on "Organizational Unit."
  4. In the dialog box that appears, enter "Disabled Users" as the name for the new OU.
  5. Click "OK" to create the OU.
  1. Open the Active Directory Users and Computers console on your server.
  2. Navigate to the ad.serveracademy.com domain.
  3. Expand the Server Academy folder and select the Domain Users Organizational Unit (OU).
  4. Right-click on the Domain Users OU and select New > User.
  5. In the "New Object - User" dialog, enter the following details:
    • First name: Joe
    • Last name: Friday
    • User logon name: jfriday
  6. Click Next and set the password to password123.
  7. Ensure the option User must change password at next logon is unchecked.
  8. Click Next, review the information, and then click Finish to create the user account.
  1. Open the Active Directory Users and Computers console.
  2. In the left pane, navigate to the organizational unit (OU) where the user accounts are located.
  3. Locate and right-click on Paul Hill's user account.
  4. Select Reset Password from the context menu.
  5. In the password dialog box, enter a new password for Paul Hill, ensuring it meets the complexity requirements.
  6. Confirm the new password by entering it again in the provided field.
  7. Check the box for User must change password at next logon if required.
  8. Click OK to apply the changes.
  1. Open the Active Directory Users and Computers console on your workstation.
  2. In the left pane, navigate to the organizational unit (OU) where the user accounts are located.
  3. Locate the user account for John Smith. You can use the search function if necessary.
  4. Right-click on John Smith's account and select "Properties" from the context menu.
  5. In the Properties window, go to the "Account" tab.
  6. Check the box that says "Unlock account" to unlock the account.
  7. Click "OK" to apply the changes and close the Properties window.
  1. Open the "Active Directory Users and Computers" console from the Start menu.
  2. In the left pane, navigate to the organizational unit (OU) where the John Smith account is located.
  3. In the right pane, locate the user account for John Smith.
  4. Right-click on the John Smith account and select "Disable Account" from the context menu.
  5. Confirm the action when prompted to ensure the account is disabled.
  1. Open the Active Directory Users and Computers console.
  2. In the left pane, navigate to the organizational unit (OU) where the user account is located.
  3. Locate the user account for John Smith in the list of users.
  4. Right-click on the John Smith account and select Delete from the context menu.
  5. Confirm the deletion by clicking Yes when prompted.