This article is part of the Create a Windows Demo Environment series where I am installing and configuring a small Windows domain for use with demo installs of software.
When creating demo environments I always give them their own range of IP addresses in the internal Hyper-V network. This is so that I can make sure that each machine is able to see all of the others without any issues. The first machine I configure is always the which I will be using as the domain controller.
On the most recent demo environment I created, I used the IP address of 40.1.1.1; I usually use something well outside the range of IP address on my main network or ones used on the Internet so as to avoid any potential conflicts.
To configure a static IP address, right click on the network icon in the system tray and select Open Network & Internet settings and, in the Settings window which opens, click Change adapter settings under Advanced network settings:
Right click on the network to update and select Properties:
In the Ethernet Properties, scroll down and find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) in the scrolling list and then click Properties:
There are four fields in the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties window which I configure:
- Use the following IP address which then enables the other fields I set.
- IP address which is set with a unique number in the first segment and the remaining ones all set to
1. - Subnet mask which defaults to
255.0.0.0. - Preferred DNS server which I set to the loopback IP of
127.0.0.1.
Other machines in the demo environment will have IPs which differ only in the last segment.
Click to show/hide the Create a Windows Demo Environment Series Index
| Create a Windows Demo Environment |
|---|
| Install Windows Server 2022 |
| Replicate VM and Run sysprep |
| Configure Ethernet on Domain Controller Server |
| Rename Domain Controller Server |
| Promote Server to Domain Controller |
| Create Other Machines |
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