Before You Begin: Windows 10 and Windows Server Lab Setup

This guide covers windows Server lab prerequisites step by step, with every setting in the order you will use it. The Windows lab series on this site assumes a few things are in place before Lab 1. This page collects them: installation media, virtual machine settings, and habits that will save you hours of rebuilding later.

Windows Server lab prerequisites in a home lab

WINDOWS SERVERWINDOWS SERVER LAB PREREQU…ENTERPRISE LABtimer 45 MIN LAB
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Nurul Huda AUTHORInfrastructure & Cloud Architect · Verified 2026

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● VALID ON THE CONFIG BELOW

dns LAB TOPOLOGY & PREREQUISITES

# example values used while writing and testing this guide

LAB VM

HypervisorESXi / Workstation
vCPU2
RAM4-8 GB
Disk60 GB thin

WINDOWS BUILD

EditionServer 2019 Std
InterfaceDesktop Experience
Adminlocal Administrator
IPstatic or DHCP

VALIDATION

RolesServer Manager
Firewalllab rules only
Snapshotbefore changes

01constructionGetting the Installation Media

  • Windows Server: Microsoft offers a free 180-day evaluation ISO of Windows Server 2019/2016 — download it from Microsoft’s evaluation center. You do not need a product key to install it, and 180 days is far more lab time than you will ever need before re-deploying
  • Windows 10: the media creation tool or evaluation ISO from Microsoft
  • Ubuntu and other Linux guests: straight from the vendor sites

02downloadVirtual Machine Sizing

Consistent settings keep your host responsive and lab behavior predictable:

Role vCPU RAM Disk
Domain controller / DNS / DHCP 1-2 2 GB 60 GB
Member server (IIS, file, database) 1-2 2-4 GB 60 GB
Windows 10 client 1-2 2-4 GB 40-60 GB

Install each guest with the Windows Server in a VM guide or the Server 2019 guide.

03usbHabits That Save the Day

  • Naming: use short, functional names — dc01, web01, client01 — and matching IP plans (192.168.x.10, .20, …)
  • Snapshots: take a snapshot right after a clean install, and before every risky exercise; restoring takes seconds versus hours of re-install
  • ISO library: keep all installation ISOs in one folder your hypervisor can reach
  • Notes: record passwords (a lab password manager file) and the IP plan in one place

04terminalWhat You Can Build Next

With the baseline ready, the series walks through the full stack: a domain controller, DNS, DHCP, web and file services — and the home lab guide wraps it into a complete learning environment.

Related Content

▶ UP NEXT IN THE WINDOWS TRACK

How to Install Windows Server in VMWare Workstation

Finish this lab, then continue down the track. Each guide builds on the one before it.

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