• Proxmox version: 9.1.1
• Windows Server 2022 build: winver
• Mini11 build: LTS 24H2 AIO v1 Triton
• Domain name chosen: homelab.local
• Server static IP: 10.0.0.71
• Client IP: 10.0.0.72

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Step log:

Step #1: Installation of Windows 2022 Server

- Date/time: 2026/04/19, 4:22 PM

What I did: Downloaded and installed the ISO files for both the Windows Server and Windows 11. In my case, I just used Mini11 rather then the full version of WIN11 as it's much more lightweight and relevant to what I'm trying to do here. From there, I then just uploaded it onto Proxmox (Virtualization platform) and set up the two VM's accordingly. Unfortunately, I failed to not notice was I needed a VirtIO driver, in order to actually read a storage driver. So, I had to spend time getting the file and adding it to the VM as a CD/DVD Drive.

Settings I used:

Proxmox is being run on a laptop that I have set up to my router, so I'm restricted by my components of the laptop. That being said, it's still more than enough to have this certain configuration set-up.

Laptop specs (Proxmox's specs):

• Intel i7–9750H
• Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q
• 512 GB SSD
• 16 GB RAM

Windows Server VM:

• 2 cores, 1 socket
• RAM: 4096 MB
• Storage: 50 GB

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Step #2: Configuration of Windows 2022 Server

- Date/time: 2026/04/19, 5:02 PM

- What I did: Once I finally got it up and running from that minor setback, I was greeted by the Server Manager, that prompted me to set configure the local server, set up roles, etc. I then went through the installation type, selecting a Role-based installation, and making I selected Active Directory Domain Services in the server roles. Without it, this VM wouldn't be able to act as the Domain Controller for the server. Optionally, I also went to install the Group Policy Management just in case I decide to add rules for OU's.

This is where I landed on another error. I could actually promote this server as a domain controller because I didn't have my TCP/IP networking protocol actually set up. This was a relative easy fix because I just needed to update the ethernet driver by passing it through the same VirtIO Driver.

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Step #3: Installation of Mini11

- Date/time: 2026/04/19, 5:09 PM

- What I did: What I thought was a pretty straightforward process was actually much more difficult then I thought. I had to mess around with the VM specifications, as I always encountered the Windows Boot screen but nothing actually happening. But after getting that out of the way, the setup was easy enough and Mini11 works perfect for this setup as all I need is the Windows OS but stripped down of the unnecessary clutter, something which this ISO is perfect for.

Mini11 Specifications:

• 2 cores, 1 socket
• RAM: 4096 MB
• Storage: 40 GB
• BIOS: SeaBIOS
• Machine: i440fx
• Disk: SATA

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Step #4: Configuration of Mini11

- Date/time: 2026/04/19, 5:37 PM

I set the preferred IPV4 DNS server to the same as the Domain Server. This actually took a little bit of troubleshooting because I was so confused as to why I still wasn't able to actually connect to the homelab.local domain. Turns out that when you do a "nslookup" on the command prompt, I could see it automatically redirected to the IPV6 servers first. I had to disable it, and once I did that, I finally got everything working. I simply went to System > About, clicked on Domain or workgroup and simply changes its domain to homelab.local.

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Errors/setbacks:

• Boot order issue — OS type was set to Linux instead of Windows, CD/DVD wasn't first in boot order when booting up Mini11.
• IPv6 DNS priority issue on the client — Rogers IPv6 DNS was taking priority over your DC's IPv4 DNS, fixed by disabling IPv6 on the adapter
• Mini11 boot issues — tried multiple ISOs, multiple VM configurations before finding the right combination of SeaBIOS, i440fx, SATA disk

What I'd do differently next time:

Honestly the biggest thing is just double checking the VM settings before even booting it up. I wasted a lot of time troubleshooting boot issues that came down to something as simple as the boot order being wrong and the OS type being set to Linux instead of Windows. Those are two second fixes that would have saved me a lot of headaches. I'd also just use SATA for the disk from the start on any Windows VM. The VirtIO storage driver situation wasn't hard to fix but it's just unnecessary friction when SATA works out of the box.

What I learned:

A lot more than I expected honestly. Going in I understood AD conceptually from TryHackMe but actually building the environment myself is a completely different experience. You run into real problems that guided labs just don't throw at you. The IPv6 thing genuinely surprised me and got my stumped for a while. I had the DNS set correctly on the client but it still wasn't resolving the domain because Windows was prioritizing the IPv6 DNS servers from my ISP over my domain controller's IPv4 address. That's the kind of thing you only learn by actually hitting it. I also have a much better understanding now of why the DNS configuration matters so much in an AD environment. The domain controller isn't just handling authentication — it's also the DNS server that everything on the domain depends on to even find each other. Without that piece working nothing else works.