Recently, I took a significant step in upgrading my home lab by installing a second mini PC: the BOSGAME P3 Lite Mini PC, powered by a Ryzen 7 6800H processor complimenting the mini PC I already have a GMKtec M7 AMD Ryzen 7 Gaming Mini PC 6850H. Alongside this, I added a TP-Link TL-SG608E Managed 8-Port Gigabit Network Switch, promising both increased computing power and enhanced networking capabilities. After physically connecting and configuring the new equipment, I was inspired to create a more enterprise-like environment. My specific goal was to deploy Active Directory on a virtual machine hosted by the new mini PC, allowing me to explore Windows Server administration hands-on and experiment with real-world domain scenarios such as group policy management, user authentication, and network segmentation. The managed switch opened opportunities to simulate advanced network topologies, including VLANs and bandwidth management. Meanwhile, the mini-PC’s robust Ryzen processor a...
