Recently took on a hands-on infrastructure challenge building an Active Directory environment from the ground up on a dedicated server. From configuring RAID and installing Windows Server, to setting up the Forest/Domain, AD user accounts, Group Policies, a print server, and a RADIUS server for secure VPN authentication every layer had to be planned and tested carefully. Along the way, we hit a snag: MikroTik wasn't authenticating properly against our RADIUS setup. We worked around it using WireGuard as an interim fix, before eventually moving to a paid VPN solution for the company's long-term needs. Shortly after, I configured a second AD environment for a US-based client smooth deployment, lessons applied. A great reminder that in DevOps and Cloud, the "boring" foundational infra work (networking, auth, domain services) is often what makes everything else run reliably. #DevOps #ActiveDirectory #Networking #Cybersecurity #CloudEngineering #Infrastructure #WireGuard #VPN