File Sharing and Permissions 

This lab focused on configuring a domain environment using Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). A domain controller was set up to manage users, groups, and folder permissions. Four users (Jwhite, Ksmith, Lgreen, and Pbrown) were created and assigned to corresponding security groups (IT, Marketing, Sales, and HR). A shared folder structure was established, including a top-level folder (Company Data) and departmental subfolders. Permissions were configured to allow network access to all users at the top level, while restricting access to specific subfolders based on group membership. The setup was successfully tested by logging in with each user's credentials to verify proper permissions and access control. This process demonstrated effective domain management and secure file sharing practices. 

Steps Performed:

1. Domain Controller Setup: Configured the domain controller, ensuring that Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) was active and operational.

2. User and Group Creation: Created four users in Active Directory:

   • Jwhite

   • Ksmith

   • Lgreen

   • Pbrown
     Created four security groups to correspond to departmental access:

   • IT

   • Marketing

   • Sales

   • HR
     Assigned each user to their respective group:

   • Jwhite → IT

   • Ksmith → Marketing

   • Lgreen → Sales

   • Pbrown → HR

3. Folder and Subfolder Setup: Created a top-level folder called Company Data on the file server. Inside Company Data, created the following subfolders, one for each department:

   • IT

   • Marketing

   • Sales

   • HR

4. File Share and Permissions Configuration: Configured share permissions for the top-level folder (Company Data) to allow network access for all users. Configured security permissions specific to each department's subfolder so that users could only access their department’s subfolder:

   • IT: Full control for members of the IT group.

   • Marketing: Full control for members of the Marketing group.

   • Sales: Full control for members of the Sales group.

   • HR: Full control for members of the HR group.

5. Verification and Testing: Logged into a second PC and tested the permissions by logging in with each user’s credentials. Verified that each user could access their assigned department’s subfolder and confirmed that no user could access another department’s subfolder.