Install Windows Server 2012 on Virtual Box

Hello, everyone. In this tutorial we'll go through the steps of installing Windows 2012 server on virtualbox and connect it to Pfsense.

Tutorial Requirements:

Virtualbox

Windows Server R 2012 ISO (FREE trial Version): https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server-2012-r2

Tutorial Guidelines:

Creating a new virtual machine and setting up its settings

Installing Windows Server 2012

Configuring the settings of the Server

Install Virtualbox Guest Additions (for installing .Net Framework)

Configuring the Network of the Server

Testing the Server connection to PFsense

Let’s Begin!!!

Step 1: Creating a New Virtual Machine

For the settings, set up the adapter in the Network tab on Internal Network. Later, it can connect back to the Pfsense.

In the Storage section, choose the Server ISO

Start the virtual machine; it should take you to the Installation screen

Accept the license terms

Choose Custom install Windows Only (Advanced)

- Choose Drive 0 Unallocated Space and Click Next

Create Admin password

- Click Finish to finish Installation process

- Once the System is installed, log in to the server by going to:

Input >>>> Keyboard >>>> insert Ctrl + Alt+Delete OR use a keyboard shortcut

Ctrl + Del

When you log into the system, a configuration window will appear to set up the essentials of the server.

Click Next for Configure Windows Server

Type the name of your server and company. For the purpose of this tutorial, I chose TestingServer as the name of my server. You can name yours whatever you want.

Click Next

For Creating Network Administrator Account, type the admin password

Click Next

Choose Use recommended settings

Click Configure to start configuring the server

NOTE: It would take 5 to 15 minutes to set up and prepare the server. After it's done, it's going to reboot by itself to install the updates.

Step 4: Install Virtualbox Guest Additions

To Install other tools like .Net Framework, we have to install Virtualbox Guest addition

Go to Device >>>> Insert Guest Additions CD image

Click on the blue box

Click on Run the Guest Additions

Click Yes

Click NEXT, NEXT and Install

Click Install, when it asks for Installing Oracle Corporation System Devices

Click Finish

Once it's done rebooting, log in again and go to Server Manager

Now, we're going to configure a static IP for our server:

Go to Local Server >>>>> Click on Ethernet >>>> IPV4 address

Right-click on Properties

Click on Internet Protocol Version 4 >>> then properties

Set up a static IP address

For this tutorial, I decided to have 10.0.0.8 as my server IP address. The default gateway IP is the same IP address of the Pfsense (our router) that we have configured in Part-1.

For the DNS Server, set it up as your router IP address to get Internet Connection later. In this case, mine is 192.168.1.1

Click OK and you're done.

After configuring the Static IP Address, we move to installing .Net Framework

Go to the Dashboard >>> Add roles and features

Click Next For Installation Type

Click Next for Server Selection

Click Next for Server Roles

When you get to Features section, choose .Net Framework Features and click Next

Click Install. It will take sometime (few minutes).

Step 6: Testing the Connection to PFsense:

To test the connection between the server and the Pfsense, open the PFsense box first. Then, go to Server Powershell and try to ping Pfsense IP. By this stage, you should get a reply that indicates Pfsense is up and running.

Also Ping google.com to check the internet is working properly on your box. By following steps, you should be able to get a reply successfully.

Don't forget to open the Pfsense box first to get connection back to the Server.

If you could not get internet connection to your box after following the above steps, reset the machine (sometimes the virtualbox gets stuck and needs a reset to work properly).

Or thge DNS Server is not set up as your ROUTER IP

That’s all for this tutorial, hope you all find it useful. In the next tutorial will go through configuring Mac OS X (Yosemite) and add it to our Virtual Network Lab .

@Z33MAX