Microsoft 365
Tenant build notes, Exchange Online, Entra ID roles, licensing, shared mailboxes, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, Defender for Business, and Intune experiments - all building towards SCCM/MECM and hybrid endpoint management.
Latest Notes
Recent builds, fixes, and questionable decisions.
Learning Tracks
Rough notes first. Polish later.
Homelab
Proxmox, Pi-hole, Windows Server, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, file shares, GPOs, and rebuilds after questionable decisions.
PowerShell
Drive mapping, reusable functions, dot-sourcing, JSON configs, logging, profile cleanup, and admin tooling.
Current Lab Status
A snapshot so future-me stops guessing.
Recent Win
lokestech.com mail flow was moved to Microsoft 365. The admin shared mailbox works, outbound mail works, and Gmail confirms SPF, DKIM, and DMARC all pass.
MX: Microsoft 365
SPF: Pass
DKIM: Pass
DMARC: Pass
Next Up
- Build out this static site.
- Document Microsoft 365 setup.
- Restart PowerShell drive mapping design.
- Plan MSI device onboarding intentionally.
Equipment Snapshot
What started the lab, what is active now, and what is waiting to be rebuilt.
Current Gear
A quick inventory of the hardware currently powering the lab, including virtualization hosts, network devices, Raspberry Pi services, laptops, and future rebuild targets.
Active
Testing
Planned
Retired
4+
Core Devices
3
Status Types
1
Source of Truth
Inventory
- Track device role, OS, and current status.
- Document what each device was originally used for.
- Record network placement, IP address, and assigned services.
- Identify rebuild targets and unused hardware.
- Separate active systems from retired or planned equipment.
- Link hardware decisions back to lab design notes.
Design Decisions
Identify. Assess. Plan. Implement. Break. Rebuild smarter.
Wins, Fails & Rebuilds
Every build starts with a design decision. This section follows the choices behind the lab: hardware selection, software platforms, network layout, naming conventions, security boundaries, and long-term rebuild plans. The goal is not just to make something work, but to understand why each piece belongs where it does, what problem it solves, and what tradeoffs come with it.
Some designs are clean wins. Some fail loudly. Some need to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch. That is part of the process: identify the need, assess the options, build the solution, and rebuild smarter when reality punches the diagram in the face.
Equipment
Network
Software
Tradeoffs
Design Roadmap
- Hybrid endpoint management with SCCM/MECM and Intune.
- VLANs for cleaner segmentation and flexibility.
- Firewall and security design with OPNsense.
- Containers with Docker, Kubernetes, and LXC.
- Proxmox host planning and VM placement.
- Core services such as DNS, DHCP, and identity.
- Backup, restore, and rebuild procedures.
- Clustering, redundancy, and failure planning.
- Documentation standards for future rebuilds.