Build Your Enterprise Database Sandbox in Minutes — Without the Cloud Invoices.
A disposable, 5-node flight simulator on your laptop where you can automate SQL Server builds, test Active Directory configurations, and master enterprise infrastructure risk-free.
“When you have 30 minutes to learn a new skill, you shouldn't need to spend 20 hours building your lab first.”
Who it’s for
Production DBAs, Sysadmins, and Consultants who want an enterprise-grade private lab without the recurring cloud invoices. Technical professionals who want to level up their skills on their own terms — instead of wasting weeks clicking through installers just to get a lab running.
The 3 frustrations every IT professional knows too well
Click-ops setup fatigue
Spending entire Saturdays downloading ISOs, clicking Next-Next-Finish, and typing administrator passwords. By Sunday night, your servers are barely communicating with each other and you're too exhausted to actually learn.
Nowhere safe to learn new concepts
Modern database skills require multiple servers communicating with each other across a domain. But trying new configurations or deploying advanced features in corporate environments risks disrupting colleagues. You need your own private domain where you can practice enterprise setups without asking for permission.
The cloud bill trap
Spending hundreds of dollars in Azure or AWS every month for test virtual machines you forgot to shut down, or paying ongoing storage fees while they sit completely idle.
Build a complete 5-node enterprise domain on your laptop with one command
Instead of fighting manual installers or watching cloud meters tick up, you run one command. In minutes, your machine automatically builds, configures, and interconnects a 5 node sandbox:
5-node enterprise sandbox blueprint
How it works: 3 steps to your personal flight simulator
Zero guesswork. Zero Click-Ops. From pre-flight hardware verification to a disposable multi-server sandbox in minutes:
Verify your Windows 11 machine in seconds. Our 100% read-only PowerShell script inspects your CPU virtualization, RAM, and SSD space before you spend a dime.
Get instant access
Unlock the complete codebase, 15 guided lessons, and Dave AI. Download free evaluation ISOs and VMware Workstation Pro, then build your 5-node domain with one command.
Build the skills you want to learn
Your 5-node enterprise domain is deployed and ready. Use your lab to practice whatever database or sysadmin skills you want to master.
Host system prerequisites
See how it compares
Compare setup time, monthly costs, and what happens when things break.
| Option | Setup time | Real cost | When it breaks / stops? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud VMs | 3–5 Hours of manual portal clicking | $500 – $650 / mo (Running) or $40 – $55 / mo (Storage fee while turned off) | You keep paying every hour it runs — and keep paying for disk storage every day it sits idle. |
| Hosted Practice Labs | Instant | $99 – $169 per exam lab (or $50–$60/mo on 2-hour timers) | Locked only to the course exercises with no room to explore. Once your timer or access ends, the lab is wiped and you lose everything. |
| Manual Local Setup | 15–20 Hours of repetitive setup wizards | Free (Heavy Time Tax) | You lose your entire weekend rebuilding everything from scratch. |
The Enterprise Sandbox Engine | Hands-Free Automation (Walk away while it builds) | $247 / year One-time payment (Non-renewing) | Take a snapshot, test without fear, and reset in 2 minutes. Build any scenario you want, and downloaded scripts are yours forever. |
See what you'll learn
Part I• 4 LessonsArchitecture Review & ToolkitHide
Part II• 3 LessonsAutomated Build & DeploymentView
Part III• 5 LessonsAdministration & ConnectivityView
Part IV• 3 LessonsOperations & RunbooksView
What's included with your access pass
When you join today, you get instant access to the complete production codebase, guided lessons, and private AI assistance:
All code is yours to keep and personally use forever on your local hardware.
Searchable, copy-pasteable code snippets, and 100% video-free so you spend your time building on your machine, not watching me click through menus.
An AI assistant built directly into the course, trained specifically on our codebase to answer your questions and troubleshoot errors in seconds.
Includes 1 full year of access and updates.
What students say
Real feedback from engineers and IT professionals who have built their environments with AutomateSQL.
Luke’s course, which simplifies the process of setting up your own test lab, is undoubtedly a game-changer. Having a dedicated environment for experimentation will accelerate my learning journey significantly. Moreover, the responsiveness and clarity of Luke’s support are commendable. When I encountered some issues during lab setup, his timely and precise instructions made all the difference.
Overall, I have found the course to be excellent. The content is well-structured and practical, and it has given me a solid foundation in automating SQL Server environments using Vagrant and related tooling. The lab environment is a great concept and I appreciate the level of detail that has gone into the Vagrantfile and the provisioning scripts.
I really enjoyed this course content. It was well laid out and presented. This will save hours when prepping systems for testing moving forward.
About the instructor
Luke Campbell
Founder / Instructor
I've spent over 20 years managing enterprise SQL Server databases, Windows Server infrastructure, and automated systems.
Throughout my career, whenever I wanted to master new skills and grow—whether that was learning SQL Server Always On Availability Groups, testing Active Directory configurations, or exploring Linux—I kept running into the exact same roadblocks: losing entire Saturdays to repetitive setup wizards, having nowhere safe to make mistakes and learn, and watching cloud meters tick up.
This lab gives you an automated, private flight simulator to build enterprise skills on your own machine without these headaches.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about the course, local lab requirements, and support.
1. What hardware do I need to run this?
A modern computer running 64-bit Windows 11 on an Intel or AMD (x64) processor with hardware virtualization (VT-x or AMD-V) enabled in the BIOS, at least 16 GB of RAM (32 GB recommended to run all 5 nodes at once), and 100–150 GB of free SSD space. You must also have Local Administrator rights on your machine.
(ARM processors—such as Apple Silicon M-series or Qualcomm Snapdragon Copilot+ PCs—are not supported).
2. If the virtual disks add up to nearly 500 GB, how does this fit in 100–150 GB of SSD space?
The virtual hard disks use thin provisioning (dynamically expanding disks).
When you see a 60 GB data drive or 40 GB log drive in the lab, that represents the maximum capacity the virtual machine is allowed to grow into — not the space it immediately occupies on your physical SSD. On your host computer, each virtual disk only takes up the space of the actual files written to it.
A freshly formatted 64 KB ReFS volume takes only a few megabytes on your host drive, and our linked-clone architecture shares base operating system files across nodes. In reality, the entire 5-node environment only consumes approximately 60 GB to 80 GB of actual physical SSD space initially, leaving ample headroom inside our 100–150 GB recommendation.
3. Do I need to buy expensive Windows Server or VMware licenses?
No! Broadcom made VMware Workstation Pro completely free for personal and lab use. For the operating system, you will download official Microsoft 180-day evaluation ISOs directly from Microsoft's Evaluation Center for free ($0). You do not need to buy any VMware or Windows licenses to build and run this sandbox.
4. I'm a SQL Server DBA or Windows sysadmin, not a DevOps expert. Is this too technical for me?
Not at all. I built this specifically for database and systems professionals. You don't need prior experience with Packer, Vagrant, or Linux. Across 15 guided lessons, I explain how every piece fits together and give you the exact commands to run. Plus, Dave AI — your private lab assistant built directly into the course — is available 24/7 to answer questions and troubleshoot errors instantly.
5. Are there video lectures in this course?
No — and that is 100% by design.
This course is engineered with one mission: to get your 5-node lab built and running on your laptop as quickly as possible so you can start using it to learn and focus on what matters to you. Instead of making you sit through hours of video just to find a specific setting, you get concise, searchable written lessons, copy-pasteable code, and instant 24/7 Dave AI support directly in the course. You read, copy, execute, and inspect directly on your own hardware without unnecessary friction.
6. Does this lab automatically install SQL Server?
No — and that is by design to give you complete freedom.
The Sandbox Engine automates the heavy infrastructure plumbing that wastes hours of setup time: building clean Windows Server 2025 and Ubuntu Linux base images, configuring virtual networking, provisioning an Active Directory Domain Controller (DC1), joining member nodes to the domain, and partitioning dedicated database storage disks.
From here, what you install is up to your imagination. Once your VMs are domain-joined, you take a snapshot—giving you a clean, reusable flight simulator ready for any database scenario.
7. Can I use these virtual machines for things other than SQL Server?
Yes! While SQL1 and SQL2 are pre-wired with dedicated disks (T:, E:, F:) ideal for SQL Server installations, you can use these machines for any enterprise workload—such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, application servers, or Windows Server clustering. It is also an ideal practice flight simulator for certifications like DP-300 or other courses focusing on on-premises, hybrid, or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) platforms.
8. What happens after my 1-year access pass ends?
Your access pass provides 1 full year of access to the course platform, interactive lessons, 24/7 Dave AI assistant, and codebase updates. It is a non-renewing access pass (no surprise recurring charges). Most importantly, all downloaded scripts, Packer templates, and Vagrant blueprints are 100% yours to keep and run forever on your local machine.
9. What is your refund policy?
Because this product includes instant digital delivery of the complete source codebase, all sales are final. To eliminate any guesswork before purchasing, we provide a free, 100% read-only pre-flight diagnostic tool that inspects your hardware, CPU virtualization, and RAM in seconds to confirm compatibility before you spend a dime.
Start building your private enterprise lab today.
You can spend another weekend manually clicking through OS setup screens.
Or you can have your own automated enterprise flight simulator running on your laptop today.