title: How to Join Local Windows Machine to AWS Active Directory
body: <p>Hi my goal is to create Active Directory in AWS.  I used simple AD and used 2 public and 2 private subnets within the same VPC with the private ones being for the domain controllers.  I created an EC2 instance within the same VPC with Windows Server so that I can manage the AD.  My EC2 instance joins the domain with no problem.  My problem however is I cannot get my local machines on my network to join the AD, as the DC's, are of course private IP's and I cant change the DNS on my machine to these IP's unless on the same network.</p>
  
  <p>Im guessing I need a VPN to join my local network to the Network in the AWS cloud.</p>
  
  <p>Is there a way to achieve having AD in AWS without a VPN such as using an elastic IP with NAT to communicate to the DC's?  Or maybe even promoting my EC2 instance to a DC then connecting the local machines DNS to the EC2 instances elastic IP?</p>
  
  <p>Any help is much appreciated and let me know if I am missing any information or not explaining the goal clear enough.</p>