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Using PowerShell output notifications to flag items
Those of you who are familiar with my work know that I write a lot of PowerShell code. As time has gone on, I have found that the scripts that I write have inevitably become longer and more complex,...
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When dishonest vendors try to pull a fast one
While the primary job of an IT professional who works for a company is to make the technology side of things work as smoothly as possible, it’s also a good idea if they keep an eye on the company’s...
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Managing PowerShell script logging
I write a lot of PowerShell scripts. Some of the scripts that I develop are for one-time tasks, while others get run on a daily basis. Whenever I build a script that is going to be run frequently, I...
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Using Chef to create tasty recipes to manage Windows servers
The popular management configuration tool Chef uses the concept of Infrastructure as a Code and it supports on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. Chef works with several operating systems,...
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Windows Storage Server: An indispensable service for IT admins
Reliable and affordable storage systems are essential for today’s data-driven world. In fact, we take these storage systems for granted now because they’re readily available and are an integral part of...
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Setting up Active Directory using PowerShell
PowerShell is an extremely powerful set of command line tools you can use to manage different aspects of a Windows environment. Most of the roles and features ship with the required PowerShell cmdlets...
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Keeping an eye on the clock with time servers
Understanding the Windows Time Service is crucial for your Active Directory environment to work properly. That’s why I recently updated one of my most widely read articles called Configuring the...
View ArticleManaging Active Directory trusts in Windows Server 2016
Active Directory trusts can be created between Active Directory domains and Active Directory forests. A trust allows you to maintain a relationship between the two domains to ensure resources in...
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Working faster & smarter with PowerShell: Tips from an expert
Time is precious for the IT professional. Workloads can be overwhelming as organizations trip their budgets to keep shareholders happy or battle competition in the marketplace. Automation is clearly a...
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Stubborn system services revisited: How to get them up and running
A few months ago, I wrote an article on how you can take control of stubborn system services. That article largely focused on using PowerShell to force a service to start after the service fails to...
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Managing Windows failover clusters using PowerShell
The complete operation of Windows failover clusters can be managed using PowerShell. PowerShell not only reduces the time it takes to perform tasks using the GUI, but also enables automation. For...
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Tips for IT pros who work with small businesses
Awhile back, a fellow IT pro named Tony Gore shared some tips with us on how to succeed as an IT consultant. Tony is full of hard-earned wisdom like this so I’m sharing some other tips from him that...
View ArticleConsiderations when upgrading Active Directory schema to Windows Server 2016
Every new release of Windows Server provides new schema attributes for Active Directory. If you are running earlier versions of Active Directory, such as Windows Server 2012 R2, in your environment and...
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Repadmin tool: The handy, dandy fix for your Active Directory replication...
If you’re working on multiple domains, you’re sure to face issues at some point, especially in the replication process. As you know, replicating the changes made on one domain controller with all the...
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Purchasing servers and server hardware that lasts
In our throw-away modern society where built-in obsolescence has become routine, purchasing computer systems that last is important for businesses if they want to survive long-term in the marketplace....
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All you need to know about Windows SMB signing
Server message block signing, or SMB signing for short, is a Windows feature that allows you to digitally sign at the packet level. This security mechanism comes as a part of the SMB protocol and is...
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Laptop and PC failure rates: Why are they so high?
A while back, a colleague in the IT profession reached out to me asking if I knew what the failure rate was these days for laptop and desktop computers. I hadn’t considered this question of computer...
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The power of Get-ADObject PowerShell cmdlet
PowerShell offers several cmdlets you can use to perform almost all Active Directory operations that you usually perform using tools such as Active Directory Users and Computers and Active Directory...
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Security templates for Windows: Configure your PCs and lock down your OS
Keeping an organization’s IT resources secure is an ongoing challenge, and recent high-profile hacks and ransomware outbreaks have upped the stakes. Administrators are under more pressure than ever to...
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Managing Mac computers with Windows ConfigMgr? Yes, you can
System Center Configuration Manager, better known simply as ConfigMgr, has long been the centerpiece of Microsoft’s solution for managing Windows computers. But can it manage Macs, too? That’s the...
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