If you have worked with vSphere, chances are you have had to perform some tasks on an ESXi host using ESXCLI. This command line interface created by VMware enables you to perform such tasks as installing software, configuring NIC adapters or seting firewall rules on ESXi. Since ESXi runs only Read more…
In this article, I will demonstrate how to use Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) and PowerShell to create a reusable in-place upgrade process for domain-joined computers. This is a completely automated process. Thus, no end-user interaction is necessary, and it can take place on any remote computer. Although I have not Read more…
Patching vSphere is fairly straightforward using vSphere Update Manager. You can let vCenter/VUM automate the patching of an entire datacenter or cluster if you want. Many VMware professionals prefer to have more control over how their clusters get patched, and with good reason. Yes, vCenter is capable of figuring out Read more…
Every network admin will at some point need to capture and view network events to help troubleshoot network issues. The PowerShell module NetEventPacketCapture is an interesting option to capture network tracesIT professionals have many tools that can enable the capturing and viewing of network traffic. Tools such as Wireshark and Read more…
There are several ways to manage and configure Windows Defender, such as via the System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), Desired State Configuration (DSC), Intune, and Group Policy. The Defender PowerShell module is another tool you can use. In this article, I will provide an introduction to the Defender module and Read more…
In light of the recent WannaCry attack, this simple PowerShell one liner will give you some insight into what SMB version your clients are connect to your Windows servers with. This works with any server that is running 2012 and up. This gives the current SMB connections for all 2012 Read more…
First off, before I tell my story I will admit that I am very lucky and in more than one way. The story I will tell is not the norm, it is an exception. I am fortunate enough to work at a phenomenal organization. It is an organization that treats Read more…
I will admit it. I love PowerShell and if my choice is to use PowerShell over another tool to do just about anything, I am choosing PowerShell even if it may not be the “best” tool for the job. The PowerShell community is getting larger and larger as great developers Read more…
For anyone who has worked with Active Directory, they know that AD is dependent on it’s associated DNS zones/records. If for some reason these stop resolving, all hell breaks loose in the environment. To monitor these necessary zones are resolving in DNS, I turned to PowerShell and wrote a simple Read more…
When I started deploying servers, the process involved racking the hardware, connecting it to the network, inserting a CD/DVD, installing the operating system and drivers, configuring network settings in the OS and then installing and configuring services such as Active Directory or Exchange. These tasks were done using a GUI. Read more…