Chapter 8. Windows servers
This chapter covers
- Services and Processes
- Administering the filesystem
- Working with the Registry
- Managing Event Logs
This chapter opens the third and major part of the book, where we look at how we can administer our Windows servers, and the applications they host, by using PowerShell.
Remember
Many of the scripts and tasks that were covered in chapter 7 also need to be performed on servers. Likewise, some of the material in this chapter can be applied to desktop machines. The two chapters form a bridge between the desktop and server aspects of administrator’s activities.
In the introduction to this part, I made the point that server administration should be viewed as an activity to be performed remotely. PowerShell has a number of ways of supplying the capability to perform remote administration:
- Some cmdlets have a remote capability.
- Scripts can use WMI or .NET to access remote systems.
- PowerShell v2 brings a remoting capability based on the Windows Remote Management service.
- Some PowerShell providers, for example the one in SQL Server 2008, provide access to remote machines.
The techniques that apply in a given situation will be highlighted, as will any known issues with the remote capability. In all cases, firewalls can block access via these remoting technologies. Make sure that the firewall on the remote computer doesn’t block the required protocols.