Part 3. Working with servers

In the previous two parts of the book, we learned how to use PowerShell. We’ve taken that knowledge and applied it to performing administration tasks that directly impact the user community. In part 3, we’ll turn our attention to working with Windows servers and the applications that run on our servers.

Desktop administration tends to be about performing the same acts on many machines. Server administration is about performing a wider range of actions on a smaller number of machines. The other major difference is that an individual desktop machine having problems doesn’t impact the business (unless it belongs to a senior manager, of course). A server that’s having problems could stop a business-critical application and have a major impact on the business. Server administration has a bigger impact on the user community than desktop administration, as it affects the whole user community rather than an individual.

Server administration should be taken to mean remote administration. The servers are usually in a data center that may be at the other end of the building or the other end of town. In some cases, the data center may be in a different part of the country or even a different country. We shouldn’t assume that we can gain physical access to the servers. Work remotely and embrace automation. It leaves more time for the fun things such as investigating what we can administer with PowerShell and how we can perform those actions remotely.