Scripting Windows Administrative Tasks UK Classes & Lessons (Microsoft Windows)

About this class

By leveraging Windows automation technologies, organisations can lower their Total Cost of Ownership and improve administrative processes.

In this hands-on course, you gain practical experience exploiting Windows scripting technologies to automate common administrative tasks, effectively manage resources and deliver solutions via the Web.

Who will the lesson benefit?

This course is valuable for experienced administrators seeking to manage Windows systems more efficiently. Knowledge at the level of Course 595, " Windows Server 2003 ", and Course 597, " Deploying and Managing Windows Server 2003 ", is required. Scripting experience is also recommended.

What delegates will learn

Automate common Windows administrative tasks using scripting technologies
Use VBScript and other languages in the Windows Script Host
Automate large-scale Active Directory (AD) changes using ADSI
Manage Windows configurations with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
Develop Web-based management solutions using ASP and client-side scripts
Extend scripting solutions with widely available components

Contents of this class

Introduction and Overview

Increased administrator productivity
Improved IT service delivery
Sophisticated custom management tools

Exploiting the Windows Script Host (WSH)

Using scripting languages with WSH

Writing code in VBScript
Running scripts in CScript and WScript

Managing the file system

Creating and managing files and folders with the FileSystemObject
Reading and writing files
Mapping network drives

Controlling the user interface

Developing scripts with a graphical user interface (GUI)
Receiving and processing arguments
Creating command line utilities

Managing Directories Using Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI)

Accessing the Active Directory

Binding to directory objects using LDAP
Reading and writing directory object attributes
Manipulating objects with ADSI methods

Working with SAM databases

Managing NT 4.0 domains with the WinNT provider
Modifying local SAM databases, shares and services

Automating user creation and updates

Adding and moving user objects
Searching for users with SQL queries
Updating common user attributes

Controlling group membership

Adding and deleting users
Automating group updates with Scheduled Tasks

Configuring Computers with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)

Defining Windows settings

Setting page file size
Changing event log sizes
Assigning volume labels

Collecting workstation information

Performing a hardware inventory
Querying for driver settings
Reading Windows Installer Service configuration data

Automating computer management

Scheduling event log rotation
Changing network settings
Detecting and restarting stopped services

Responding to events

Building a WMI subscriber
Alerting administrators to potential problems

Delivering Solutions via the Web

Sharing data on the Web

Saving script results as HTML
Posting reports on the Web server

Embedding scripts within a Web page

Enabling user account self-service
Reconfiguring workstations with client-side JScripts

Extending Scripting Solutions

Leveraging Microsoft COM objects

Sending e-mails using Collaboration Data Objects (CDO)
Managing Exchange using CDO for Exchange (CDOEX)

Incorporating third-party COM objects

Configuring security using SetACL
Finding the COM objects you need