⚡ Managing and Automating Windows Server with PowerShell

Introduction

Windows Server management can be complex, especially when handling user accounts, services, updates, and configurations across multiple machines. PowerShell, Microsoft’s powerful scripting language, simplifies these tasks by enabling automation and remote administration.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• ✅ Essential PowerShell commands for Windows Server management.
• ✅ Automation scripts to streamline administrative tasks.
• ✅ Remote administration techniques for managing multiple servers efficiently.

1. Essential PowerShell Commands for Windows Server Management

Checking System Information

Get-ComputerInfo

[System.Environment]::OSVersion

(Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem).LastBootUpTime

Managing Windows Services

Get-Service -Name wuauserv

Start-Service -Name wuauserv

Restart-Service -Name Spooler

Get-Service | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Running" }

Managing Users and Groups

New-LocalUser -Name "JohnDoe" -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString "Password123!" -AsPlainText -Force) -FullName "John Doe"

Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member "JohnDoe"

Disable-LocalUser -Name "JohnDoe"

Remove-LocalUser -Name "JohnDoe"

Managing Windows Updates

Get-WindowsUpdate

Install-WindowsUpdate -AcceptAll -AutoReboot

Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending

2. Automating Tasks with PowerShell Scripts

Example: Automated Backup Script

$source = "C:Data"
$destination = "BackupServerBackupsData_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd').zip"
Compress-Archive -Path $source -DestinationPath $destination
Write-Host "Backup completed successfully!"

Example: Clearing Log Files Automatically

$logs = Get-WinEvent -LogName Security, System, Application -Oldest -MaxEvents 5000
$logs | Where-Object { $_.TimeCreated -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-30) } | Remove-EventLog
Write-Host "Old logs have been deleted!"

Example: Bulk User Creation from a CSV File

$users = Import-Csv -Path "C:users.csv"
foreach ($user in $users) {
    New-LocalUser -Name $user.Username -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString $user.Password -AsPlainText -Force) -FullName $user.FullName
    Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Users" -Member $user.Username
}
Write-Host "User accounts have been created successfully!"

3. Remote Administration with PowerShell

Enabling PowerShell Remoting

Enable-PSRemoting -Force

Running Commands on a Remote Server

Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server01 -ScriptBlock { Get-PSDrive C }

Restart-Computer -ComputerName Server01 -Force

Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server01 -ScriptBlock { Get-Process }

Copying Files to a Remote Server

Copy-Item -Path "C:Scriptsbackup.ps1" -Destination "Server01C$Scripts" -Credential (Get-Credential)

Final Thoughts

PowerShell simplifies Windows Server management by enabling:

• ✔️ Fast and efficient automation of repetitive tasks.
• ✔️ Remote administration for managing multiple servers.
• ✔️ Improved security through automated patching and monitoring.
• ✔️ Better system performance with scheduled maintenance tasks.

Next Steps? Try writing your own PowerShell scripts for user management, backups, and performance monitoring!