Hands-On PowerShell for Active Directory

Name: Hands-On PowerShell for Active Directory
Rating: 4.4 (19 reviews)

Use PowerShell for Active Directory to eliminate manual labor with quick automation tasks and functions

Created byPackt Publishing

Last updated 10/2018

English

What you'll learn

Set up lab environments to learn and test PowerShell processes
Navigate and use PowerShell with Active Directory fluently
Manage domain controllers remotely using PowerShell
Author scripts and tools to automate Active Directory tasks
Solve problems and perform Active Directory tasks using PowerShell
Work with Azure Load Balancers and Application Gateways with Windows PowerShell

Course content

6 sections • 37 lectures • 3h 47m total length

The Course Overview5:13
This video provides an overview of the entire course.
Physical Versus Virtual Labs and Their Importance for Active Directory5:01
A proper environment is needed for both testing and learning. A virtual lab provides a quick and versatile solution.
• Discuss physical labs and their limitations
• Discuss virtual labs and their benefits
• Learn that the importance of having a lab environment cannot be overstated
Hypervisors, Virtualization, and Active Directory2:48
What is a hypervisor, how does virtualization work, and what architecture does Active Directory need?
• Examine the types of hypervisors
• Examine the structure of a virtualized environment
• Discuss the architecture required for an Active Directory lab
Building an Active Directory Lab with VirtualBox6:34
Using completely free software we will build a lab environment that can run on Windows, Linux, or a Mac.
• Discover where to get the programs and ISO files required
• Basic setup and walkthrough of VirtualBox
• Build the virtual machines and power them on
Building an Active Directory Lab with Hyper-V7:09
Using built-in software with Windows 10 Pro, we will build a lab environment that can be built with and managed by PowerShell.
• Basic setup and walkthrough of Hyper-V
• Use PowerShell to set up our Hyper-V lab
• Power on the virtual machines and connect to them
Installing the Server Operating Systems5:16
Using the ISO files we downloaded, we will install the OS versions we need and discuss options.
• Installation options and requirements
• Install the OS versions we need
• Discuss future options
Configuring the Active Directory Lab Servers17:49
Within the virtual machine servers we have now, we will set up our corporate environment.
• Set up the corporate environment and Active Directory using PowerShell
• Why constant, consistent use of PowerShell is important
• Test our lab connectivity and setup

Accessing and Customizing the PowerShell Interface3:34
Access Active Directory with PowerShell.
• Access PowerShell and AD on a Domain Controller
• Access PowerShell and AD on a client computer
• Access PowerShell and AD by PowerShell Remoting to a DC
Accessing and Mastering the PowerShell Help System7:26
We will look at accessing and using the help system in PowerShell.
• How to update the help files
• How to access the help system
• Examine the different sections of a help file
Discovering Active Directory Commands3:32
How to discover commands.
• Use the help system to search for Active Directory commands
• Use Get-Command to discover Active Directory commands
• Access help to analyze an AD cmdlet we discovered
Analyzing Active Directory Command Usage5:47
Analyze how to use commands.
• Analyze a help file to determine proper command usage
• Run a cmdlet to retrieve data
• Put it together to change a user’s email address
Working with PowerShell Errors4:19
How to respond to errors and get familiar with error outputs.
• How to resolve ambiguous parameter names
• How to resolve positional parameter errors
• How to resolve Get-ADUser identity errors
PowerShell Security2:46
We discuss some of the basic built-in security for PowerShell.
• Built-in safety precautions
• Audit and/or tracking features
• Remote security
Built-In Protections for Active Directory with PowerShell5:43
We discuss some of the basic built in protections for PowerShell.
• How the default file associations for scripts protects us
• What is the Execution Policy and how does it work?
• How to use -WhatIf and -Confirm

Working with AD Users and Computers5:59
How to access and manage Active Directory Users and Computers.
• Discover commands for AD users and computers
• Create an AD user
• Search for and change properties for AD users
Working with AD Groups7:12
How to access and manage Active Directory Groups.
• Discover commands for AD groups
• Search and create AD groups
• Add and remove members to and from groups
Navigating the AD Architecture3:04
Discover the architecture of Active Directory within PowerShell.
• Examine PSProviders
• Examine PSDrives
• Traverse AD as a filesystem
Working with Properties3:41
How to access and modify object properties.
• Obtain and examine object properties
• Narrow the properties returned for an object
• Change an object’s properties
Selecting, Sorting, and Variables6:15
How to select, sort, and use variables.
• Use Select-Object to select specific properties
• Use Sort-Object to change the sorting method used
• Discover and create variables
Formatting for Efficiency5:51
Optimizing using proper formatting.
• How to measure command speed
• How to most efficiently filter searches
• How to efficiently use the Filter parameter for Get-ADUser
Using the Pipeline to Create a Report7:12
Creating an Active Directory report of users’ emails in CSV format using the pipeline.
• Get all AD users that only have email addresses
• Format to retrieve and sort only the information we want
• Customize properties and output the report to CSV

Advanced Command Discovery6:30
We will look at discovering commands with advanced techniques.
• How to discover commands from the same source
• Discover what modules are available and load them
• Use Get-Random to get random results
Intro to Managing DNS with PowerShell4:26
Discover and introduce DNS management within PowerShell.
• Discover both DnsClient and DnsServer modules
• Load the modules by calling cmdlets
• List cmdlets, copy one, paste, and look up using help
Intro to Managing DHCP with PowerShell5:32
Discover and introduce DHCP management within PowerShell.
• Discover DHCP modules and cmdlets
• Get DHCP leases and choose a specific one
• Convert a DHCP lease to a reservation
Generate a PowerShell Tool to Find Obsolete AD Computers9:19
Create a reusable tool that discovers and reports on obsolete domain computers.
• Decide on a time frame and enter it in a variable
• Gather the computers with the proper filters
• Use the data to create a report and make it a reusable batch file
Generate a PowerShell Tool for AD User Password Resets6:31
Create a reusable tool that allows for quick resets of user passwords.
• Create the batch file
• Discover a command to reset passwords
• Fill out the batch file with the proper command string

The Process of Script Development7:23
What are the best ways to create a PowerShell script?
Discover the PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment
Inserting help and comments
Using full cmdlet and parameter names
Creating a Script to Gather Data and Create a Report10:04
Instead of typing out the report from Section 3, let’s make it a script we can run.
Insert the help section and name the script
Lay out the command section
Use third-party tools for scripting
Generate a Script to Set Up a New User5:41
Developing a script to allow team members to properly set up a new user.
Determine the usage
Lay out the help section and name the script
Test the commands in a lab to verify as written
Generate a Script to Set Up a New Computer4:56
Develop a script to set up a new computer within the domain.
Determine the usage
Lay out the help section and name the script
Test the commands to verify as written
Turn a PowerShell Script into a Function for Repeat AD Management5:47
Turn a previous script into a function that can be called like a cmdlet.
Discover the basics of functions
Edit a previous script to create a function
Test the function
Customizing Your PowerShell Profile for AD Management5:55
Take the function we created and insert it into our PowerShell profile to make it always available.
Discover the PowerShell profile and create if needed
Insert the previous function into our profile
Test the availability of our new function

Discovering Invalid AD Property Entries8:05
When team members enter information in a non-uniform fashion, it can harm the integrity of the data. Discover the inaccuracies.
Determine the properties to check
Discover the inaccuracies
Create a quick report to show the inaccuracies
Correcting Invalid AD Property Entries4:40
Take the previously discovered inaccuracies and create a workflow to correct them.
Turn the output of the previous discoveries into a variable
Create an if/then statement to target the inaccuracies
Create steps to correct the errors
Creating a Living Company Directory6:24
Create a script that can be run on demand to create a company directory.
Determine the information to display
Build the script to achieve the desired output
Drive the output to the medium desired
Mass Active Directory User Creation8:19
Create a script to create a large number of AD users based on a CSV file.
Examine or create a CSV file to pull data from
Develop the script to take the data and use a for each statement
Finalize the script to create the users
Using AD Properties to Fill in Empty Properties6:06
Fill in empty AD user properties with another property that does exist.
Determine the property that needs information filled in
Load for that information existing in another property
Put them together to fill in the empty property

Requirements

No prior knowledge of PowerShell is required.

Description

PowerShell has become the most efficient tool for managing Microsoft Active Directory. Its ability to solve problems and turn the solution into a new tool or automated task allows the system admin to cut down on future manual labor hours. This course will train you in using PowerShell to manage Active Directory. You will customize your preferences, run custom reports, author scripts, and automate tasks. You will discover how to create scripts, access and change data stores, and automate tasks. By the end of the course, you will have the skills to automate Active Directory jobs with PowerShell components such as cmdlets, functions, modules, providers, objects, variables, expressions, and profiles.

About the Author

Joshua B Jones is an IT Systems Administrator with Airways Freight, leading the global company in PowerShell administration, scripts, and tool creation. A certified Microsoft Professional, he has eliminated thousands of labor hours by automating previously manual tasks using PowerShell. No mere expert, he demonstrates his passion for PowerShell by teaching others all over the World how to use it effectively.

Who this course is for:

This course is for experienced Active Directory administrators looking to start using the benefits of Windows PowerShell for increased efficiency by utilizing automation and tools.

Hands-On PowerShell for Active Directory

What you'll learn

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Course content

Building Labs for Active Directory and PowerShell Testing7 lectures • 50min

Navigate and Use PowerShell with Active Directory Fluently7 lectures • 33min

Report Creation for Your Active Directory7 lectures • 39min

DHCP, DNS, Group Policy, and Basic AD Tools5 lectures • 32min

Working with Scripts, Functions, and Custom Modules for AD6 lectures • 40min

Solving Real-World Active Directory Problems with PowerShell5 lectures • 34min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: