Daily Admin Toolkit

Overview

The Daily Admin Toolkit is a comprehensive PowerShell module collection designed to streamline common system administration tasks. Built with a modular architecture, it provides sys admins with reliable, tested functions for the most frequent daily operations.

Why Daily Admin Toolkit?

System administrators spend significant time on repetitive tasks. The Daily Admin Toolkit eliminates the need to write custom scripts by providing:

  • Pre-built, tested functions for common admin tasks
  • Modular design allowing independent module management
  • Pipeline-friendly functions that integrate seamlessly
  • Enterprise-ready with proper error handling and security
  • Consistent interface following PowerShell best practices

Core Modules

ActiveDirectory Module

Manage user accounts, passwords, and group memberships with enterprise-grade security.

Key Functions:

  • Unlock-ADAccount - Unlock user accounts quickly
  • Reset-ADUserPassword - Secure password reset operations
  • Get-ADUserLastLogon - Track user activity across domain controllers
  • Get-ADUserMembership - Analyze group memberships efficiently

ServerManagement Module

Monitor and maintain server infrastructure with comprehensive health checks.

Key Functions:

  • Get-ServerHealth - Complete server health assessment
  • Test-ServerConnectivity - Network connectivity validation
  • Get-ServiceStatus - Service monitoring across multiple servers

ServiceManagement Module

Manage Windows services and processes remotely with safety controls.

Key Functions:

  • Restart-RemoteService - Safe service restart operations
  • Get-ProcessByName - Process discovery and monitoring
  • Stop-ProcessRemotely - Controlled process termination

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Before using the Daily Admin Toolkit, ensure you have:

  1. PowerShell 5.1 or later (PowerShell 7.x recommended)
  2. RSAT Tools (Remote Server Administration Tools)
  3. Appropriate permissions for target systems
  4. Network connectivity to managed servers

Quick Installation

# Import the Daily Admin Toolkit modules
Import-Module ProjectName.ActiveDirectory
Import-Module ProjectName.ServerManagement
Import-Module ProjectName.ServiceManagement

# Verify installation
Get-Module ProjectName.*

Documentation Structure

This documentation follows a task-based “recipes” approach:

📚 Recipes

Step-by-step guides for common admin scenarios:

âš¡ Quick Reference

Fast lookup guides for experienced admins:

🔧 Setup & Configuration

Real-World Scenarios

The Daily Admin Toolkit addresses these common scenarios:

Morning Health Checks

# Quick server health assessment
Get-ServerHealth -ComputerName @('SERVER01', 'SERVER02', 'SERVER03') | 
    Where-Object { $_.Status -ne 'Healthy' } |
    Format-Table ComputerName, Status, Issues -AutoSize

User Account Management

# Unlock user account and check last logon
Unlock-ADAccount -Identity 'jdoe'
Get-ADUserLastLogon -Identity 'jdoe' -AllDomainControllers

Service Monitoring

# Check critical services across multiple servers
Get-ServiceStatus -ComputerName @('WEB01', 'WEB02') -ServiceName @('IIS', 'W3SVC') |
    Where-Object { $_.Status -ne 'Running' }

Integration with Enterprise Features

The Daily Admin Toolkit is designed as a gateway to enterprise PowerShell adoption:

  • Logging Integration - Works with existing logging frameworks
  • Monitoring Hooks - Integrates with SCOM, Nagios, and other monitoring systems
  • Reporting - Export functions for dashboard integration
  • Automation - Ready for task scheduler and orchestration platforms

Quality Assurance

Every function in the Daily Admin Toolkit includes:

  • Pester Testing - Comprehensive unit and integration tests
  • Parameter Validation - Input validation and type checking
  • Error Handling - Graceful error handling with detailed messages
  • Security Review - Secure credential handling and execution policies
  • Performance Testing - Benchmarked for enterprise environments

Support and Community

  • Issue Tracking - Report bugs and request features
  • Community Recipes - Share your custom admin recipes
  • Training Resources - Video tutorials and documentation
  • Enterprise Support - Professional support options available

Next Steps

  1. Review Prerequisites - Ensure your environment is ready
  2. Explore Recipes - Start with common scenarios in your environment
  3. Practice Safety - Use -WhatIf parameters in production
  4. Customize - Adapt functions to your organizational needs
  5. Contribute - Share recipes and improvements with the community

Pro Tip: Start with the ActiveDirectory Recipes if you're new to the toolkit. These are the most commonly used functions and provide a great introduction to the toolkit's capabilities.

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