User Guide
This comprehensive user guide provides detailed instructions for using the PowerShell Enterprise Automation Platform effectively. Whether you're a system administrator, security professional, or IT operations specialist, this guide will help you maximize the platform's capabilities.
Table of Contents
Daily Operations
Starting Your Day
Begin each workday with these essential checks:
System Health Check
# Import the core module Import-Module ./modules/PSAdminCore/PSAdminCore.psm1 # Run daily health check ./scripts/maintenance/Monitor-CriticalServices.ps1 -SendEmail
Review Overnight Backups
# Check backup status ./scripts/backup/Test-BackupIntegrity.ps1 -ReportPath "C:\Reports"
Security Compliance Check
# Run security audit ./scripts/security/Test-SecurityCompliance.ps1 -GenerateReport
Monitoring Dashboard
Access your monitoring dashboard to review:
- System performance metrics
- Active alerts and notifications
- Backup status and schedules
- Security compliance scores
Common Tasks
User Management
Adding New Users
# Single user creation
./scripts/administration/New-ADUserWithStandardGroups.ps1 -FirstName "John" -LastName "Doe" -Department "IT"
# Bulk user creation from CSV
./scripts/administration/Import-ADUsersFromCSV.ps1 -CsvPath "C:\Data\NewUsers.csv"
User Lifecycle Management
# Disable departing user
./scripts/administration/Disable-ADUser.ps1 -Username "john.doe" -BackupData
# Transfer user data
./scripts/administration/Transfer-UserData.ps1 -FromUser "john.doe" -ToUser "jane.smith"
System Maintenance
Disk Space Management
# Clean up disk space
./scripts/maintenance/Clear-DiskSpace.ps1 -WhatIf
# After reviewing, execute the cleanup
./scripts/maintenance/Clear-DiskSpace.ps1 -Confirm:$false
Service Monitoring
# Monitor critical services
./scripts/maintenance/Monitor-CriticalServices.ps1 -Services "WinRM", "DNS", "DHCP"
Backup Operations
Manual Backup
# Perform immediate backup
./scripts/backup/Start-BackupJob.ps1 -BackupType "Full" -Priority "High"
Backup Verification
# Test backup integrity
./scripts/backup/Test-BackupIntegrity.ps1 -BackupPath "\\BackupServer\Backups"
Security Operations
Security Auditing
# Run comprehensive security audit
./scripts/security/Invoke-SecurityAudit.ps1 -FullScan -EmailReport
Compliance Reporting
# Generate compliance report
./scripts/security/New-ComplianceReport.ps1 -Standard "CIS" -OutputFormat "HTML"
Advanced Features
Automation Scheduling
Using Windows Task Scheduler
# Create scheduled task for daily maintenance
$Action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "PowerShell.exe" -Argument "-File C:\Scripts\DailyMaintenance.ps1"
$Trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Daily -At 2:00AM
$Settings = New-ScheduledTaskSettingsSet -RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Daily Maintenance" -Action $Action -Trigger $Trigger -Settings $Settings
Automated Reporting
Configure automated reports to be sent to stakeholders:
# Setup weekly summary report
./scripts/reports/New-WeeklySummaryReport.ps1 -Recipients "it-team@company.com" -Schedule "Weekly"
Cloud Integration
Azure Integration
# Sync backups to Azure
./scripts/cloud/Sync-BackupToAzure.ps1 -StorageAccount "companybackups" -Container "daily-backups"
Multi-Cloud Backup
# Backup to multiple cloud providers
./scripts/backup/Start-MultiCloudBackup.ps1 -Providers "Azure", "AWS", "GCP"
Custom Automation
Creating Custom Scripts
Use the Template
# Copy script template Copy-Item "./templates/ScriptTemplate.ps1" "./scripts/custom/MyCustomScript.ps1"
Follow Best Practices
- Include proper error handling
- Add comprehensive logging
- Use parameter validation
- Include help documentation
Test Thoroughly
# Test your custom script ./scripts/custom/MyCustomScript.ps1 -WhatIf -Verbose
Best Practices
Security
- Never hardcode credentials - Use Windows Credential Manager
- Validate all inputs - Implement proper parameter validation
- Use least privilege - Run with minimum required permissions
- Audit all operations - Enable comprehensive logging
Performance
- Monitor resource usage - Track CPU, memory, and disk usage
- Optimize large datasets - Use streaming for large file operations
- Schedule intensive tasks - Run during off-peak hours
- Use parallel processing - Leverage PowerShell jobs for concurrent operations
Reliability
- Implement error handling - Use try-catch blocks appropriately
- Validate prerequisites - Check dependencies before execution
- Test in development - Use -WhatIf parameter for testing
- Monitor execution - Use logging to track script behavior
Maintenance
- Regular updates - Keep modules and scripts current
- Review logs - Analyze execution logs regularly
- Clean up old data - Implement retention policies
- Document changes - Maintain change logs
Configuration Management
Environment Configuration
# Set environment-specific settings
$Config = @{
Environment = "Production"
LogLevel = "Information"
EmailEnabled = $true
BackupRetention = 30
}
$Config | ConvertTo-Json | Out-File "./config/environment.json"
Module Configuration
# Configure module settings
Set-PSAdminConfiguration -LogPath "C:\Logs\PSAdmin" -EmailServer "smtp.company.com"
Reporting and Analytics
Generating Reports
# Generate monthly operations report
./scripts/reports/New-MonthlyOperationsReport.ps1 -Month (Get-Date).Month -Year (Get-Date).Year
Performance Analytics
# Analyze system performance trends
./scripts/analytics/Get-PerformanceTrends.ps1 -Period "30days" -Metrics "CPU", "Memory", "Disk"
Integration with Other Systems
SIEM Integration
# Send events to SIEM
./scripts/security/Send-EventToSIEM.ps1 -Event $SecurityEvent -Priority "High"
Ticketing System Integration
# Create automated tickets
./scripts/integration/New-ServiceTicket.ps1 -Title "Automated Alert" -Description $AlertDetails
Troubleshooting
For detailed troubleshooting information, see the Troubleshooting Guide.
Common Issues
- Module Import Errors: Check PowerShell execution policy
- Permission Denied: Verify administrative privileges
- Network Connectivity: Test network connections and firewall rules
- Authentication Failures: Verify credentials and domain connectivity
Getting Help
# Get help for any script
Get-Help ./scripts/maintenance/Monitor-CriticalServices.ps1 -Full
# Get help for module functions
Get-Help Test-AdminPrivileges -Examples
For additional support and advanced configurations, consult the Architecture documentation or contact your system administrator.