Here is a collection of my favourite Windows Server 2003 command line tools. My aim is to
offer variety, and I hope you will un-earth at least one utility you had not
considered.
The number one question I get asked about Group Policies is 'Why won't
they work when I set them up perfectly?' My answer is, run
GPupdate. Result: Bingo, now they work - very satisfying.
When you are at the
command prompt you may need to find files. Try Where, for example,
Where /r e:\ *.log
Notes: The /r means 'keep on looking'.
Observe the space between /r and e:\ and also the space between e:\ and *.log.
Where is flexible, and will search for any file pattern that you can think of,
for example, *.ini or W*.inf.
This command gives you a hard copy of the information displayed in
System Information (Accessories). From the command
prompt type: Systeminfo > server.txt Then Notepad server.txt lets
you read the data captured. The > 'greater than' is an old
trick to redirect information from the screen into a file.
Guy Recommends: SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset v10
This Engineer's Toolset v10 provides a comprehensive console of utilities
for troubleshooting computer problems. Guy says it helps me
monitor what's occurring on the network, and each tool teaches me more about how the
underlying system operates.
Take a minute to install this command line program. It will be
a life saver should you system fail to boot. Install CMDCons and practice
copying files, just in case you get a server that will not start because
of a corrupted file.
Way back, this classic Windows Server 2003 command line tool solved a thorny connectivity problem I had with DNS and
Exchange 2000. Discover more new useful switches with Ipconfig /?
Guy Recommends: A Free Trial of the Network Performance Monitor
(NPM)
Solarwinds'
Orion performance monitor
will help you discover what's happening on your network. This
utility will also guide you through troubleshooting; the dashboard will
indicate whether the root cause is a broken link, faulty equipment or
resource overload.
Perhaps the NPM's best feature is the way it suggests solutions to network
problems. Its
second best feature is the ability to monitor the health of individual VMWare
virtual machines. If you are interested in troubleshooting, and creating network maps, then I recommend that you take advantage of Solarwinds' offer.
Imagine you are using explorer. Suddenly, you need to open a folder in a 'DOS Box.
It is frustrating to run CMD, change directory about 7 times before you
navigate to the right folder. Install CMDHere and make it one click to
your 'DOS Box'.
See Diagram 1. DownloadCMDHere
Handy for testing intermittent
connections. PathPing works like ping except it echo-locates for 25 seconds
and reports the percentage of lost packets. As a bonus, PathPing shows you
the hops rather like a tracert printout.
Summary Windows Server 2003 Command
Line Tools
These ten command line tools have served me well down the years, please
send me your collection
Guy Recommends 3 Free Active Directory Tools
Solarwinds have produced three Active Directory add-ons. These free utilities
have been approved by Microsoft, and will help to manage your domain by:
Guy Recommends: Orion's NPM - Network Performance Monitor
Orion's performance monitor is designed for detecting network outages. NPM makes it easy to see what's working, and what needs your attention.
This utility guides you through creating network maps. It also helps troubleshooting by indicating whether the root cause is faulty equipment, or resource overload.
