Windows Server 2003 Utilities

Whenever I find the right Windows Server tool for the right job, I always get a satisfying glow. I particularly enjoy discovering a new utility that saves me time, ADSI Edit for interrogating LDAP properties, springs to mind. Other utilities come into their own in an emergency, NTDSutil and ESEutil are life savers in a disaster recovery situation. There again, I love old friends like, Ipconfig for checking IP configuration. However, in Windows 2003 they have new twists, such as Ipconfig -flushdns and in Vista Ipconfig -allcompartments

The most common fault when evaluating new tools is forgetting where they came from; take DCDIAG for an example, is it built-in? Or does it come in the resource kit. Actually its neither, you install it from the Windows Server 2003, Support tools folder.

One curiosity with these Windows utilities is that even amongst top techies, it's a case of one man's meat is another man's poison. Few others rate cmdhere as highly as I do, whereas I have never really got on with diskpart or dsmod.

Sources of Windows Server 2003 Utilities

Support Tools

ADSI Edit - Getting Started
ADSI Edit - More Examples
DCDiag - Domain Replication
LDP - LDAP Search of you Domain
NetDiag - Network Testing
(Network Cables)
Replmon - Directory Replication
Windiff - Compare Files

‡

Built-in Tools - Executables that come with the operating system.

Authoritative Restore - Active Directory Restore (F8)
CACLS - Modify Access Control Lists (ACL)
NTDSutil
Ipconfig, Ping
Shutdown - Restart a remote machine
Taskmanger - Check those server processes
TCP/IP Suite

Microsoft's Site

Acctinfo.dll
ADModify - Microsoft's PSS (Product Support Services)
ExBPA (Exchange Best Practice Analyser)
GPMC (Group Policy Management Console)

Third party

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:

Seeking and zapping unwanted user accounts.
Finding inactive computers.
Bulk-importing new users. Give it a try.

Download your FREE Active Directory administration tools.

Resource Kit(s)

Acctinfo.dll - Additional Account Information
CmdHere and more useful little utilities

Custom Search

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Orion's NPM - Network Performance Monitor

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Windows Server 2003 Utilities