Ten Tools Every Admin Should Have

Hopefully, you have heard of some of these or maybe even all, but if not then let me introduce you to ten tools that every admin should have.

In no particular order…

1.)    VMWare / Virtual PC / Virtual Server

      Virtualization products are great because they allow you to test everything you want/need without having to destroy your machine or sit with a half dozen computers around you all day long. They may keep you warm, but you could go deaf while you slowly go bankrupt paying for all the electricity.

 The only question is, “which one should I use?” I personally use VMWare because it has USB support and I love snapshots, but Virtual PC is an adequate and cheaper option. I don’t want to get into a debate on this, so just pick what works best for you.

Do take into account that while many non-Microsoft operating systems will work in Virtual PC, none of them are supported. Microsoft does not provide “enhancements” for these other operating systems so they will typically run a bit slower than they do in VMWare (where many non-MS OSes are supported).

2.)    Winternals - ERD Commander

           This utility is a must have! You can reset any local account’s password, recover files and more all from a bootable CD/DVD. Who could ask for more? It’s very handy for cleaning spyware that won’t let you delete it when your operating system is running too.

3.)    Network Capture Utility

            It can be Network Monitor from Microsoft, Ethereal, OPNet, whatever you prefer, but every admin should have in his bag of tricks a network capture tool.

4.)    Sysinternals - Regmon & Filemon

         These monitoring tools let you see all Registry and File activity in real-time. You can also see named pipe activity. Very useful for tracking down where an app is reading/writing settings so you know where to start when mucking around. Also check out the other cool utilities at Sysinternals like Process Explorer.

5.)    Virtual CD / DVD

         The ability to load software from an ISO without burning a DVD or CD is great and a must have for every admin. You can use Daemon Tools or Microsoft Virtual CD (VCD) Control panel whatever works best for you.

6.)    Spyware Cleaner.

         Pick your two favorites and have copies lying around so you can clean up infected PC’s that you will come in contact with. It is also good practice in any troubleshooting to do this with how prevalent this Spyware / Malware is. As good as these utilities are, it is rare that one of them can clean up everything on its own. Try two, and see the tip on using ERD commander to get the rest of it out.

                                                               i.      Popular ones include:

1.      Microsoft Antispyware (called Windows Defender in Windows Vista)

2.      SpySweeper

3.      AdAware

7.)    USB Memory key

         USB memory keys are becoming the new floppy drive. A couple of recommendations are to get one that is USB 2.0 and at least 128MB, but 256 or higher will probably server you better in the long run. I run a Lexar 1.0 GB and I can’t imagine not having one now.

8.)    Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools

         A very useful set of tools to help administrators streamline management tasks. Hey anything that makes less work for

9.)    MSDN Subscription

         The legal ability to test most of Microsoft’s products. How can you go wrong?

      It also gets you drops of beta products like Windows Vista, and access to the MS development tools like Visual Studio. Need to do a repro, but don’t have a license for another ISA server or SQL server or whatever? Never fear, your MSDN license gives you rights to use these for development and testing.

10.)   RSS Reader

a.       Like it or not RSS is a great way to consume lots of information in a short amount of time. Time is money and in the admin world staying informed can save you loads of time. Get one if you don’t have one. I use RSS Bandit, but there are plenty of good ones out there. Then subscribe to the following sites feeds if you aren’t already:

 Recent Knowledge Base Articles – Recent Microsoft KB articles by product

 Microsoft RSS Security Bulletin Feed – Updated Security information

http://blogs.msdn.com – Microsoft bloggers

http://blogs.technet.com – More Microsoft bloggers

http://channel9.msdn.com – Slight developer focus, but some good videos

 http://www.sysinternals.com/Blog/ - Mark is the man.

 http://windowsconnected.com  (shameless self plug, come on you knew it would happen)

 http://winsupersite.com (if you weed through the xbox junk every once in a while you find something useful. Although it is likely to be wrong.)

 Also Insert your favorite Tech News site…

                                                               Activewin.com,  Bink.nu,  Neowin.net