Automating Windows Administration with VBScript: Hands-On

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this course about? This course provides hands-on experience using Windows scripting technologies to automate common administrative tasks. Using scripting, you can increase productivity and manage resources more efficiently than you can with the graphical user interface (GUI). You learn how to use directly invoked or unattended commands to execute routine tasks and maintain healthy operations. You learn to write command scripts in VBScript and JScript to enable automation of such administrative tasks as: Adding and copying users Setting security Manipulating files and directories Invoking ActiveX controls and components Maintaining group policies Altering group membership Modifying the registry Cleaning up policy-installed software Altering network settings Alerting administrators of problem conditions What background do I need? It is essential for you to have taken Course 595, Windows Server® 2003: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction, and Course 597, Deploying and Managing a Windows Server® 2003 Environment: Hands-On, or have equivalent knowledge. Specific areas of assumed knowledge include: Windows 2000 graphical user interface (GUI) Standard administrative consoles for adding and managing computers, users and groups Active Directory principles File and directory security TCP/IP Windows 2000 networking Previous scripting experience is also recommended. Do I need previous programming or scripting experience? Previous scripting or programming experience is very helpful; however, you are taught the basic programming and scripting you need during the course. Who will benefit from this course? This course is for those who want to improve the efficiency of Windows administration, including systems and network administrators of Windows computers and networks, and first-line managers responsible for the administration and support of Windows. Does this course go into the details of the Windows Script Host (WSH)? Yes. The course explores the capabilities of the WSH. We start with simple scripts, then develop more complex scripts. What scripting languages are included? The course covers mainly VBScript. We also discuss the use of other scripting languages such as JScript and Active Perl. Does the course cover automated Windows installation, Remote Installation Service (RIS) or cloning? No. These are covered in Course 597, Deploying and Managing a Windows Server® 2003 Environment: Hands-On. Does this course cover the Windows Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI)? Yes. You learn to use the ADSI as a scripted alternative to the GUI. You spend nearly half the class developing scripts that exploit the power of ADSI for automated user, group and computer management. Specific areas the course covers include: creating, deleting and modifying objects; searching the directory; working with sets of objects; and integrating ADSI with WMI and ASP. How much time is spent on each topic? Content Hours Introduction to Windows automation technologies 2.0 Exploiting the Windows Script Host 6.0 Managing directories 7.0 Configuring computers with WMI 6.0 Delivering solutions via the Web 2.0 Extending scripting solutions 3.0 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. What percentage of the course is devoted to hands-on exercises? More than 50% of the class time is spent in hands-on exercises. You spend the majority of time writing scripts. Does Microsoft offer training on this topic? No. Microsoft does not offer a course on this particular topic. Our independence from Microsoft (and any other vendor) allows us to give an unbiased view of what works and what does not. This course is objective in its approach, having been developed independently from Microsoft by industry experts who bring their real-world experience to the classroom. Does this class cover Windows XP? This course runs on Windows XP workstations with Windows Server 2003 and Windows NT domain controllers; however, the scripting and management techniques covered are directly applicable to Windows 2000. Many can be implemented on Windows 9x and Windows NT as well. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? Courses in the Windows curriculum include: Windows Server 2003 Courses: 595, Windows Server® 2003: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction  596, Windows Server® 2003 Active Directory®: Hands-On  597, Deploying and Managing a Windows Server® 2003 Environment: Hands-On  599, Securing Windows Server® 2003: Hands-On  Additional Windows Courses: 559, Windows Server® 2003 AD Troubleshooting: Hands-On  Other Learning Tree courses that may be of interest include: 566, Internet Information Services 6 for Windows Server® 2003: Hands-On

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.