List of Best and free Software, Utility and Tool for System Administrators

As a professional System Administrator your job becomes easy with the below listed tools, whether you are dealing with issues related to Desktop, Server or Network you will find something related for you which could be used in daily troubleshooting task

Process explorer

Process monitoring tool for windows operating systems, unlike task manager it provides vast amount of information for running process and  detailed information on DLLs, threads, handles and TCP/IP connections. It is a advanced process management utility and replacement for task manager

Link : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-in/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx 

Belarc Advisor 

A 3402 Kilo Bytes file size of free tool to do your system inventory . The software builds a in-depth profile of installed hardware and software, network, Installed hotfixes, status of anti-virus , you can use your Web browser to view the details.

• Works with Operating systems:  Server (Both 32 and 64 bit) : Windows server 2012, 2008, 2003 Windows 8, Windows 7, windows 2008 R2,  Windows Vista, Windows server 2008, Window server 2003, XP, 2000, NT 4, Me, 98, and 95. Both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows are supported.
• Works with browser Versions : Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and others.

Link : http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html



Norton removal tool

Tool is used to  uninstall Norton AntiVirus, Norton Internet Security, Norton 360, and Norton SystemWorks 12.0 from your computer. If you use ACT! or WinFAX, back up those databases before you proceed.

Link: http://support.norton.com/sp/en/in/home/current/solutions/kb20080710133834EN_EndUserProfile_en_us/ 

MyDefrag-4.0 

Completely automated and easy to use, quick, low overhead, with several optimization strategies, and also works for floppies, USB disks, memory sticks, and anything else that looks like a disk to Windows. It is a simple tool which can defragment and optimize the windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista/2008/X64.

Comes with different versions as below

• JkDefrag.exe - Windows Version
• JkDefragCmd.exe - Commandline version
• JkDefragScreenSaver.scr + JkDefragScreenSaver.exe -Screen saver version.

Link: kessels.com

PING [Partimage Is Not Ghost ] 

Best tool for Linux system rescue and windows with the below features

• Backup and restores Locally or network files and partition
• Can be used to backup Bios and restoration bootable DVD 
• Backup MS Network Shared directory, NFS, FTP or SSHFS 
• Creates bootable DVD
• Partitions and Format a disk for installing Windows 

Link: http://ping.windowsdream.com

SuperScan

A vigorous utility known as  SuperScan is a TCP port scanner, which also includes list of other additional networking tools like ping, traceroute, HTTP HEAD, WHOIS and many more. Can be used to perform ping scans and port scans for any IP range or specify a text file to extract addresses from. Other features include TCP SYN scanning, UDP scanning, HTML reports, built-in port description database, Windows host enumeration, banner grabbing and more.

Download link: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/superscan.html

Windows Sysinternals 

Provides a list utilities useful to troubleshoot, manage, and diagnose your Windows systems and applications.
Links : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx

VirtualBox

Free Open source server, desktop virtualulization utility from Oracle 

• List of Supported host operating systems : Linux, Mac OS X, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Solaris, and OpenSolaris; there is also a port to FreeBSD.[3] 
• List Supported guest operating systems :  versions and derivations of Windows, Linux, BSD, OS/2, Solaris and others. The release 3.2.0, VirtualBox allows to virtualize  Mac OS X guests on Apple hardware, OSX86 can also be installed .

Download Link: virtualbox

Everything from Voidtools

It is a simple, easy to use and free utility . Shows faster and  better search results as compared to  the built in Windows search.  An administrative tool to locates files and folders by filename for Windows. It is a Freeware

Works with Operating System : Windows 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista and Windows 7

Drawbacks of using : Only search local Files and folders and Removale NTFS volumes. To search for Netwok drive you need to install it on both local and network computers and start ETP server, does not search contents it  only works for files and folders names

Link : http://www.voidtools.com

WinDirStat and KDirStat

WinDirStat is a disk monitoring and clean up utility for Windows operating systems. On loading it takes a while to read the complete directory tree once and then presents it in three useful views:

The directory list sorts like Windows Explorer but it is sorted by file/subtree size

The treemap displays complete contents of the directory tree

The extension list, Display statistics about the file types.

KDirStat is a GUI () disk usage utility for Linux, BSD, and  other Unix-type systems like Solaris. it provides cleanup facilities to reclaim disk space.

Download Link: http://windirstat.info/

Download Link: http://kdirstat.sourceforge.net/

Wireshark 

A very popular, free and open source tool used for Network troubleshooting  It capture the packets from Network traffic which is helpful in troubleshooting purpose i network related issues. Network Administrator's read the live packet capture or can also save the capture.
Compatible with  Linux, OS X, BSD, and Solaris and Microsoft Windows.
Link: http://www.wireshark.org/

UltraTech Knowledgebase Viewer

UltraTech Knowledge base viewer provides  list of  tools and their links. It has list of  KB CONTENTS, not well updated but good for the beginner who are looking for good technical links
Link: http://kb.ultratech-llc.com

Courtesy : http://www.systemadminthings.com/

via : http://sapost.blogspot.in/

10 Best and free remote desktop sharing software's

I

 f you are someone who often need access to your home computer from your office or you provide technical support to your customers or sometimes dear ones. The remote desktop sharing software helps you solve the queries remotely and save your day from travelling and frustration.

Here I have listed some of the best and free remote desktop sharing software's which can help you connect remote computer anywhere around the globe using Internet connection. If you use this utility regularly, then you can also bookmark this page for your reference.

Logmein Free Provides access and control of remotely located workstations with complete liberty. Logmein Free helps you to access any computer seamlessly and gives facility to control your peripherals like Keyboard and Mouse. Logmein is very popular, fast and secure remote control utility for your computers. Using free version of Logmein you can only access the computer and work on it, and can be upgraded to pro version with many more facilities.

Team Viewer Easy to work solution for desktop sharing, remote control and file transfer. Team Viewer also works with iPhone/Android app that you can use to access remotely located computers from your phone Device. it is free to user for non-commercial use. To make it work you have to install the Team Viewer software on both machines.

Real VNC It is a desktop sharing and remote control software which allows you to see and interact with the remote computers using a trouble-free application anywhere on the Internet. You can also use Real VNC to view and control a Linux machine on your Windows PC. Real VNC is of no charge and free to download. You have to use the server version software on the computer to be controlled, provide a Secure Password initially and use the viewer version software on the controlling computer.

Tight VNC An enhanced version of VNC, optimized to work on slow bandwidth networks like a low-speed modem connections. Using TightVNC you can access your workstations remotely using client application and even with a web browser (Java based). It works well with both windows and Unix systems.

Ultra VNC Also known as UVNC is an open source software for the Windows OS. You can use it toconnect remotely situated computers over the Internet or internal network. It enables you to control your remote workstations using mouse and keyboard. Recommended for computer support providers to quickly connect and resolve your customer's issues remotely.  
         

Ammyy Admin Ammyy Admin is a dependable, quick, secure and friendly application for remote desktop control and sharing. Itconnects remotely located computers in seconds with no extra installation and configuration. You can look into or control applications running on the remote workstations and transmit Files and Folders

Anyplace Control Secure and easy to use remote desktop utility which allows you to view the desktop of remote computer and manage that computer from anywhere, using your own mouse and keyboard in real-time. The remote workstations can be connected over LAN, WiFi and Internet. Comes with Host Module and Admin Module. If you want to access a PC of the person who is not a computer savvy, just forward them a web-link and desktop becomes available on a single click

CrossLoop It provides secure, fast, user-friendly interface and free of charge facility to access your home or office computers. Once you install the application and whenever you initiate the application, your workstation will be provisioned with a 12-digit access code, you can then forward that access code to other user who is sharing his/her desktop.

SkyFex A free web based remote desktop assistance, you can access remote workstations directly using a web browsers and it requires no extra software installation and configuration. Some of the features are; SkyFex can be integrated to your website, Supports dual monitors, give presentations, Allows Remote reboot, file transfer, Integrated text chat and many more.

DesktopNow Provides access to your workstations and laptops using Internet connection by sharing special folders you can download or upload files to. Using DesktopNow, you will experience fast and easy access to all your essential files from anywhere. It uses a secure SSL connection and require no additional router configuration


Source : http://www.systemadminthings.com/

Via : http://sapost.blogspot.in/

Installing Active Directory(Domain) in Windows Server 2008

Installing Active Directory Domain Services (AD-DS)

In Windows Server 2008, unlike previous server operating Systems, there is an additional step that needs to be taken before running DCPROMO to promote the server to Domain Controller and installing Active Directory on it. This step is the installation of Active Directory Domain Services (AD-DS) role on the server. In fact, the AD-DS role is what enables the server to act as a Domain Controller, but you will still need to run DCPROMO the regular way.

AD-DS can be installed in one of 3 methods:

Method 1 – Server Manager/Initial Configuration Tasks

Roles can and should be added from Server Manager (but they can also be initiated from the Initial Configuration Tasks wizard that auto-opens the first time you log on to the server).

1. Open Server Manager by clicking the icon in the Quick Launch toolbar, or from the Administrative Tools folder.
2. Wait till it finishes loading, then click on Roles > Add Roles link.

3. In the Before you begin window, click Next.

4. In the Select Server Roles window, click to select Active Directory Domain Services, and then click Next.

5. In the Active Directory Domain Services window read the provided information if you want to, and then click Next.

6. In the Confirm Installation Selections, read the provided information if you want to, and then click Next.

7. Wait till the process completes.

8. When it ends, click Close.

9. Going back to Server Manager, click on the Active Directory Domain Services link, and note that there's no information linked to it, because the DCPROMO command has not been run yet.

10. Now you can click on the DCPROMO link, or read on.
    1. To run DCPROMO, enter the command in the Run command, or click on the DCPROMO link from Server Manager > Roles > Active Directory Domain Services.
    
    2. Depending upon the question if AD-DS was previously installed or not, the Active Directory Domain Services Installation Wizard will appear immediately or after a short while. Click Next.
    
    1. In the Operating System Compatibility window, read the provided information and click Next.
    
    2. In the Choosing Deployment Configuration window, click on "Create a new domain in a new forest" and click Next.
    
    3. Enter an appropriate name for the new domain. Make sure you pick the right domain name, as renaming domains is a task you will not wish to perform on a daily basis. Click Next.
    
    Note: Do NOT use single label domain names such as "mydomain" or similar. You MUST pick a full domain name such as "mydomain.local" or "mydomain.com" and so on.
    The wizard will perform checks to see if the domain name is not already in use on the local network.
    
    4. Pick the right forest function level. Windows 2000 mode is the default, and it allows the addition of Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 Domain Controllers to the forest you're creating. Read my "Understanding Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain and Forest Functional Levels" article for more information on that.
    
    5. Pick the right domain function level. Windows 2000 Native mode is the default, and it allows the addition of Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 Domain Controllers to the domain you're creating.
    
    Note: If you select "Windows Server 2008" for the forest function level, you will Not be prompted to pick a domain function level. Read more about domain and forest function levels on my "Understanding Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain and Forest Functional Levels" article.
    6. The wizard will perform checks to see if DNS is properly configured on the local network. In this case, no DNS server has been configured, therefore, the wizard will offer to automatically install DNS on this server.
    
    Note: The first DCs must also be a Global Catalog. Also, the first DCs in a forest cannot be a Read Only Domain controller.
    7. It's most likely that you'll get a warning telling you that the server has one or more dynamic IP Addresses. Running IPCONFIG /all will show that this is not the case, because as you can clearly see, I have given the server a static IP Address. So, where did this come from? The answer is IPv6. I did not manually configure the IPv6 Address, hence the warning. In a network where IPv6 is not used, you can safely ignore this warning.
    
    8. You'll probably get a warning about DNS delegation. Since no DNS has been configured yet, you can ignore the message and click Yes.
    
    9. Next, change the paths for the AD database, log files and SYSVOL folder. For large deployments, carefully plan your DC configuration to get the maximum performance. When satisfied, click Next.
    
    10. Enter the password for the Active Directory Recovery Mode. This password must be kept confidential, and because it stays constant while regular domain user passwords expire (based upon the password policy configured for the domain, the default is 42 days), it does not. This password should be complex and at least 7 characters long. I strongly suggest that you do NOT use the regular administrator's password, and that you write it down and securely store it. Click Next.
    
    11. In the Summary window review your selections, and if required, save them to an unattend answer file. When satisfied, click Next.
    
    12. The wizard will begin creating the Active Directory domain, and when finished, you will need to press Finish and reboot your computer.
    
    Ok Click to restart. There you installed the new active directory
    source:www.petri.co.il
    via- sa paravur

Some Basic Information About SQL

SQL ESSENTIALS

With just a dozen commands and functions, a developer is able to perform most activities related to querying and manipulating a database.

Commands  like  Select , insert , delete  , update , create     Function  like   Sum ()  Avg ()  Max()  , Min() Count()

The SQL declarations, or commands, are divided into two main categories: DDL and DML

DDL, or data definition language, is the part of SQL used to define the data and objects in a database. When these commands are used, entries are made in a data dictionary in the SQL server. Following are some DDL commands: Create Table-, Create  Index , Alter Table, Drop Table, Drop Index

DML, the language for manipulating data, is the part of SQL used to recover or manipulate data. Its commands are responsible for the queries and changes made to tables. These are some of the most important commands in this category: Select , insert  ,  update  rollback

Data  Type  in SQL Char Character data type with fixed size of up to 254 characters. Date Stores only the date. Datetime or Timestamp When part of the input argument is omitted, SQLBase assumes the default 0, which converts the date to 30/12/1899 and 12:00 a.m. Decimal or Dec Supports up to 15 digits (999999999999999 to +999999999999999). If nothing is specified, the precision 5 and scale 0 are assumed. Double precision Numeric data type of floating-point and double precision. Float When the precision is between 1 and 21, the data type will have simple precision. Between 22 and 53, the precision is double. Integer or Int An integer data type with precision of up to 10 digits (2,147,483,648 up to + 2,147,483,647). Long Varchar Stores characters or binary objects. This is equivalent to the data type blob. Number This is a super set from other data types. It supports precision of up to 22 digits. Real Numeric data type of floating-point and simple precision. Smallint This data type has no fractional digits. The digits to the right of the decimal point are truncated. You can have precision of up to five digits (from 32,768 to +32,767). Time Stores only the hour. Varchar Character data type with fixed size of up to 254 characters.

Select command is the essence of the SQL language

Basic syntax: SELECT [*] [ALL | DISTINCT] [name =] expression [expression [AS name]] FROM [correlation_name] WHERE [GROUP BY ] ] [HAVING ] [ORDER BY [ASC] [DESC]] ]

Selects all the columns in a table ALL The default in a SELECT command is to recover all the rows. DISTINCT Does not show duplicated rows. expression A selection list of expressions separated by commas. An expression can be a column name, a constant, a checked variable, the result of a function, or a system keyword. FROM Contains the names of the tables or views resulting in a set of rows. correlation_name A related name can be used to designate a preceding table or view. WHERE Specifies a search condition for the basic tables or views. The search condition cannot contain aggregate functions. GROUP BY This clause groups the resulting rows of a query, according to the column names. When the column by which the grouping occurs is an expression with more than one column, you must specify the number that indicates its relative position in the selection list. HAVING This clause allows you to establish a search condition with a group of rows resulting from a GROUP BY clause or by grouped columns. ORDER BY Specifies the order of rows in a result table. The rows can be ordered by more than one column. When the order column is derived from a function or arithmetic expression, the column must be specified by an integer that indicates the relative number of its position in the SELECT command. Optionally, ASC or DESC, indicating the ascending or descending order, can follow each column name or number. Instead of showing all the columns, you can request a       list of specific columns This list must contain the names of the columns separated by commas. The order of the columns is not important. The code below selects the columns containing the first name, last name, and telephone number of each author.  SELECT au_fname, au_lname, phone FROM authors; Collected and prepared by S Jayachandran,