Must-Have Windows System Admin Tools in 2018

July 6, 2018

Open source applications and tools simplify the lives of Windows system administrators considerably. You will find plenty of open source system admin tools that improve the performance and efficiency of system administrators. While some automate the basic administration functions, others help with troubleshooting and maintenance.   Thanks to the introduction of new technologies and web […]

Open source applications and tools simplify the lives of Windows system administrators considerably. You will find plenty of open source system admin tools that improve the performance and efficiency of system administrators. While some automate the basic administration functions, others help with troubleshooting and maintenance.

 

Thanks to the introduction of new technologies and web services, system administrators are keeping busy nowadays. Not only must they configure, upkeep, and ensure smooth operations of computer systems within a limited budget, but they must also contend with the growing number of digital threats, changing security policies, training, and technical support. No wonder these individuals need all the support they can get!

Thankfully, we’ve compiled a list of open source tools that will not only serve this purpose in 2018 but for the next few years as well.

 

  1. Git

 

System administrators will find it easier to handle projects of varying sizes with Git, an open source distributed version control tool. This free system is not only easy to use but fast and efficient. You get access to lots of handy features, such as staging areas, different workflows, enhanced GPG signing for commits and tags, colour controls, etc. for a more powerful performance. Thanks to Git, you don’t have to spend the whole day creating a test setup; you can simply develop a branch and then clone it. And thanks to the Change history option, the configuration changes can easily be monitored.

System administrators can now maintain numerous independent local branches due to Git’s branching model. Developing, merging, and deleting a particular takes just a few seconds. Plus, users can form a branch whenever they wish to test out a new idea, and delete it quickly in case it doesn’t live up to expectations. Perhaps the most surprising aspect is, Git’s internal data formatting is capable of supporting dates beyond 2100.

 

  1. Kubernetes

Google’s Kubernetes is an incredibly powerful system offering horizontal scaling features to Windows system admins. Now, depending on the CPU usage, they can control a user interface to scale the app up and down with a single command. Kubernetes is capable of automating functions like scaling, deployment, and management of containerized apps. Thanks to this tool, sysadmins can place containers as per their infrastructure and other requirements automatically without losing any of their availability.

Nodes are servers in Kubernetes that configure container networking and take care of assigned workloads. Using the Kubernetes, the nodes stay connected to the cluster group. When a container fails to respond to the user-defined source, it gets removed. And if a particular container fails, it is immediately restarted. Upon the death of nodes, they are replaced and rescheduled.

 

 

A unique IP address is assigned to containers with Kubernetes, while a set of containers gets one DNS name. So, creating clusters only requires two commands.

 

  1. Eclipse

One of the most commonly used integrated development environments (IDEs), Eclipse started off as a Java development tool but soon evolved into something that could be used to create apps in other programming languages, such as Perl, PHP, Python, C/C++. Eclipse’s cloud versions support web technologies, like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. And system administrators are benefitted from the support of more than 250 open source projects, most of which are connected to development tools.

 

  1. Docker

 

 

Developed using open source technology, Docker addresses different kinds of infrastructure and applications for both developers and system administrators. Now, apps can be created easily, deployed, and then run in virtual containers with Linux servers. Due to the low overhead and small footprint, sysadmins enjoy plenty of flexibility and require fewer systems. If you are moderately skilled in developing software, Docker can be used to create Linux container easily. All that is required is a working Dockerfile and Docker setup.

 

There are two editions of Docker available – the Community Edition and the Enterprise Edition. While the former provides developers with the tools necessary to create applications, the latter offers multi-architecture operations to IT. Many big tech companies like Microsoft and Red Hat use Docker in collaboration with their services.

 

  1. PowerShell

This is a task-based scripting language and command-line shell developed by Microsoft and built using the .NET framework. System administrators use PowerShell to control and automate Windows administration. Loaded with amazing features, like Get-Module, Get-Help, remote management, among others, PowerShell allows system administrators to remotely manage and run Windows PCs, Windows Server, and PowerShell commands or access complete PowerShell sessions on Windows.

 

To use this remote management tool, you must download Remove Server Administration Tools Active Directory PowerShell module on your system along with the WinRM tool. Due to the Filter parameter, you can apply filters in PowerShell and locate what you’re searching for easily.

 

  1. NetBeans

A well-known open source IDE, NetBeans allows system administrators to develop mobile, web, and desktop applications quickly and easily. The major features include code generating, code editing, debugging tools, a GUI builder, etc. NetBeans supports JavaScript, HTML5, Java, PHP, and C/C++. The small size of this admin tool makes installation simple and convenient; all you need to do is download the program and install it. The IDE features are all fully-integrated, which means you won’t have to hunt anymore for plug-ins. Plus, all the features work simultaneously upon launching NetBeans.

  1. Vim

 

 

Vi Improved, popularly known as Vim, is an open source text editing app that supports command-line interface, and apps in a graphical user interface (GUI). Vim offers plugin support and system for numerous file formats and programming languages. It is quite speedy and works great on its own as the tool relies less on Cntrl/Alt sequences, enabling you to focus more on the modes. Vim also boasts of great keyboard macro facility for automating editing tasks. Developers might take a while to get the hang of this tool, but once they do, they will realize just how versatile Vim is.

 

  1. Bootstrap

Earlier known as Twitter Blueprint, the Bootstrap framework was developed by Twitter developers to improve reliability throughout open source toolkits. Thanks to Bootstrap, you can develop CSS, HTML, and JavaScript-based apps quickly and efficiently. The framework features a 12-column grid system and a responsive layout for dynamically adjusting the site to a compatible screen resolution. The results work consistently across different browsers and the output is uniform.  A lot of customization options are present, and if you encounter any issues, you can seek help from the extended support community.

 

  1. Cordova

This free Apache-sponsored open source tool can be used for developing mobile apps with JS, CSS, and HTML. Cordova wraps the application into a native container so it can access system functions across different platforms. The best part is, moderately-skilled web developers don’t need to learn any new programming languages. Prototyping can also be done fairly quickly. Apart from the various library options, you can create vector graphics to design specifications.

 

 

Any system administrator worth his salt will know that certain tools are important for the job as well as peace of mind since they make him more agile and efficient. The more you become familiar with those tools, the more you can improve upon your OS’ default set of tools and perform various functions.

 

 

Author: Rahul Sharma

By Team FileCloud