Sc1

pART1

System administration involves a large number of tasks that require access to network servers and workstation computers. Scripting is commonly used for many of these tasks to reduce the labor and to also reduce the likelihood of mistakes. Many of the tasks require administrative access to the computers, and security must be maintained. Your IT group is currently working on a plan to automate as much of the administration work as possible using scripts, but they want to ensure that the security of all systems is maintained. You have been asked to investigate the issues surrounding security and the use of scripts in a network environment and report your findings to the IT group.

• Use the Library and Internet to find information about maintaining security when using scripting for system administration in a network environment.


• As part of your response to the IT group:
  
  
  
  • Identify at least 2 administrative IT tasks where scripting could be used but security would present an issue.
  
  
  • Describe a solution for each task that will maintain security and still allow a scripted solution for the task. You are not required to write any scripts for this discussion, but you should discuss how the security issues would be resolved if a script was applied to complete the task.
  
  
  
  


• Include at least 1 reference to research sources.


• Cite all references using APA format.

PART2

One of the major causes of system performance issues is programs that run in the background and are started when the system starts. These programs are usually installed, so they are started from one of two entries in the system registry:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run


• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run

As a network administrator, you would like to gather information about these registry entries for all the computers in the network. You have selected Windows PowerShell to write a script for this task. Your plan will result in a document with a script for the tasks involved. Because there are security issues that prevent executing the scripts on remote computers, the script will be distributed to all users on the network as a download link on the company intranet. For purposes of this exercise, security issues can be ignored, so the script is not required to take security issues into account.

• Prepare a document to submit your work:
  
  
  
  • Use Word.
  
  
  • Title Page
    
    
    
    • Course number and name
    
    
    • Project name
    
    
    • Student name
    
    
    • Date
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Provide well-documented source code for a Windows PowerShell script that will perform the following tasks:
    
    
    
    • Read the registry entries from both of the locations named in the project description.
    
    
    • Compare each entry to a list of acceptable entries. The acceptable entry list is from a text file named "Acceptable_Reg.txt" that will accompany the script when the script is downloaded.
    
    
    • Produce a text file report that lists all unacceptable registry entries. Save the report using the computer name as the file name.
    
    
    • Transmit the report file to the following intranet address:
      
      
      
      • intranet.xyzcompany.com/bad_reg.aspx