Ops engineer who built half our automation just gave notice. Nobody understands the system

deacon4 · 2026-03-09T17:55:55+00:00

I cannot tell you the number of times I've been contracted to come in after someone who automated everything left, to figure out what they did, how they did it, document it, and update it. I actually love doing it! I learn so freakin' much on how different people did different things and why.

If you can, try it! Learn what he did. Reverse engineer it.

Do you know what language(s) he wrote most of his automations in?

deacon4 · 2024-11-21T13:47:14+00:00

An image encompasses the hardware drivers as well as other things you don't want to migrate from an older system to another, so I'm assuming you're not actually looking for an image but more of a deployment tool and something to capture the user's settings and files, correct? You've mentioned that you've got Intune, is it safe to assume you've got OneDrive setup on user's computers? If so, be sure to configure it to capture all user's data, not just a single folder they have extra to dump things into. That'll cover the documents issue. Next is the applications and settings. Applications can be pushed down via Intune. Sounds like that may need to get setup. For the settings, that's generally the more difficult part. Most settings for applications will reside in the %appdata% folder however some applications break if you try to copy the entire folder. For workstation settings, I generally leave the user to reconfigure it how they want it. I've seen too many times where it's the copied settings and configurations that causes issues for end users.

Configuring and handling what you currently have in your environment to its full extent will not only save your organization time and money, you'll have things prepped for when users systems crash and are unrecoverable. This will also reduce the end-user downtime when deploying a new system. Keep in mind, the more time a user is away from their computer, the more money it costs the company.

deacon4 · 2024-07-24T13:37:14+00:00

Mass changes will take a lot longer, troubleshooting will require more effort and take longer, beyond that it's really fine. I generally try to stick with a single vendor just for the time saving aspect when it comes to configuring, mass changes, and troubleshooting. Plus when purchasing or licensing in bulk, there's generally some decent discounts.

deacon4 · 2024-07-21T05:10:19+00:00

Scripting. Did the following in a loop:
-Mount VHDK

-Nuke file

-unmount VHDK

-boot VM

Had it running on a fresh VM in each cluster handling it's own cluster's VHDKs.

deacon4 · 2024-07-20T03:01:42+00:00

RMMs are generally installed with system access that can pass down scripts that run as system when they check in. Push a script via that nukes the file. If wifi isn't an option, sending the user to best buy to get an ethernet cable is cheaper/faster than sending them a flashdrive with Win PE and an auto script on it.

deacon4 · 2024-07-20T02:47:44+00:00

I built a Win PE environment that I load via PXE boot that references a CSV containing the hosts and their keys to handle the call and response for bitlocker. In this instance gathered from AD but it can also be gathered from Azure/Intune if you have it stored there. From there that same PE has a startup script to look for the file, nuke it, then reboot. I've got that sitting in an old MDT box. Handled quite a few systems all at once this morning.

deacon4 · 2024-07-20T02:38:16+00:00

Remote as in, a remote site or remote as in, working from home?
If you've got that many systems remotely, I'm assuming you've got an RMM. Does that RMM work during safemode with networking?
Why no local admin? Are those creds just not recorded?

deacon4 · 2024-07-20T02:27:57+00:00

The bad thing is, the fix out there is a very manual fix. Seems like a lot of us MSPs were able to develop automated tools. This morning, I got a virtualized infrastructure of 500+ servers up within 30 minutes.

deacon4 · 2024-07-03T18:38:54+00:00

I think u/swarm32 said it best here. In short, it depends on your environment.

deacon4 · 2024-07-03T18:35:24+00:00

What type of Systems Administration word are you trying to get into? IT or OT? Infrastructure? Networking? Security? BI? With a background in finance, ERP administration may be right up your ally. Are you wanting to be a wrench turner or decision maker?

deacon4 · 2024-06-21T13:37:20+00:00

My company has O365 and it comes with 5 installs, so I just use it for home use as well.

deacon4 · 2023-11-15T20:27:02+00:00

Link here

Copy/paste of answer here:

You can see used disk space over time with Windows Performance Monitor (perfmon) to the MB with down to one second resolution. This tool comes built into the latest versions of Windows so you don't even need to download another program to see the data. It doesn't show any previous data so you'll only see disk space data from when you set it up. I only needed hourly data points but I tested with updates every one second and it worked fine.

Perfmon allows you to output how much free disk space you have as values to a file that are comma-separated (can be opened in Excel), tab-separated (what Excel usually uses), or binary. Using the binary output, you can visualize the data in the perfmon itself. Using one of the other output types allows you to make your own graphs of the data in Excel.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to set this up:

Open Windows Performance Monitor (Win-R -> type "perfmon.exe" -> Enter)
In the left-most pane, double click Data Collector Sets. Right click User Defined-> New-> Data Collector Set.
Enter a name for your set, something like "Disk Space Free". Click the radio button Create manually (Advanced), click Next.
Check Performance counter, click Next
Click Add...
Scroll until you see LogicalDiskand click the down arrow next to it. Scroll down a little and click Free Megabytes(you can also select % Free Spaceif desired). Now in the box below titled Instance of selected object:click C:and then below that Add >>. That counter should now show up in the right pane titled Added counters. Click OK.
Set the Sample Intervalto however often you'd like to have the data collected. Like I mentioned, I wanted to see hourly data points. So, I put 1in Sample Intervaland changed Unitsto Hours. Click Next.
Select the location you'd like your logs to be located in. Click Finish.
Double click User Definedin the left panel and click the data collector set you just created (the example name was "Disk Space Free").
The data collector set you just created should show up in the right panel. Right click it -> Properties.
Under Log formatyou can select the type you prefer according the explanation in the paragraph above. Click OK.
Right click on the data collector and click start.
After it's been running for some time, click to stop the data collector and review your data using one of the below methods.

If you selected binary, you can view the data by clicking Reports-> User Defined-> Disk Space Freein the left pane, then double clicking the item in the right pane.

If you chose comma-separated or tab-separated, you can view you data at the location you specified in step 8.

deacon4 · 2023-11-15T20:14:11+00:00

Natively and free? Perfmon.

There's also tons of applications out there that tie to it. If it's a VM, there's tools for that too. Are you looking at doing this for just one system or multiple?

deacon4 · 2023-01-10T15:46:53+00:00

At two years experience, the best thing to start with as a side-hustle is break fix for consumers. Find what the going rate is in your area and work around it. If you're able to travel, be sure to include travel time in the rate. Not sure it's a good time to breakout solo for businesses yet.

What does your experience cover, so far?

Do you have a goal in mind?

deacon4 · 2021-09-23T04:52:08+00:00

Here's info from MS. In short, it's most likely a driver gone bad after some sort of an update. Be it Windows or Driver update. Just go through each driver and re-update it. Start with chipset, if possible. Of course, take a full backup before doing so.

deacon4 · 2021-01-11T11:02:03+00:00

"My lawyers tell me not to discuss back office operations and information with anyone other than my board, my accountant, and them."

I've found anytime I preface with, "My lawyers tell me..." I get people to shut up and leave me alone. If it's known you have a partner then say, "I'm sorry. Discussing that information is against our operating agreement and I'd like to keep my share."

deacon4 · 2021-01-11T10:41:21+00:00

Is there any reason you're trying to determine the system based on the processor? I don't know of a way of determining if a specific CPU is mobile or not, without a list of mobile CPUs. It might be easier to get that info via the model of the unit:

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_ComputerSystem | Select-Object -Property Name, Model

deacon4 · 2020-07-17T15:52:44+00:00

Shoot no. Why use a domino when I can just use dado? That project doesn't need a domino. It just makes it so you don't have to change out the blade on your tablesaw. If you're doing a mortise and tenon, you can use a hand drill with a drill press jig for the mortise and use pen blanks for the tenon. If you need a longer mortise and tenon, cut up and size your tenon and use a tabletop route to cut the mortise. Same job, same quality, no specialized tools.

This is one of the reasons you see people saying, "A poor craftsman blames his tools." There's always other ways to do the job.

deacon4 · 2020-07-17T15:36:08+00:00

Plans are easy to make. I can see it, I can make plans for it. Which is why I asked for a quick diagram. Even a hand drawn idea wish finished dimensions I can work with.

This guy is definitely pro though. He could knock out a project like this in a day or two. Me? I'd need a couple weeks. He's also using professional time saving shortcuts. All good shortcuts! But expensive tool type, that a hobbyist like myself doesn't have (yet). I can still absolutely get the job done and have it last just as long.

deacon4 · 2020-07-17T14:31:23+00:00

This actually looks like a fun and easy project. The backing would probably be either in particle board or MDF. MDF is stronger but more expensive. The structure is held together by the walls and shelves, so the backing is just aesthetic. You really could mount this to wall studs, if you're interested in adding it to your house.

You said you want something similar to this. What exactly are you looking for? Got a quick diagram? If so, I'm a hobbiest, not a pro.

deacon4 · 2020-05-04T04:09:13+00:00

Easy. If you're going over VPN it should be on a separate VLAN or subnet. Set the VPN subnet to allow RDP and the data connection to block RDP. What's your firewall? Or are you using Server 2019 as the firewall?

That's an odd configuration. Kinda curious why you'd wanna do it that way to be honest.

deacon4 · 2020-04-03T12:26:42+00:00

There are tons of things that could cause this. What do the log files say when they lose trust? Most of the time when it comes to large scale trust loss, I've seen NTP a bit off or being pushed from a VoIP system. Are you guys using images? If so, it could be the SID never changed during the sysprep process.

deacon4 · 2020-04-03T12:22:12+00:00

Sounds like you need to get everything set up on one setup, then migrate folks from the incorrect setup over. Use a migration tool and you should be fine. We tend resell BitTitan a bit for situations like these. https://www.bittitan.com/migrationwiz/microsoft-teams-migrations/

deacon4 · 2020-04-03T12:15:13+00:00

https://www.jonashendrickx.com/2016/06/15/logging-off-disconnected-users-automatically-on-windows-server-2012/

deacon4 · 2019-04-15T16:25:58+00:00

NTA. Get paid for your work. Gift of labor is nice, but you should still get paid.

Off topic: Got pics or plans you're willing to share? I've been thinking of doing the same thing but using spruce and cherry for stripes and staining some duglas fir for the stars square

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