Essential PowerShell Commands Every Network Administrator Should Know

PowerShell • Network Administration • Windows Server • Automation

PowerShell is not just a scripting language — it is a powerful administrative shell that allows network administrators to diagnose, automate and manage infrastructure at scale.

If you are still relying only on GUI tools, you are limiting your speed and visibility. PowerShell provides precision and repeatability.

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1️⃣ Test Network Connectivity

Basic Ping Test

Test-Connection google.com

More flexible than traditional ping and script-friendly.

Check Specific Port

Test-NetConnection dc01 -Port 389

Useful for verifying LDAP, Kerberos, RDP, or custom service ports. ---

2️⃣ DNS Troubleshooting

Resolve DNS Record

Resolve-DnsName dc01.yourdomain.local

Quickly confirms DNS resolution without using nslookup.

Check DNS Client Settings

Get-DnsClientServerAddress

Ensures clients are pointing to correct internal DNS servers. ---

3️⃣ Active Directory Queries

Get All Domain Controllers

Get-ADDomainController -Filter *

Check Replication Status

Get-ADReplicationPartnerMetadata -Target * | Format-Table

Find Locked Accounts

Search-ADAccount -LockedOut

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4️⃣ Remote Management

Run Command on Remote Computer

Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server01 -ScriptBlock { Get-Service }

Enable PowerShell Remoting

Enable-PSRemoting -Force

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5️⃣ Network Adapter & IP Configuration

View Network Interfaces

Get-NetAdapter

View IP Configuration

Get-NetIPAddress

Restart Network Adapter

Restart-NetAdapter -Name "Ethernet"

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6️⃣ Event Log Investigation

Get Recent Security Events

Get-EventLog -LogName Security -Newest 20

Filter Failed Logons

Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{
    LogName='Security';
    ID=4625
} | Select-Object TimeCreated, Message

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7️⃣ Automation Example

Export All Domain Users to CSV

Get-ADUser -Filter * -Properties * |
Select-Object Name, SamAccountName, Enabled |
Export-Csv users.csv -NoTypeInformation

Ideal for audits and reporting. ---

Why PowerShell Matters for Network Administrators

Automates repetitive tasks
Provides deeper system visibility
Scales across large environments
Reduces human error
Improves troubleshooting efficiency

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Conclusion

Modern network administration is not GUI-driven — it is automation-driven. PowerShell allows structured, repeatable, and secure management of Windows infrastructure. For enterprise environments, investing time in mastering PowerShell is one of the highest ROI skills a network engineer can develop.