Overview
This lecture covers the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and its important utilities for managing and troubleshooting Windows systems.
Microsoft Management Console (MMC)
- MMC is accessed by running mmc.exe and allows custom views of Windows utilities for system management.
- Utilities (called "snap-ins") such as Event Viewer, Disk Management, Device Manager, etc. can be added to MMC via the File > Add/Remove Snap-in menu.
- Consoles can be saved and reloaded for easy access to preferred management tools.
Event Viewer
- Event Viewer displays categorized Windows log files (application, security, system, etc.) for troubleshooting.
- Events are marked as informational, warning, error, critical, successful audit, or failure audit.
- Can be started individually with eventvwr.msc.
Disk Management
- Disk Management shows all storage drives, partitions, and file systems on the PC.
- Allows managing partitions (add, delete, resize, assign drive letters) and is accessed with diskmgmt.msc.
- Changes in Disk Management can result in data loss; backups are recommended.
Task Scheduler
- Task Scheduler automates running applications at specific times or intervals.
- Displays current and historical scheduled tasks, and allows creating/customizing tasks.
- Run Task Scheduler with taskschd.msc.
Device Manager
- Device Manager lists all system hardware and related drivers.
- Used for viewing, updating, disabling, or uninstalling device drivers.
- Accessed with devmgmt.msc.
Certificate Manager
- Certificate Manager manages digital certificates used for authentication and encryption in Windows.
- Allows adding, removing, and viewing certificate details.
- Launched with certmgr.msc.
Local Users and Groups
- Lets administrators manage user accounts and user groups (e.g., administrators, guests).
- Used to add/remove users and assign permissions.
- Found in the Local Users and Groups snap-in.
Performance Monitor
- Performance Monitor collects and displays real-time and historical resource usage metrics (CPU, memory, etc.).
- Allows setting alerts for threshold violations and generating reports.
- Opened with perfmon.msc.
Group Policy Editor
- Used to manage system and user policies for configuring permissions and features.
- Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) is for standalone systems; GPMC (gpmc.msc) is for networks with Active Directory.
- Policies can restrict features like desktop visibility.
Key Terms & Definitions
- MMC (Microsoft Management Console) — A framework for managing Windows utilities in a single interface.
- Snap-in — A utility or tool added to MMC for system management.
- Event Viewer — Utility for viewing Windows system and application logs.
- Disk Management — Tool for managing disk drives and partitions.
- Task Scheduler — Utility to schedule and automate tasks.
- Device Manager — Interface for managing hardware devices and their drivers.
- Certificate Manager — Tool to manage security certificates on the system.
- Performance Monitor — Collects and displays system performance data.
- Group Policy Editor — Utility for configuring user and computer policies.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice opening MMC and adding/removing snap-ins.
- Explore Event Viewer, Disk Management, Task Scheduler, Device Manager, and Performance Monitor.
- Review user and group settings and try creating a new user.
- Experiment with Group Policy Editor to understand policy restrictions.