Report
One of the often forgotten about features of gpresult is that it can output reports as HTML format (in a similar format to Group Policy Modelling) as well as to the command line – simply use the /h switch followed by a path. This includes much more useful data including how long it took to apply various aspects of the policy.
In the example below we can see that Group Policy Infrastructure took much longer to apply than expected (normally only a second or two), you can then dig into the cause by clicking the View Log link to the right which pops out even more detail to dig through. In this case the cause of the slow policy application appeared to be old ADM files (Windows XP era) being included with the policy; deleting the files resolved the issue.
This is how your folder should look once updated
Following from Automated backup for your network switches with WinSCP and PowerShell you can take things one step further and with a little more PowerShell its possible to get email reports on any changes between switch configs.
This kind of setup would be useful for any sized organisation who have a need to ensure changes are logged or want to ensure that no one has maliciously changed a configuration.
Make sure you edit lines 6-8 with your SMTP details
The setup is simple, just as with the automated backup these will need to be extracted to your C:\Network Switch Backup folder which should look something like the screenshot to the right once done.
I’ve also included an updated .cmd file which calls the Backup Network Switches.ps1 script and then the Compare Configs.ps1 script in turn.
Network Switch Change Log (1.6 KiB, 1,804 hits)
There is plenty of description within the PowerShell file; even a little error handling as well! Be sure to edit lines 6-8 with your SMTP settings.
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