Utilities Repository

A curated collection of useful scripts, tools, and snippets for various system administration, automation, and development tasks.

Overview

This repository is a growing collection of production-ready utilities that solve common operational and administrative challenges. Each tool is self-contained, well-documented, and includes error handling for reliable execution.

What you'll find:

• 🔧 System administration tools
• 🐚 PowerShell/Bash scripts
• 📊 Monitoring and diagnostics utilities
• 🔄 Automation & infrastructure management
• 🎬 Media processing and optimization
• 📚 Code snippets and reusable utilities

Quick Start

# View help for any PowerShell script
Get-Help .\ScriptName.ps1 -Full
Get-Help .\ScriptName.ps1 -Examples

# List all available utilities
Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Filter *.ps1 | Select-Object Directory, Name

Folder Organization

Each folder contains tools for a specific domain. Browse the folder structure or start with a domain:

Folder	Contents
Failover Cluster/	Windows Failover Cluster administration and CAU utilities
Media-optimization-for-websites/	Web media processing and optimization tools
Root level	General system administration utilities

Each folder has its own README.md with detailed information — start there for domain-specific docs!

Available Utilities

Quick Reference

Root Level:

• Cluster RAM Report.ps1 — Cluster memory utilization reporting
• FindOrphanedVMs.ps1 — Detect unmanaged VMs in Hyper-V

Failover Cluster/

• See Failover Cluster/README.md

Media-optimization-for-websites/

• See Media-optimization-for-websites/README.md

Key Features

Most scripts in this repo include:

✅ Error Handling — Comprehensive validation and recovery
✅ Logging — Timestamped audit trails (usually in Logs/ subfolder)
✅ Help Documentation — Full comment-based help built-in
✅ Dry-Run Modes — Preview changes safely (where applicable)
✅ Remote Support — Many tools support remote execution

General Guidelines

Before Running Any Script

1. ✅ Read the help documentation

   Get-Help .\ScriptName.ps1 -Full

2. ✅ Understand the requirements and prerequisites

3. ✅ Test in a non-production environment first

4. ✅ Use -DryRun or -WhatIf if available (safe preview mode)

5. ✅ Check you have appropriate permissions

Script Conventions

• Scripts follow PowerShell best practices
• Parameter names are descriptive and consistent
• Error messages are informative and guide remediation
• Logs are always timestamped for auditability
• Complex operations support -Verbose for troubleshooting

Directory Structure

utilities/
├── README.md                              ← You are here
├── LICENSE
├── Cluster RAM Report.ps1                 (general utility)
├── FindOrphanedVMs.ps1                    (general utility)
│
├── Failover Cluster/                      (cluster-specific tools)
│   ├── README.md
│   └── CAU/
│       ├── Prepare-ClusterForCAU.ps1
│       ├── Configure UPN locally
│       └── Configure-update-proxy-node
│
└── Media-optimization-for-websites/       (media processing)
    ├── README.md
    ├── DOCUMENTATION.md
    ├── SETUP.md
    ├── package.json
    └── [additional tools]

Adding New Utilities

Have a useful script or snippet to add?

1. Place it in the appropriate folder (or create one if a new category)
2. Add comprehensive help — Use comment-based help blocks
3. Include error handling — Don't let scripts fail silently
4. Add a README.md if creating a new folder category
5. Update this main README if it's a major addition
6. Test thoroughly before committing

Example help block:

<#
.SYNOPSIS
  Brief one-liner description

.DESCRIPTION
  Longer description of what it does

.PARAMETER ParameterName
  What this parameter does

.EXAMPLE
  How to use it

.NOTES
  Requirements, author, version, etc.
#>

Troubleshooting Tips

Script help isn't showing:

# Make sure help is up to date
Update-Help
Get-Help .\ScriptName.ps1 -Full

Permission denied errors:

• Check you have admin/appropriate privileges
• Review the script's requirements section

Remote execution failures:

• Verify WinRM/remote invocation is enabled
• Check firewall rules
• Consult the script's troubleshooting section

Review logs:

• Timestamped logs usually in a Logs/ subdirectory
• Errors guide remediation steps

Contributing & Feedback

Found a bug? Have a script to share? Improvements welcome!

• Test thoroughly in lab first
• Include documentation and help
• Add error handling for edge cases
• Keep scripts focused and reusable

Resources & Links

• PowerShell Help: Get-Help about_* (built-in help topics)
• Microsoft Docs: PowerShell Documentation
• Script Help: Get-Help .\ScriptName.ps1 -Full (any script in this repo)

License

See LICENSE for details.

Author

Javier Chaparro
Repository: https://github.com/JavierChaparroMX/utilities

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Last Updated: March 2026
Repository Purpose: Collection of useful system administration and automation scripts