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Russell Smith

Editorial Director

Russell Smith, the Editorial Director at Petri IT Knowledgebase, has over two decades of hands-on experience in IT, in both small business settings and government IT infrastructure projects.

Russell started writing for Windows IT Pro Magazine in the early 2000s. Since then, he has contributed insights to various IT publications, including Petri and CDW. His authoritative voice has resonated across industry blogs, where he dissects complex topics into an ‘easy read’.

Russell has authored over a thousand articles, each a testament to his depth of knowledge. His expertise doesn’t stop there: he wrote a book on Privilege Management and co-authored another for Microsoft’s MOAC series. Moreover, Russell’s commitment to education shines through in the courses he crafted for Pluralsight.

He is also presenter on his own YouTube channel, This Week in IT, and the current presenter of Petri Dish.

LATEST

How to Add Computers to a Domain Using PowerShell

Last Update: Jun 08, 2025

In this quick Ask an Admin, learn to use PowerShell to join one or more computers to an Active Directory domain.

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Review: Fiio X3 Digital Audio Player

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Can Fiio’s X3 DAP make music-on-the-go an enjoyable experience? Read our review to find out!

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Provisioning Windows Server 2012 on Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Learn the basics of configuring VMs on Amazon’s cloud platform, including how to get WS2012 running in a VM and more.

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Is CloudShare or Microsoft Azure Better for Building Lab Environments in the Cloud?

Last Update: Sep 24, 2024

In this op-ed post comparing Microsoft Azure and CloudShare, find out which cloud platform is better for sysadmins to create test labs.

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How to Add UPN Suffixes in Active Directory

Last Update: Jun 07, 2025

Learn all about User Principal Name (UPN) suffixes and how to add additional UPN suffixes to Active Directory in this helpful Ask an Admin article.

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How Can I Copy Files and Preserve Date Timestamps?

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Make searching a snap! In this Ask an Admin, learn to use Robocopy to make sure file timestamps are maintained during a copy or move operation.

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3 Tips for Solving Wireless Connectivity Problems

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Trouble with connections? Find out how to set wireless router passwords and use netsh to enable or disable network adapters in this quick Ask an Admin.

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How to Enable Shadow Copy on a Shared Folder in Windows Server 2012 R2

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In this easy Ask an Admin, check out how to enable shadow copies in Windows Server 2012 to enable users to restore files using the Previous Versions tab.

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Migrate or Restore a Windows Server 2012 R2 Certification Authority to a New Server

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Migrating to a new version of Windows Server or different hardware? Learn to backup CA components so they can be restored to the same or a different server.

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Install PowerShell Web Access in Windows Server 2012

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

Make remote administration easy with a PowerShell Remote Access Gateway in Windows Server 2012. Learn how in this handy how-to article!

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How to Run a Script or Batch File with Administrative Privileges as Windows Starts with Group Policy Object (GPO)

Last Update: Jun 29, 2025

In this quick how-to, find out how to configure a Group Policy Object to run a startup script with admin privileges.

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Check Certificate Authority Health in Windows Server 2012 R2 Using PKIVIEW

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024

In this easy Ask an Admin, find out how to check the status of your enterprise certification authorities using the Enterprise PKI (PKIVIEW) tool.

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