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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.

Last Update: Jun 08, 2025
In this article, I will show you how to set up an Active Directory on Windows Server 2019 We’ll be using Server Manager to install and configure AD, so you’ll need to be running a version of Windows Server 2019 that includes the Desktop Experience server role. Alternatively, you can set up AD in Windows Server…

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
In this article, I’m going to show you how to use WSL to install SUSE Enterprise Server in Windows 10. There are two high-level steps to getting SUSE to run in Windows. The first is to install WSL 2. And secondly, to install the SUSE distribution from the Microsoft Store or command line. Windows Subsystem…

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
Microsoft prepares to release the Windows 10 May 2021 Update. The news and interests taskbar flyout is coming to older versions of Windows 10, and Microsoft adds Linux GUI app support to WSL in an Insider build. And there’s much more! So, let’s get started. Windows 10 ‘Known Issue Rollback’ fixes KB5001330 bug Microsoft released…
Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
As more apps are developed in Linux than ever before, Microsoft recognized that it needed to provide developers with an easy way to build, test, and run Linux apps without leaving the Windows desktop. The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) was originally designed to provide an integrated Linux terminal environment in Windows without needing to…

Last Update: Jun 08, 2025
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is an optional feature in Windows 10 that allows developers and system administrators to run Linux shells and command-line applications without installing Linux in a virtual machine (VM). WSL provides developers with an integrated experience so they can develop and test Linux apps without ever leaving their Windows desktop. For…

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
Windows Terminal is delivered by Microsoft as a packaged app through the Microsoft Store and on GitHub in MSIX format. But because of the way Windows Terminal is developed and packaged, there are some challenges when it comes to elevating privileges. Users have called for Microsoft to allow tabs in Windows Terminal to optionally run…

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
One of the most interesting features of Windows Terminal is the ability to customize the appearance of each tab. But until recently, customizations were only possible by editing a JSON settings file. In Windows Terminal version 1.7, which has just been released on the stable channel to the Microsoft Store and GitHub, Microsoft has added…

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
The Event Viewer tool in Windows and Windows Server first appeared in 1993. So, Microsoft has decided that it’s time for an update. And as might be expected, rather than update the built-in Windows management console snap-in, Microsoft has opted to bring the new Events tool to Windows Admin Center (WAC). And it is now…

This month Microsoft releases critical patches for on-premises Exchange Server, a fix for the AD Kerberos KDC flaw, and plugs a zero-day elevation of privilege bug in Windows 10. Windows and Windows Server This month Microsoft patched an elevation of privilege bug (CVE-2021-28310) in Windows that is already been exploited in the wild. The patch…
Last Update: Dec 09, 2025
One of the best ways to secure your systems is to make sure that Active Directory (AD) domain controllers (DCs) are running an up-to-date version of Windows Server. DCs are critical infrastructure because they manage the security and access to all your IT resources. If a DC is compromised, then you should consider your entire…

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
This month sees a bumper crop of interesting announcements, despite the expected lack of Windows news at Ignite. Microsoft officially announced Windows Server 2022, Windows 10 21H1 is now available for pre-validation testing, Project Reunion reaches general availability with version 0.5, and Windows 10X is reportedly delayed until the second half of 2021. Classic Edge…

Last Update: Sep 04, 2024
Microsoft announced at its Ignite conference earlier this year that it is extending its Secured-Core initiative to Windows Server 2022. Currently available for selected Windows 10 devices, Secured-Core requires hardware to meet new standards that follow isolation best practices and to have minimal trust of firmware. Microsoft says that Secured-Core devices are intended for industries…