The PowerShell toolkit that turns bare metal into production-ready Windows Servers.

Features • Quick Start • Configuration • Batch Mode • Changelog • Contributing

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RackStack is a menu-driven PowerShell tool that automates everything between "Windows is installed" and "server is in production." Network configuration, Hyper-V deployment, SAN/iSCSI setup, domain join, licensing, VM creation, and dozens more tasks -- all through an interactive console UI with undo support, audit logging, and batch automation.

Built for MSPs, sysadmins, and infrastructure teams who build servers repeatedly and want it done right every time.

Features

Networking -- Static IP with rollback, VLAN tagging, Switch Embedded Teaming (auto-detect), custom SET vNICs (Backup, Cluster, Live Migration, Storage, or custom names with VLAN), DNS presets, iSCSI/SAN with A/B side MPIO and cabling auto-detect

Storage Backends -- Pluggable storage backend (iSCSI, Fibre Channel, Storage Spaces Direct, SMB3, NVMe-oF, Local); auto-detection from system state; per-backend management menus; generalized MPIO dispatching; all batch mode steps adapt to the selected backend

Hyper-V -- Role install, configurable VM templates (override specs or add new via defaults.json), batch queue deployment, VHD management, offline registry injection, Secure Boot Gen 2, cluster CSV support

Server Roles -- Failover Clustering, MPIO, BitLocker, Deduplication, Storage Replica, 14 disk operations

Security -- RDP/NLA, firewall templates, Windows Defender exclusions, local admin with complexity enforcement, Windows licensing (GVLK 2008-2025, AVMA 2012R2-2025)

Automation -- JSON-driven batch mode for unattended builds, Quick Setup Wizard, configuration export/import, HTML reports, JSON audit logging with rotation

Monitoring -- Health dashboard, performance metrics, event log viewer, service manager, network diagnostics (ping, traceroute, port test, subnet sweep, DNS, ARP)

Remote Ops -- Remote PowerShell sessions, remote health checks, remote service management

UX -- 5 color themes, session resume, favorites, command history, undo framework, 72-char box-drawing UI

Quick Start

Download & Run (recommended)

Grab RackStack.exe from the latest release, drop it on your server, and run it as Administrator. That's it.

On first launch, a setup wizard walks you through configuring your environment (domain, DNS, admin account, iSCSI subnet). Your settings are saved to defaults.json next to the exe. To pre-configure, download defaults.example.json from the release, rename it to defaults.json, fill in your values, and place it alongside the exe.

The exe auto-checks for updates from GitHub releases. Your defaults.json is never overwritten by updates.

From Source (Development)

git clone https://github.com/TheAbider/RackStack.git
cd RackStack

# Run it (requires Administrator) -- first-run wizard creates defaults.json
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process
.\RackStack.ps1

RackStack.ps1 is the modular loader (~130 lines). It dot-sources all 63 modules from Modules/ and starts the tool. Use this for development -- edit individual module files, then run.

Single-File Deployment (Production)

For production use, generate a monolithic single-file script (~26K lines) that you can drop on any server:

# Build the monolithic from all modules
.\sync-to-monolithic.ps1

The output is RackStack v{version}.ps1 -- a self-contained single file with all 63 modules baked in (version from 00-Initialization.ps1). This is the file used to compile the .exe.

Don't confuse the two: RackStack.ps1 = modular loader for development. RackStack v1.4.1.ps1 = monolithic build for deployment/compilation.

Requirements

• PowerShell 5.1+ (ships with Server 2016+; for older servers run Install-Prerequisites.ps1 to auto-install WMF 5.1)
• Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022, or 2025 (also runs on Windows 10/11 for development/testing)
• Administrator privileges (auto-elevates if needed)
• Optional: PSScriptAnalyzer (for linting), a file server for ISO/VHD downloads (see File Server Setup)

Configuration

Copy defaults.example.json to defaults.json and customize. The example file has every configurable field with comments — here's a quick-start subset:

{
    "Domain": "corp.acme.com",
    "LocalAdminName": "localadmin",
    "LocalAdminFullName": "Local Administrator",
    "SwitchName": "LAN-SET",
    "ManagementName": "Management",
    "BackupName": "Backup",
    "AutoUpdate": false,
    "TempPath": "C:\\Temp",

    "DNSPresets": {
        "Corp DC Primary": ["10.0.1.10", "10.0.1.11"],
        "Corp DC Secondary": ["10.0.2.10", "10.0.2.11"]
    },

    "iSCSISubnet": "172.16.1",
    "SANTargetMappings": [
        { "Suffix": 10, "Label": "A0" },
        { "Suffix": 11, "Label": "B1" }
    ],

    "StoragePaths": {
        "HostVMStoragePath": "D:\\Virtual Machines",
        "HostISOPath": "D:\\ISOs",
        "ClusterISOPath": "C:\\ClusterStorage\\Volume1\\ISOs",
        "VHDCachePath": "D:\\Virtual Machines\\_BaseImages",
        "ClusterVHDCachePath": "C:\\ClusterStorage\\Volume1\\_BaseImages"
    },

    "VMNaming": {
        "SiteId": "",
        "Pattern": "{Site}-{Prefix}{Seq}",
        "SiteIdSource": "hostname",
        "SiteIdRegex": "^(\\d{3,6})-"
    },

    "AgentInstaller": {
        "ToolName": "Kaseya",
        "FolderName": "Agents",
        "FilePattern": "Kaseya.*\\.exe$",
        "ServiceName": "Kaseya Agent*",
        "InstallArgs": "/s /norestart",
        "InstallPaths": ["%ProgramFiles%\\Kaseya", "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\\Kaseya"],
        "SuccessExitCodes": [0, 1641, 3010],
        "TimeoutSeconds": 300
    },

    "FileServer": {
        "BaseURL": "https://files.acme.com/server-tools",
        "ClientId": "your-cloudflare-access-client-id.access",
        "ClientSecret": "your-cloudflare-access-client-secret",
        "ISOsFolder": "ISOs",
        "VHDsFolder": "VirtualHardDrives",
        "AgentFolder": "Agents"
    },

    "DefenderExclusionPaths": [
        "C:\\ProgramData\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Hyper-V",
        "C:\\ClusterStorage"
    ],
    "DefenderCommonVMPaths": [
        "D:\\Virtual Machines",
        "E:\\Virtual Machines"
    ],

    "CustomKMSKeys": {
        "Windows Server 2022": { "Standard": "XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX" }
    },
    "CustomAVMAKeys": {
        "Windows Server 2022": { "Standard": "XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX" }
    },

    "CustomVMTemplates": {
        "FS": { "MemoryGB": 16 },
        "SQL": {
            "FullName": "SQL Server", "Prefix": "SQL", "OSType": "Windows",
            "vCPU": 8, "MemoryGB": 32, "MemoryType": "Static",
            "Disks": [{"Name": "OS", "SizeGB": 150, "Type": "Fixed"},
                      {"Name": "Data", "SizeGB": 500, "Type": "Fixed"}],
            "NICs": 1
        }
    },
    "CustomVMDefaults": {
        "vCPU": 4, "MemoryGB": 8, "DiskSizeGB": 100
    }
}

Field	What it does
Domain	Default Active Directory domain for domain join
LocalAdminName / LocalAdminFullName	Local administrator account name and display name
SwitchName / ManagementName / BackupName	Hyper-V virtual switch and vNIC names
AutoUpdate	Auto-download and install updates on startup without prompting (default: false)
TempPath	Directory for transcripts, reports, and exports (default: C:\Temp)
DNSPresets	Custom DNS server presets, merged with built-in (Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, OpenDNS)
iSCSISubnet	First 3 octets of your iSCSI network
SANTargetMappings	SAN target IP suffix-to-label mappings for iSCSI auto-detect
StoragePaths	Default Hyper-V storage paths (VM storage, ISOs, VHD cache, cluster paths)
VMNaming	VM naming pattern with tokens ({Site}, {Prefix}, {Seq}), site ID source and regex
AgentInstaller	MSP agent installer config: tool name, service name, file pattern, install args, paths, exit codes
FileServer	File server credentials for ISO/VHD downloads (see File Server Setup)
DefenderExclusionPaths / DefenderCommonVMPaths	Windows Defender exclusion paths for Hyper-V hosts and VM storage
CustomKMSKeys / CustomAVMAKeys	Org-specific license keys, merged with built-in Microsoft GVLK/AVMA tables
CustomVMTemplates	Override built-in VM template specs or add new templates (partial overrides supported)
CustomVMDefaults	Default vCPU, RAM, disk size/type for non-template (custom) VMs

defaults.json is gitignored -- your secrets never leave your machine.

Batch Mode

Automate full server builds with a JSON config file:

{
    "ConfigType": "VM",
    "Hostname": "WEB-01",
    "IPAddress": "10.0.1.100",
    "SubnetCIDR": 24,
    "Gateway": "10.0.1.1",
    "DNS1": "10.0.1.10",
    "DomainName": "corp.example.com",
    "EnableRDP": true,
    "SetPowerPlan": "High Performance",
    "CreateLocalAdmin": true,
    "AutoReboot": true
}

Place batch_config.json next to the script and it runs automatically on launch. Set fields to null to skip steps. Use ConfigType: "HOST" for Hyper-V hosts -- adds 6 extra steps (SET switch, custom vNICs, iSCSI with A/B auto-detect, MPIO, host storage, Defender exclusions) for a total of 22 automated steps.

Project Structure

RackStack/
├── RackStack.ps1               # Modular loader -- dot-sources 63 modules (dev use)
├── RackStack v1.4.1.ps1        # Monolithic build -- all modules in one file (deploy/compile)
├── RackStack.exe               # Compiled from the monolithic .ps1 via ps2exe
├── defaults.json               # Your environment config (gitignored)
├── defaults.example.json       # Config template with examples
├── sync-to-monolithic.ps1      # Builds monolithic from Header.ps1 + Modules/
├── Modules/
│   ├── 00-Initialization.ps1   # Constants, variables, config loading
│   ├── 01-Console.ps1          # Console window management
│   ├── ...                     # 61 more modules
│   └── 62-HyperVReplica.ps1
├── Tests/
│   ├── Run-Tests.ps1           # 1312 automated tests (109 sections)
│   ├── Validate-Release.ps1    # Pre-release validation suite
│   └── ...
└── docs/
    └── FileServer-Setup.md     # Set up your own ISO/VHD file server

Module Architecture

63 modules numbered for load order. Dependencies flow downward.

Range	Category	Highlights
00-05	Core	Variables, console, logging, input validation, navigation, OS detection
06-14	Networking	Adapters, IP config, VLANs, SET, iSCSI, hostname, domain, DNS, NTP
15-24	System	RDP, firewall, Defender, NTP, updates, licensing, passwords, local admin
25-33	Roles	Hyper-V, MPIO, clustering, performance, events, services, BitLocker
34-39	Tools	Help, utilities, batch config, health check, storage manager, cloud
40-44	VM Pipeline	Host storage, VHD management, ISO downloads, offline VHD, VM deployment
45-50	Session	Config export, session summary, cleanup, menus, entry point
51-59	Extended	Cluster dashboard, checkpoints, export/import, HTML reports, QoL, operations, remote, diagnostics, storage backends
60-62	Server Roles	Role templates, AD DS promotion, Hyper-V Replica management

Testing

# Full test suite (1312 tests, ~2 minutes)
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File Tests\Run-Tests.ps1

# PSScriptAnalyzer (0 errors on all 63 modules + monolithic)
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File Tests\pssa-check.ps1

# Pre-release validation (parse + PSSA + structure + sync + version + tests)
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File Tests\Validate-Release.ps1

Tests cover parsing, module loading, function existence (300+), version consistency, sync verification, input validation, navigation, hostname parsing, color themes, box widths, audit logging, custom vNIC features, iSCSI cabling checks, storage backend functions, and more.

Development

1. Edit modules in Modules/
2. Test with .\RackStack.ps1 (modular loader -- fast iteration, no build step)
3. Sync: .\sync-to-monolithic.ps1 (builds RackStack v{version}.ps1 monolithic)
4. Test: .\Tests\Run-Tests.ps1
5. Compile: Invoke-PS2EXE -InputFile 'RackStack v{ver}.ps1' -OutputFile 'RackStack.exe'

The sync script matches #region/#endregion markers between modules and the monolithic file. All 59 region pairs are flat (non-nested). Use -DryRun to preview.

File summary: RackStack.ps1 = modular loader (for dev). RackStack v{version}.ps1 = monolithic build (for deployment). RackStack.exe = compiled from monolithic (for end users).

Conventions

• 72-char inner width for all menu boxes
• Semantic colors: Success, Warning, Error, Info, Debug, Critical, Verbose
• Write-MenuItem for menu item rendering (theme-aware, supports status columns)
• $null -eq $var form for null checks (PSSA requirement)
• $regexMatches instead of $matches (reserved automatic variable)
• PowerShell verb-noun naming (Test-, Get-, Set-, Show-, Start-)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

MIT -- use it, fork it, ship it.