Expert recommendations, pragmatically applied. Automate system administration using Windows PowerShell best practices—and optimize your operational efficiency. With this practical guide, Windows PowerShell expert and instructor Ed Wilson delivers field-tested tips, real-world examples, and candid advice culled from administrators across a range of business and technical scenarios. If you’re an IT professional with Windows PowerShell experience, this book is ideal. Discover how to: Use Windows PowerShell to automate Active Directory tasks Explore available WMI classes and methods with CIM cmdlets Identify and track scripting opportunities to avoid duplication Use functions to encapsulate business logic and reuse code Design your script’s best input method and output destination Test scripts by checking their syntax and performance Choose the most suitable method for running remote commands Manage software services with Desired State Configuration

Get started with this powerful Windows administration tool Automate Windows administration tasks with ease by learning the fundamentals of Windows PowerShell 3.0. Led by a Windows PowerShell expert, you’ll learn must-know concepts and techniques through easy-to-follow explanations, examples, and exercises. Once you complete this practical introduction, you can go deeper into the Windows PowerShell command line interface and scripting language with Windows PowerShell 3.0 Step by Step. Discover how to: Create effective Windows PowerShell commands with one line of code Apply Windows PowerShell commands across several Windows platforms Identify missing hotfixes and service packs with a single command Sort, group, and filter data using the Windows PowerShell pipeline Create users, groups, and organizational units in Active Directory Add computers to a domain or workgroup with a single line of code Run Windows PowerShell commands on multiple remote computers Unleash the power of scripting with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)

Scripting gurus Jones and Hicks teach readers PowerShell from the ground up. They cover its underlying technologies, flexible scripting language, and enough of the .NET Framework to be effective in PowerShell scripting. (Computer Books)

PowerShell gives Windows administrators immense power to automate and customize virtually any administrative task—saving time, increasing productivity, and giving you unprecedented flexibility. PowerShell 2.0 adds important new features that offer even greater control over Windows environments. Windows PowerShell Unleashed will not only give you deep mastery over PowerShell but also a greater understanding of the features being introduced in PowerShell 2.0—and show you how to use it to solve your challenges in your production environment. The authors begin by systematically illuminating PowerShell’s core concepts and techniques, helping you leverage whatever Windows scripting experience you may already have. Next, using complete, easy-to-adapt examples, they show how to use PowerShell to manage file systems, permissions, the Registry, WMI objects, Active Directory, Exchange Server, and many other elements of the Windows environment. More than half of this edition’s material and examples have been completely rewritten for PowerShell 2.0, and the authors have added seven entirely new chapters—covering security, PowerShell application development, Systems Center Operations Manager 2007, and much more. Whatever Windows systems you manage, Windows PowerShell Unleashed contains the scripts and techniques you need to manage them far more effectively. Install, configure, and customize PowerShell 2.0 and master its command line interface Discover proven best practices for PowerShell scripting Make the most of PowerShell cmdlets—especially the new cmdlets included in PowerShell 2.0 Leverage PowerShell’s deep .NET Framework integration Secure your scripts using code signing, execution policies, and PowerShell’s built-in security Use custom script functions to manage permissions more efficiently Control the registry locally and remotely and use PowerShell’s powerful new registry transactions Use PowerShell as a management interface Automate Exchange Server 2007 administrative tasks Automate the management of Microsoft’s new System Center Operations Manager 2007 Preview the forthcoming Graphical PowerShell scripting environment Understand how to manage Active Directory using PowerShell Master using PowerShell with WMI Learn PowerShell 2.0 remoting

Your hands-on guide to Windows PowerShell scripting fundamentals Expand your expertise--and teach yourself the fundamentals of Windows PowerShell scripting, including features available in Windows PowerShell 5. If you are an IT professional, power user, or consultant, you’ll get the guidance, exercises, and code you need to master core techniques for automating Windows setup, deployment, and management. Discover how to: Run cmdlets and command-line utilities Administer Windows-based servers and desktops with built-in cmdlets Use providers to access external information Write and run scripts from the Windows ISE Create functions that are easy to maintain Build standardized environments with profiles Automate Windows systems with WMI, CIM cmdlets, and remoting Automate Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Debug scripts and handle errors Run commands that survive interruptions Use Desired State Configuration (DSC) to manage software services and their environments Get powerful new modules from PowerShell Gallery About You This book is for: IT professionals and power users who want to get productive with Windows PowerShell, including new features in Windows PowerShell 5 Windows system administrators who want to be more efficient and productive Anyone pursuing Windows PowerShell certifications No experience with Windows PowerShell or other scripting technologies necessary

Want to perform programming tasks better, faster, simpler, and make them repeatable? Take a deep dive into Windows PowerShell and discover what this distributed automation platform can do. Whether you’re a .NET developer or IT pro, this concise guide will show you how PowerShell’s scripting language can help you be more productive on everyday tasks. Quickly learn how to create PowerShell scripts and embed them into your existing applications, write "little languages" to solve specific problems, and take charge of your code. This book includes example scripts that you can easily pull apart, tweak, and then use in your own PowerShell and .NET solutions. Slice and dice text, XML, CSV, and JSON with ease Embed PowerShell to provide scripting capabilities for your C# apps Create GUI applications five to ten times faster with less code Leverage PowerShell’s capabilities to work with the Internet Interact with DLLs and create objects, automatically display properties, and call methods in live interactive sessions Build domain-specific languages (DSLs) and vocabularies to express solutions more clearly Work with Microsoft Office via the Component Object Model (COM) Discover PowerShell v3 features included with Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

Summary Discover how scripting is different from command-line PowerShell, as you explore concrete hands-on examples in this handy guide. The book includes and expands on many of the techniques presented in Learn PowerShell Toolmaking in a Month of Lunches. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the Technology Automate it! With Microsoft's PowerShell language, you can write scripts to control nearly every aspect of Windows. Just master a few straightforward scripting skills, and you'll be able to eliminate repetitive manual tasks, create custom reusable tools, and build effective pipelines and workflows. Once you start scripting in PowerShell, you'll be amazed at how many opportunities you'll find to save time and effort. About the Book Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches teaches you how to expand your command-line PowerShell skills into effective scripts and tools. In 27 bite-size lessons, you'll discover instantly useful techniques for writing efficient code, finding and squashing bugs, organizing your scripts into libraries, and much more. Advanced scripters will even learn to access the .NET Framework, store data long term, and create nice user interfaces. What's Inside Designing functions and scripts Effective pipeline usage Dealing with errors and bugs Professional-grade scripting practices About the Reader Written for devs and IT pros comfortable with PowerShell and Windows. About the Authors Don Jones is a PowerShell MVP, speaker, and trainer who has written dozens of books on information technology topics. Jeffery Hicks is a PowerShell MVP and an independent consultant, trainer, and author. Don and Jeff coauthored Manning's Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches, Learn PowerShell Toolmaking in a Month of Lunches, and PowerShell in Depth. Table of Contents PART 1 - INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTING Before you begin Setting up your scripting environment WWPD: what would PowerShell do? Review: parameter binding and the PowerShell pipeline Scripting language crash course The many forms of scripting (and which to use) Scripts and security PART 2 - BUILDING A POWERSHELL SCRIPT Always design first Avoiding bugs: start with a command Building a basic function and script module Going advanced with your function Objects: the best kind of output Using all the pipelines Simple help: making a comment Dealing with errors Filling out a manifest PART 3 - GROWN-UP SCRIPTING Changing your brain when it comes to scripting Professional-grade scripting An introduction to source control with git Pestering your script Signing your script Publishing your script PART 4 - ADVANCED TECHNIQUES Squashing bugs Making script output prettier Wrapping up the .NET Framework Storing data-not in Excel! Never the end