Bringing Home The BaconAn Introduction to Windows PowerShell

ThomasLeePartner,PSPartnership@DoctorDNS onTwitterTflonSpiceworks

• WhatIS PowerShell?• WhatareCmdlets,ObjectsandThePipeline?• PowerShellinWindowsandWindowsApplications• WhyPowerShellMatterstoYOU• DesiredStateConfiguration• Questions

•PowerShell is thefutureofWindowsadministration•PowerShellmakesyourlifeeasier•PowerShellmagnifiesyoureffort•WithPowerShell youhavemoretimetoenjoyandconsume bacon• Letmeshowyouhowandwhy!

•Microsoft’s StrategicTaskAutomationPlatformforITPros• Itcontains• Shell– thinkUnixlikeintermsofusefulness• ScriptingLanguage– withthepowerofPerlorRuby• Extensible– bringonthecommunity

• Basedon.NET– Microsoftfocused,but…

Cmdlets Objects Pipeline

• Aunitoffunctionality– muchlikeaLinuxcommand• Implementedasa.NETClass

• GetsomewithPowerShell/Windows• Buysome– e.g./nSoftware’sNetCmdlets• Findsome– leveragethecommunityefforts• Buildyourown– useC#andVS

• Cmdlets namedwithaVerb-Noun syntax• Verbsarestandardtoaiddiscovery

• Cmdlets canhavealiases• Built inoraddyourown• AliasesdoNOTincludeparameteraliasingL

• Cmdlets comefromPowerShell,Windows,apps

•Cmdlets takeparameters•Allparameters haveparameternames• Beginwitha‘-’

•Someparameternamescanbeomitted•Tabcompletion isyourfriend!•Cmdlets arediscoverable – Get-Help,Get-Command

• Cmdlets/Functionspackagedintomodules• Modulescanbedynamicallyloaded• Youcandevelopyourownmodules

• Acomputerabstractionofareallifething• Aprocess• Aserver• AnADUser

• InPowerShelleverything isanobject

• Objectshaveoccurrencesyoumanage• Theprocessesrunningonacomputer• TheusersinanOU• Thefiles inafolder

• Objectsdramaticallysimplifiesscripting

• PowerShellsupports:• .NETobjects• COMobjects• WMIobjects• CustomObjects

• Syntaxandusagevary– similar,yetdifferent

• Cmdlets produceandconsumeobjects• E.g.Get-ProcessproducesobjectsofthetypeSystem.Diagnostics.Process

• Objectsarediscoverable• Get-Member tellsyouthewhatanobjectcontains

• RefertoMSDNdocumentationformoredetail

• Thepipelineconnectscmdlets• Onecmdletoutputsobjects• Nextcmdletusesthemasinput

• Pipelineisnotanewconcept• CameFromUnix/Linux• PowerShellPipesobjectsnottext

• Simpletouse– fareasiertocompose• Powerfulinoperation- PowerShell(and.NET)dotheheavylifting• Improvesintegrationoffunctionalitystacks

• OS/Application/PowerShellbase/Communityefforts/etc

• AkeyconceptinPowerShell• Whatyouknowhelpsyoulearnmore• PowerShellbuilttobediscoverable

• Get-Command – helpsyoutofindcmdlet/functionnames• Get-Help– getsyoudetailsonaspecificcmdlets/function• Get-Member– pipeyouroutputtoGet-Membertodiscoverwhatitis

CmdletsPipelineObjects

Discovery

Demo Time

• Youneverwalkalone=>thereisaHUGEPowerShellecosystem• Spiceheads• Productteams• Vendors

• Variouswaystoengagewiththecommunity• Spiceworks PowerShellGroup• Blogs• Twitter

• PowerShellhasalanguage• Thisisusedtocreatescripts,scriptcmdlets,etc.• SyntaxsimilartoC#,etal• LanguagecontainsfeaturesfromUnix/Linuxandabunchofothers• Youneedtoknowthelanguagetowritescripts

• Aricherenvironment• Doescolourcodingofsyntax• Goodeditingfeatures• Extensible

• CoremodulescomewithWindows• AdditionalmodulescomewithWindowsfeatures• MoremodulecomewithWindowsapps• Evenmoremodulescomefromthecommunity

• V3BuiltintoWin8,Server2012• V4BuiltintoWin8.1,Server2012R2• V5inWindows10andavailablefordownload• V5.1inWin10AEandServer2016TP5

• Somebuiltin• SomewithServerfeatureand/orRSATtools• Somedownloadable(eg Azure)• Some3rd partycommercial• UsePowerShellGet moduletofindandinstallmore!

• DSC– DesiredStateConfiguration• Youdefineaconfiguration

• PowerShellDSC– Makes itso!• PowerShellDSC– KEEPSitso!

• Today– DSCisstillaworkinprogress• Only12fullyreleasedresourcesinV5• Loadsmorebeingdeveloped– manyarestable• Windows10helps,butWindowsServer2016shouldhavemore• Themoveisnowtoplacethese intoPSGallery – online

• Becauseit’severywhere!• It’sfasterforrepetitivetasks• It’srepeatableandauditable• Lesspronetoerror

• Books/blogs/forums• Microsoftandothertrainingcourses• Getyourcompanytosponsoraclass• Learnbydoing

• First,removecmd.exefromyoursystem• UsePowerShelleverywhere

• UsePowerShellforasmuchasyoucan• AskquestionsonSpiceworks

• MasterPowerShell• Andbringhomethebacon

• IfyouareanITProintheWindowsspaceyouneedtoeither• LearnPowerShell• Learnhowtosmilewhenyousay‘wouldyoulikefrieswiththat’