Fr

Microsoft PowerShell as a scripting language has been

growing strongly over the last couple of years. It has
given administrators and IT professionals much more
control when managing and implementing tasks within
System Center environments. System Center facilitates
the configuring, monitoring, and managing of the
components of a private cloud. It covers products such
as SCCM, SCOM, SCSM, SCVMM, and so on.
Starting with an introduction to PowerShell, this quick
reference guide will enable you to get the most out of
the latest Microsoft PowerShell techniques to manage
the suite of System Center products. You will also get
acquainted with the enhancements in the latest version
of System Center automation with real-time examples.

What you will learn from this book

Set up an environment to effectively use
PowerShell for SCCM, SCOM, and SCSM
Understand the advanced usage of all the
available cmdlets with real-time examples
Administer and maintain a System Center
environment with PowerShell
Create both simple and advanced functions
for different cmdlets with PowerShell
Get an insight into real-time System
Center applications that you can
automate using PowerShell

Who this book is written for

Get to grips with scenario-based scripting

for efficient System Center administration
and maintenance
Discover PowerShell tricks and
best practices
$ 29.99 US
19.99 UK

professional expertise distilled

P U B L I S H I N G

Harshul Patel

If you are a Microsoft System Center administrator who

manages System Center environments and utilizes the
console for management, then this book is ideal for you.
This book is also for System Center users who now want
to learn to manage systems using PowerShell.

Sa

pl
e

P r o f e s s i o n a l
Guruprasad HP

By the end of this book, you will have the confidence

to create a variety of PowerShell scripts and efficiently
administer and maintain your System Center environment
with PowerShell.

Microsoft System Center PowerShell Essentials

Microsoft System Center

PowerShell Essentials

ee

E x p e r t i s e

D i s t i l l e d

Microsoft System Center

PowerShell Essentials
Efficiently administer, automate, and manage System Center
environments using Windows PowerShell

Prices do not include

local sales tax or VAT
where applicable

Visit www.PacktPub.com for books, eBooks,

code, downloads, and PacktLib.

Guruprasad HP
Harshul Patel

professional expertise distilled

P U B L I S H I N G

In this package, you will find:

The authors biography

A preview chapter from the book, Chapter 1 'Setting up the Environment
to Use PowerShell'
A synopsis of the books content
More information on Microsoft System Center PowerShell Essentials

About the Authors

Guruprasad HP is a technical practitioner and consultant. His technical areas of interest
include System Center Configuration Manager, System Center Operation Manager, and
automation using PowerShell scripting. He works with Microsoft and is a Microsoft
Certified Technology Specialist in SCCM and SCOM.
He has a lot of experience in creating automation frameworks for various activities
in SCCM, SCOM, and custom reporting by extending the SCCM inventory. He also
has good knowledge of all Microsoft technologies.
Currently, Guruprasad is working with Microsoft as a consultant and is involved
in various projects with different Microsoft technologies.

Harshul Patel is a technology enthusiast from India; he is thoroughly knowledgeable

in virtualization and cloud computing techniques. He works for Microsoft. Harshul holds
multiple Microsoft certifications, including Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate
(Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8) and Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert
(private cloud). Additionally, he holds a number of non-Microsoft certifications, such
as Citrix Certified Administrator (XenApp 6.5, XenDesktop 5.6, and XenServer 6.0) and
Citrix Certified Advanced Administrator (XenApp 6.5). He has also recently achieved
an ITIL certification.

Harshul was one of the early Indian adopters of Windows PowerShell. He frequently
lectures on Windows PowerShell in user group gatherings and delivers training (mostly
on PowerShell) across various organizations. He is also a proud recipient of multiple
faculty awards and has received an innovation award from his employer. He is a core
member of the PowerShell Bangalore User Group
(
) and a member of the
New Delhi PowerShell User Group (
).
He can be contacted at
Harshul authored a book in 2013 named Instant Windows PowerShell Guide,
Packt Publishing (
).

Microsoft System Center

PowerShell Essentials
Microsoft System Center PowerShell Essentials mainly focuses on efficiently
administering, automating, and managing System Center environments using Windows
PowerShell. This book will help you to create powerful automation scripts for System
Center products using PowerShell; PowerShell techniques efficiently handle SCCM,
SCOM, and SCSM with real-time examples and sample codes. It is a step-by-step
guide with practical examples and best practices that teaches you how to effectively
use PowerShell in a System Center environment.
Microsoft PowerShell as a scripting language has been growing strongly over the last
couple of years. It has given administrators and IT professionals much more control over
managing and implementing tasks within System Center environments. It provides vast
support for a wide range of vendor products and provides a standardized platform for
automation and administration. System Center facilitates the configuration, monitoring,
and management of the components of private cloud. It covers products such as SCCM,
SCOM, SCSM, SCVMM, and so on.
Starting with an introduction to PowerShell, this quick reference guide will enable you
to get the most out of the latest Microsoft PowerShell techniques to manage System
Center products. You will get acquainted with the enhancements in the latest version
of System Center automation through real-time examples.
By the end of this book, you will have the confidence to create a variety of PowerShell
scripts and efficiently administer and maintain your System Center environment
with PowerShell.

What This Book Covers

Chapter 1, Setting up the Environment to Use PowerShell, gives you an idea about the
purpose of this book, and how to set up the environment with required modules for three
products, SCCM, SCOM, and SCSM.
Chapter 2, Administration of Configuration Manager through PowerShell, focuses on
administration activities for Configuration Manager, such as inventory, discovery, alert
management, and so on.
Chapter 3, Scenario-based Scripting for SCCM Administration, gives you an insight into
SCCM real-time applications by giving various scenarios, which are explained with the
help of the required code blocks.
Chapter 4, Administration of Operations Manager through PowerShell, focuses on
administration activities for Operations Manager, such as monitoring, authoring, basic
administration, and so on.
Chapter 5, Scenario-based Scripting for SCOM Administration, gives you an insight into
SCOM real-time applications by providing various scenarios, which are explained with
the help of the required code blocks.
Chapter 6, Administration of Service Manager through PowerShell, focuses on the
administration activities of Service Manager, such as the use of SMlets, incident
reporting, managing service requests, and so on.
Chapter 7, Scenario-based Scripting for SCSM Administration, gives you more insight
into SCSM real-time applications by providing various scenarios, which are explained
with the help of the required code blocks.
Chapter 8, Best Practices, focuses on real-time applications, which can be used to derive
best practices for these three products.

Setting up the Environment to

Use PowerShell
Welcome! In this introductory chapter, we will throw some light on how the idea for
this book came in to our minds. Here, we will cover topics that can help users perform
various routine tasks in the System Center environment by using legacy consoles.
A decade back, an administrator had to go with legacy Microsoft Management
Consoles, broadly known as MMC, for most of the Microsoft products. Now, with
the changes in the architecture of the Microsoft products and the birth of automation
engines such as Windows PowerShell, automation has become easy; however, many
of us are not fully aware of it. Let's start with setting up the environment.
In this chapter, we will cover:

The purpose of this book

The target audience

Why use PowerShell?

PowerShell version references

Setting up the System Center Configuration Manager environment

Setting up the System Center Operations Manager environment

Setting up the System Center Service Manager environment

[1]

Setting up the Environment to Use PowerShell

The purpose of this book

This book will help you to achieve the idea of automation, especially in the System
Center environment using Windows PowerShell. The purpose of this book is to
provide you with an insight of various PowerShell techniques that can be applied
to the following three System Center products:

System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)

System Center Operations Manager (SCOM)

System Center Service Manager (SCSM)

We will also highlight how to use the various PowerShell cmdlets available with
these three product SDKs, along with their key tips and tricks. All guidance and
assistance will be provided to you on a high-level basis. Further exploration and
hands-on experience for these three products is required, so that you gain the most
out of this book.

The target audience

This book is aimed mainly at IT professionals who maintain or perform routine
activities in the System Center environment focusing on SCCM, SCOM, and
SCSM products. This book will be very useful for people who seek out-of-the-box
automation for their System Center infrastructure, using Windows PowerShell. You
will find real time use of Windows PowerShell with these System Center products.

Why use PowerShell?

In the last few years, the scripting world has witnessed a number of changes.
We can hardly recall the time when people used ancient mainframe machines
with green-colored text and dark, black-screen backgrounds. Times have changed
and we are living in a world where technological adoption is quicker than ever.
Nowadays, an ample number of scripting languages exist, which fulfill the needs of
an administrator. One of the questions that arise in one's mind is: why should we go
with Windows PowerShell? There are reasons why we prefer Windows PowerShell
over other scripting languages. To answer the preceding question precisely, we
would rather put a counter question in front of you: give us a valid reason why we
shouldn't go with Windows PowerShell.

[2]

Chapter 1

There are other examples of strong scripting languages, such as VBScript, Ruby,
Python, Perl, and so on, and administrators have adopted them too. VBScript became
popular because of the automation of routine, local administrator tasks, but the code
was a bit complex and hard to understand for novice users. Looking at Windows
PowerShell, we feel that the Microsoft team has worked hard to give us a powerful,
interactive scripting shell with an object-driven approach.
The important and exciting thing about this language is that it's a spitted object-based
output, which can be reused easily. It has pipeline and PSRemoting as its crucial
features, which put this language as the first priority while comparing it with other
scripting languages. Moreover, by following the Common Engineering Criteria
(CEC), Microsoft has decided that all future Microsoft products will come with
extensive Windows PowerShell support. This is also a good reason to learn and choose
Windows PowerShell. Additionally, PowerShell can be leveraged to use the massive
.Net Framework class functionality with most of the Microsoft products. We can also
achieve inventory and reporting by efficiently using the WMI functionality that lies
within PowerShell. A few Microsoft products support extensive functionality when
used with PowerShell; the best example is Exchange Server.

PowerShell version references

In this section, we shall talk about the various versions of Windows PowerShell that
are available and we will share a few notes on the latest versions v3.0 and v4.0, along
with their preinstallation requirements and dependencies.
So far, we have had four stable versions available for Windows PowerShell.
Windows PowerShell v1.0 was an extension of Command Prompt with a limited
number of cmdlets. In the second version, the team introduced pipeline and
PSRemoting concepts, which made Windows PowerShell a popular scripting shell.
Furthermore, with the release of Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8, Windows
PowerShell version 3.0 was a drastic improvement in terms of the number of
cmdlets and modules. They have also introduced the Windows PowerShell Web
Access (PWA), PowerShell Workflows, and Scheduled Jobs concept in this version.
The exciting part is that while we were drafting this book, the Microsoft team was
coming up with its next release of operating systems, named Windows Server 2012
R2 and Windows 8.1. In this release, they have introduced Windows PowerShell v4.0
embedded with extensive functionality, such as Desired State Configuration (DSC)
and so on.
While we are in the process of publishing this book, the
PowerShell team has already come up with the preview release
of Windows PowerShell 5.0 with some extensive functionality.
[3]

Setting up the Environment to Use PowerShell

By default, Windows PowerShell 3.0 comes up with Windows Server 2012 and
Windows 8. There are a number of default modules present in this version. If you are
running an operating system lower than the ones specified in the preceding section,
you need to manually install Windows Management Framework 3.0, which is also
known as WMF 3.0.
If you have installed any previous releases of Windows Management
Framework, you must uninstall them before installing Windows
Management Framework 3.0.

Windows Management Framework 3.0 can be installed only on the following

operating system versions:

Windows 7 SP1

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (WMF 3.0 is also supported if you are running
Windows Server 2008 R2 as the server core)

Windows Server 2008 SP2

Windows PowerShell 2.0 is embedded in the Windows Server 2008 R2 and

Windows 7 operating system. You don't need to separately install it on these
operating systems.
The contentions written here use the latest version of PowerShell (v 4.0). However,
most of the cmdlets are also supported in the legacy version, as well. As a minimum,
you need to have PowerShell 2.0 in your machine; however, it would be best to have
the latest version of PowerShell. You can refer to the TechNet link (https://technet.
microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh847769.aspx) for detailed information on the
prerequisites for different versions of PowerShell.
Windows Management Framework 3.0 is available for all supported versions
of Windows in the following languages: English, Chinese (simplified), Chinese
(traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil),
Russian, and Spanish.
Windows Management Framework 3.0 contains:

Windows PowerShell 3.0

Windows Remote Management (WinRM) 3.0

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)

Management OData IIS Extensions

Server Manager CIM Provider

[4]

Chapter 1

Windows Management Framework 3.0 requires the following software to be

installed prior to the WMF 3.0 installation:

Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0: You can install Microsoft .Net Framework at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=212547

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 on computers running Windows 7: To install

SP1, go to http://www.microsoft.com/en-in/download/details.
aspx?id=5842

Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 on computers running Windows

Server 2008 R2: To install SP1, go to http://www.microsoft.com/en-in/
download/details.aspx?id=5842

Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 on computers running Windows

Server 2008: To install SP2, go to http://www.microsoft.com/en-in/
download/details.aspx?id=16468

In addition to the preceding software, you will need to meet the following requirements:

To install Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE)

for Windows PowerShell 3.0 on computers running Windows Server 2008
R2 with Service Pack 1, use Server Manager to add the optional Windows
PowerShell ISE feature to Windows PowerShell before installing WMF 3.0.

Install the latest updates before installing WMF 3.0.

WMF 4.0 has the same set of OS requirement, but it needs
Microsoft .Net Framework 4.5 as a prerequisite.

Setting up the System Center

Configuration Manager environment
This section talks about how to setup your Windows PowerShell console to start
with the SCCM activities. The traditional method of importing the SCCM module
in Windows PowerShell is supported by SCCM 2007 and its later versions.
The prerequisites to set up SCCM are as follows:

SCCM 2007 or its later version infrastructure

Windows PowerShell 2.0 or its later version

[5]

Setting up the Environment to Use PowerShell

Connecting to Windows PowerShell for SCCM

The steps for connecting to Windows PowerShell for SCCM are as follows:
1. Start the 32-bit Windows PowerShell console from your operating
system box, as the SCCM infrastructure is only supported with the
32-bit PowerShell architecture.
2. If you are using Windows Server 2008 R2 or a similar operating system,
then you can click on Start, search for Windows PowerShell (x86), and
launch the console.
If you are using Windows Server 2012 or a similar operating system, then
you can press the Windows key + F, search for Windows PowerShell, and
choose Apps in the console. From the search list, select Windows PowerShell
(x86) and launch the console.

3. To import the Configuration Manager PowerShell module, we

need to change the console location to the Configuration Manager
Installation folder. For example, we will refer to the parent installation
folder as C:\Program Files(x86).
4. Type the following lines into the PowerShell console:
PS C :\> cd "C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Configuration
Manager\AdminConsole\bin"

This will set the console location to the bin subfolder in the Configuration

Manager Installation folder.

[6]

Chapter 1

5. Now, import the ConfigurationManger.psd1 module file by using the

Import-Module cmdlet:
PS C :\> Import-Module .\ConfigurationManager.psd1

To confirm the successful import of the module, you can

type Get-Module CMDLET in the PowerShell console.
Now you will be able to see the new module added to the
ConfigurationManager list.

6. After successfully importing the module file, set the console location to your
site location by using your site code. For example, we have taken ABC site
code in the following command statement:
PS C :\> Set-Location ABC:

The Configuration Manager PowerShell module also includes PowerShell

Driver Provider for Configuration Manager Sites. For example, if you have a
central site administration, site ABC and two primary sites PS1 and PS2, then
you can change the connection context like this:
PS C :\> Set-Location ABC:
PS C :\> Set-Location PS1:
PS C :\> Set-Location PS2:

If you don't change the connection context, then you can't

manage the Configuration Manager Site as well.

7. Now you are ready to manage your Configuration Manager infrastructure

using Windows PowerShell.
Downloading the example code
You can download the example code files from your account at
http://www.packtpub.com for all the Packt Publishing books
you have purchased. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you
can visit http://www.packtpub.com/support and register
to have the files e-mailed directly to you.

[7]

Setting up the Environment to Use PowerShell

There is also another simple method available to connect SCCM using PowerShell
with the latest releases of SCCM 2012 and so on. The prerequisites for that are
as follows:

System Center Configuration Manager 2012 SP1 RTM or a later

version infrastructure

Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2008 R2 with WMF 3.0

Connecting to Windows PowerShell from the

SCCM console
The steps for connecting to Windows PowerShell from the SCCM console are
as follows:
1. Press the Windows key + F, search for Configuration Manager, and choose
Apps. From the search list, select Configuration Manager Console and
launch the console.

[8]

Chapter 1

2. In the Configuration Manager Console, click on the upper-left corner of the

console and select Connect via Windows PowerShell.

3. The Configuration Manager then imports the PowerShell module automatically.

4. Now you are ready to manage your Configuration Manager infrastructure
using the Windows PowerShell console.

Setting up the System Center Operations

Manager environment
This section discusses how to set up your PowerShell console to start with the SCOM
activities. The traditional method of importing the SCOM module in Windows
PowerShell is supported by SCOM 2012 and its later versions.
The prerequisites for this are as follows:

SCOM 2012 or the later version infrastructure

Windows PowerShell 2.0 or its later version

[9]

Setting up the Environment to Use PowerShell

Connecting to Windows PowerShell for SCOM

The steps for connecting to Windows PowerShell for SCOM are as follows:
1. Start the 32-bit Windows PowerShell console from your operating
system box.
2. If you are using Windows Server 2008 R2 or a similar operating system,
then you can click on Start, search for Windows PowerShell (x86), and
launch the console.
3. If you are using Windows Server 2012 or a similar operating system, then
you can press the Windows key + F, search for Windows PowerShell, and
choose Apps. From the search list, select Windows PowerShell (x86) and
launch the console.
4. To import the Operations Manager PowerShell module, we need
to change the console location to the Operations Manager Console
installation folder. For example, we will refer to the parent installation
folder as C:\Program Files(x86).
Type the following lines into the PowerShell console:
PS C :\> cd 'C:\Program Files\System Center 2012\Operations
Manager\PowerShell\'

5. This will set the console location to the PowerShell subfolder in the
Operations Manager Console installation folder.
6. Now, import the OperationsManger.psd1 module file by using the
Import-Module cmdlet:
PS C :\> Import-Module .\OperationsManager.psd1

To confirm the successful import of the module, type the Get-Module

cmdlet on the PowerShell console. Now you will be able to see the new
module added to the OperationsManager list.

7. Now you are ready to manage your Operations Manager infrastructure,

using the Windows PowerShell console.

[ 10 ]

Chapter 1

Setting up the System Center Service

Manager environment
In this section, we will talk about how to set up your PowerShell console to start
with the SCSM activities. The traditional method of importing the SCSM module
in Windows PowerShell is supported by SCSM 2010 and its later versions.
Here are the prerequisites to set up the SCSM environment:

SCSM 2010 or its later version infrastructure

Windows PowerShell 2.0 or its later version

Connecting to Windows PowerShell for SCSM

1. Start the Windows PowerShell console from your operating system box.
2. If you are using Windows Server 2008 R2 or a similar operating system,
then you can click on Start, search for Windows PowerShell (x86), and
launch the console.
3. If you are using Windows Server 2012 or a similar operating system, then
you can press the Windows key + F, search for Windows PowerShell, and
choose Apps. From the search list, select Windows PowerShell (x86) to
launch the console.
4. To import the Service Manager PowerShell module, we need to change
the console location to the Service Manager Console installation
folder. For example, we will refer to the parent installation folder as C:\
Program Files(x86).
5. Type the following lines into the PowerShell console:
PS C :\> cd 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012\Service
Manager\'

This will set the console location to the Service Manager subfolder in the
Service Manager Console installation folder.
6. Import the System.Center.Service.Manager.psd1 module file for SCSM
Management Servers by using the Import-Module cmdlet:
PS C :\> Import-Module .\System.Center.Service.Manager.psd1

[ 11 ]

Setting up the Environment to Use PowerShell

7. Now you are ready to manage your Service Manager infrastructure for SCSM
Management Servers using Windows PowerShell.
8. Import the Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Warehouse.Cmdlets.psd1
module file for Data Warehouse Management Servers by using the ImportModule cmdlet:
PS C :\> Import-Module .\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Warehouse.
Cmdlets.psd1

To confirm the successful import of the module, you can type the GetModule cmdlet on the PowerShell console. Now you will be able to see
the new module added to the System.Center.Service.Manager and
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Warehouse.Cmdlets lists.
9. Now you are ready to manage your Service Manager infrastructure for Data
Warehouse Management Servers using Windows PowerShell.

Summary
By end of this introductory chapter, you should be able to understand the basic
terminology and setup requirement to use Windows PowerShell with several
System Center products.
Going ahead, we will specifically look at each of these products and try to explore
more functionalities that we can achieve using Windows PowerShell.

[ 12 ]

Get more information Microsoft System Center PowerShell Essentials

Where to buy this book

You can buy Microsoft System Center PowerShell Essentials from the
Packt Publishing website.
Alternatively, you can buy the book from Amazon, BN.com, Computer Manuals and most internet
book retailers.
Click here for ordering and shipping details.

www.PacktPub.com

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