E-guide

Comprehensive
PowerShell Guide for New
and Seasoned Admins
 E-guide

In this e-guide
In this e-guide:
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new
and seasoned admins p. 2 PowerShell has emerged as an important IT automation tool for on-
What is PowerShell? p. 3 premises and cloud resources. This overview covers a range of topics to
Powershell commands p. 4 get you up to speed.
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6

How to create and run PowerShell scripts .

. p. 7

PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts

. p. 10

PowerShell features p. 11

PowerShell Active Directory management

. p. 13

On-premises management, monitoring and

deployment p. 14

Public cloud and workload management

. p. 15

PowerShell products and services p. 16

PowerShell 7 p. 17

The future of PowerShell p. 19

Further reading p. 20

Page 1 of 20
 E-guide

In this e-guide
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new and
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new
and seasoned admins p. 2
seasoned admins
What is PowerShell? p. 3 John Moore, Senior Site Editor, SearchWindowsServer
Powershell commands p. 4
PowerShell has emerged as a critical tool for systems administrators, providing a
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6
consistent, adaptable technology for managing on-premises and cloud-based systems.
How to create and run PowerShell scripts .
. p. 7
Microsoft launched PowerShell in 2006 to work solely in the Windows environment,
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts
. p. 10
but the company open sourced the technology in 2016. Today, the tool aims to appeal
to a wider range of admins because it's now available for Linux and macOS as well as
PowerShell features p. 11
Windows. PowerShell has also made the jump to broader computing models, spanning
PowerShell Active Directory management
. p. 13 cloud environments such as Microsoft Azure and AWS.
On-premises management, monitoring and
deployment p. 14 Don Jones, vice president, content partnerships and strategic initiatives at Pluralsight
Public cloud and workload management LLC, a technology skills platform based in Silicon Slopes, Utah, summed up PowerShell's
. p. 15 scope.
PowerShell products and services p. 16

PowerShell 7 p. 17
"PowerShell is for admins -- no matter what you are administrating," he said.

The future of PowerShell p. 19

Further reading p. 20

Page 2 of 20
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In this e-guide
What is PowerShell?
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new PowerShell is a command-line shell and scripting language that seeks to help admins
and seasoned admins p. 2
configure systems and automate tasks. The object-oriented technology is built on
What is PowerShell? p. 3
Microsoft's .NET framework. As such, it lets IT personnel work with objects in contrast
Powershell commands p. 4
with text-based shells.
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6

How to create and run PowerShell scripts . Microsoft has evolved PowerShell through several editions. The company launched the
. p. 7 latest iteration, PowerShell 7, on March 4, 2020. Microsoft's goal over the years has
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts been to preserve backward compatibility, although the ability to use certain
. p. 10
commands and features, from version to version, has sometimes been an issue.
PowerShell features p. 11

PowerShell Active Directory management What is PowerShell used for?

. p. 13
PowerShell, in its role as command-line shell, serves as the replacement for Microsoft's
On-premises management, monitoring and Command Prompt, which goes back to the days of DOS. Microsoft made PowerShell
deployment p. 14
the default command-line interface (CLI) for Windows 10 as of build 14791. Most users
Public cloud and workload management
. p. 15 first interact with PowerShell in its command-line capacity.
PowerShell products and services p. 16
The key use case for PowerShell is automating various administrative activities.
PowerShell 7 p. 17
Examples include navigating registries, identifying processes using the most memory
The future of PowerShell p. 19
and stopping/restarting a particular service. PowerShell can also obtain model
Further reading p. 20 information on a computer and extract information on OSes, such as the specific
version and service pack levels. In addition, admins can use PowerShell to run

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commands and scripts on one or more remote computers, using protocols such as WS-
In this e-guide Management and, more recently, Secure Shell (SSH).

Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new PowerShell is used in IT departments to automate formerly manual tasks, with the
and seasoned admins p. 2
objective of boosting efficiency. Third-party IT services firms, such as managed service
What is PowerShell? p. 3 providers (MSPs), also use PowerShell.
Powershell commands p. 4

PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6

MSPs tap PowerShell to automate such tasks as software deployment, software
integration and report generation. Service providers also create PowerShell scripts to
How to create and run PowerShell scripts .
. p. 7 periodically check on whether customers have required software installed and to
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts automate the process of creating a new user account.
. p. 10

PowerShell features p. 11

PowerShell Active Directory management Powershell commands

. p. 13

On-premises management, monitoring and Cmdlets

deployment p. 14
Cmdlets are the foundational component of PowerShell automation. A cmdlet
Public cloud and workload management performs a single function and returns a .NET object. Cmdlets are typically structured
. p. 15
in a verb-noun format. One or more parameters can be added to a cmdlet to make the
PowerShell products and services p. 16
command more specific -- directing a cmdlet to install a particular version of a software
PowerShell 7 p. 17
product, for example.
The future of PowerShell p. 19

Further reading p. 20 Ready-made cmdlets abound, and admins can learn about them through help content,
which describes the cmdlet and its parameters. Admins can create their own cmdlets

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using PowerShell script or C#. All told, thousands of cmdlets exist across PowerShell
In this e-guide and public and private repositories.

Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new Here are some of the basic cmdlets included in PowerShell.
and seasoned admins p. 2

What is PowerShell? p. 3

Powershell commands p. 4

PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6

How to create and run PowerShell scripts .

. p. 7

PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts

. p. 10

PowerShell features p. 11

PowerShell Active Directory management

. p. 13

On-premises management, monitoring and

deployment p. 14

Public cloud and workload management

. p. 15 Cmdlets vs. commands
PowerShell products and services p. 16 Cmdlets attempt to make it clear to the user what action they perform. That's in
PowerShell 7 p. 17
contrast to the sometimes truncated and cryptic command statements used in other
shells. Joey Aiello, senior program manager, PowerShell, at Microsoft, said
The future of PowerShell p. 19
PowerShell's "very verbose syntax" simplifies matters for people who aren't as familiar
Further reading p. 20
with the shorter command names used in shells such as CMD and BASH. On the other
hand, PowerShell supports aliases for admins that are accustomed to using shorter
commands.

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Although cmdlets seek to make their functions easier to grasp, they also enable admins
In this e-guide to tackle sophisticated management chores. PowerShell's underlying object orientation
and the ability to pipeline cmdlets play the key role here. Output from one cmdlet can
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new be used by other cmdlets in sequence, enabling admins to more readily take on
and seasoned admins p. 2
complex tasks than they could when using conventional command statements. The
What is PowerShell? p. 3
ability to use cmdlets in combination also provides visibility into the task automation
Powershell commands p. 4
workflow.
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6

How to create and run PowerShell scripts . According to Microsoft's cmdlet overview, cmdlets differ from commands in that they
. p. 7
are instances of .NET framework classes, rather than stand-alone executables.
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts Microsoft also points to PowerShell runtime's ability to handle parsing and output
. p. 10
formatting for cmdlets as a point of differentiation.
PowerShell features p. 11

PowerShell Active Directory management

. p. 13

On-premises management, monitoring and

PowerShell learning: Basics
deployment p. 14
Learning PowerShell typically begins with getting acquainted with some basic cmdlets
Public cloud and workload management
. p. 15 and using the technology as a command-line shell.
PowerShell products and services p. 16
"That is really the key starting point for anybody," Jones said. "You need to understand
PowerShell 7 p. 17
how the shell works and why it works to get a job done."
The future of PowerShell p. 19

Further reading p. 20 Common PowerShell commands and cmdlets let admins carry out a range of tasks,
from manipulating files and directories to managing software and machines.
PowerShell's consistency means that becoming familiar with a few cmdlets gives

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admins insight into others. Jonathan Hassell, an author and consultant with 82
In this e-guide Ventures in Charlotte, N.C., said learning how to automate basic tasks with PowerShell
reveals the syntax and structure of PowerShell commands in general.
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new
and seasoned admins p. 2
A few examples of foundational cmdlets for admins include Restart-Service for
What is PowerShell? p. 3 stopping and restarting a service; Get-Childitem -Force for listing every item in a folder
Powershell commands p. 4 and Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_ComputerSystem for gleaning information on the
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6 make and model of a computer.
How to create and run PowerShell scripts .
. p. 7 Admins can also avail themselves of PowerShell modules, which are packages
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts containing PowerShell commands. Modules serve as a tool for organizing commands
. p. 10 and passing them along to other admins. Microsoft's PowerShell Gallery, as of Q1
PowerShell features p. 11 2020, offers nearly 6,500 PowerShell modules and other code that users can
PowerShell Active Directory management download. Modules available in the PowerShell Gallery run the gamut from Pester,
. p. 13
which runs a testing framework for PowerShell code and infrastructure configurations,
On-premises management, monitoring and
deployment p. 14
to Dbatools, which provides myriad commands for automating SQL Server database
development and administration.
Public cloud and workload management
. p. 15

PowerShell products and services p. 16

PowerShell 7 p. 17
How to create and run PowerShell scripts
The future of PowerShell p. 19
PowerShell users with a grasp of the command-line shell can make the move to the
Further reading p. 20 next level of learning: tool making. Admins can "get into the scripting language and
start making their own tools to automate the business processes, moving from a tool
user to a tool creator," Jones said.

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Learning how to script elevates an admin's productivity -- and that of his or her
In this e-guide colleagues. "Someone who is creating these reusable units of execution makes things
faster for everyone else in the organization," Jones noted.
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new
and seasoned admins p. 2
Admins familiar with executing cmdlets can stitch commands together into a script,
What is PowerShell? p. 3 said Adam Bertram, a 20-year IT veteran and freelance writer. Going from basic use to
Powershell commands p. 4 more advanced activities is matter of expanding upon the foundational cmdlets. For
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6 example, PowerShell's Get-Service cmdlet queries all the services running on a local
How to create and run PowerShell scripts . computer, but scripting lets an admin find all the stopped services, attempt to restart
. p. 7
them and add some logging capabilities, Bertram noted. His PowerShell scripting
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts tutorial for beginners provides details on how to build and execute such a script.
. p. 10

PowerShell features p. 11 Scripts can automate commonplace tasks such as moving files from one place to
PowerShell Active Directory management another. Admins can use a PowerShell FTP script, for example, to upload and download
. p. 13
files. They can also create advanced scripts to copy files between folders, drives and
On-premises management, monitoring and
deployment p. 14
machines using PowerShell providers and cmdlets.

Public cloud and workload management

. p. 15
At some point, admins might want to harden PowerShell scripts or functions -- groups
of PowerShell statements that might be included in scripts -- for use in production
PowerShell products and services p. 16
environments. If that's the case, a better understanding of the parameters of
PowerShell 7 p. 17
PowerShell functions might be in order. Other languages compel tool creators to
The future of PowerShell p. 19
design their own parameter and error handlers, but PowerShell includes much of this
Further reading p. 20 functionality on its own, noted Brandon Shell, CTO at Shell Consulting, in his problem-
solving article.

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As admins continue their scripting journey, they can tap into the PowerShell Integrated
In this e-guide Scripting Environment (ISE). ISE lets users build and test PowerShell scripts without
operating directly in PowerShell's CLI. Bertram's tutorial provides an overview of useful
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new features for editing and managing scripts with PowerShell ISE.
and seasoned admins p. 2

What is PowerShell? p. 3

Powershell commands p. 4

PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6

How to create and run PowerShell scripts .

. p. 7

PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts

. p. 10

PowerShell features p. 11

PowerShell Active Directory management

. p. 13

On-premises management, monitoring and

deployment p. 14

Public cloud and workload management

. p. 15

PowerShell products and services p. 16

PowerShell 7 p. 17

The future of PowerShell p. 19

Further reading p. 20

Page 9 of 20
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In this e-guide
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new Admins might eventually move into the third tier of PowerShell learning, in which they
and seasoned admins p. 2
make a transition to professional software development. Jones said admins are still
What is PowerShell? p. 3
creating tools but are doing so in a more scalable and reliable fashion. At this point,
Powershell commands p. 4
PowerShell might be employed to create a continuous integration/continuous
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6 deployment (CI/CD) pipeline.
How to create and run PowerShell scripts .
. p. 7 "We see PowerShell used more and more in CI/CD scenarios, especially with regards to
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts cross-platform applications," Aiello said.
. p. 10

PowerShell features p. 11 Here are some other advanced concepts admins can study.
PowerShell Active Directory management
. p. 13 Manipulating text. Building skills in PowerShell text manipulation can help admins with
On-premises management, monitoring and their advanced infrastructure management issues, according to independent
deployment p. 14
consultant Richard Siddaway. Cmdlets for working with text include Add-Content,
Public cloud and workload management Clear-Content, Get-Content, Set-Content and Out-File.
. p. 15

PowerShell products and services p. 16 Catching errors. To err is human, but proper logging can make troubleshooting a more
PowerShell 7 p. 17 forgiving process. Bertram outlined the steps for creating a custom PowerShell logging
The future of PowerShell p. 19 function from deciding on the logging options to include -- host, file and database, for
Further reading p. 20 example -- to defining the logic.

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Troubleshooting remote server management. Admins managing remote servers with

In this e-guide PowerShell might encounter the so-called double-hop problem when moving from one
machine to another. But there are workarounds. For one, admins can tie a credential
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new to a PowerShell session configuration and reuse it for subsequent connections, as
and seasoned admins p. 2
detailed in this double-hop avoidance tutorial.
What is PowerShell? p. 3

Powershell commands p. 4 Performing tasks in parallel. Using PowerShell workflows lets admins run tasks in
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6 parallel -- a useful approach when automating the same commands across a multitude
How to create and run PowerShell scripts . of servers or desktops.
. p. 7

PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts Coding PowerShell workflows is more complex than creating standard PowerShell
. p. 10 scripts and functions. In addition, PowerShell, going forward, will drop PowerShell
PowerShell features p. 11 Workflow as a feature (see "PowerShell 7" section below for more detail).
PowerShell Active Directory management
. p. 13

On-premises management, monitoring and

deployment p. 14
PowerShell features
Public cloud and workload management PowerShell has added capabilities over the course of numerous iterations. (Please see
. p. 15
the "PowerShell 7" section below for a discussion of the latest version.) But some
PowerShell products and services p. 16
characteristics of the technology have remained steady over time.
PowerShell 7 p. 17

The future of PowerShell p. 19 Discoverability. Finding information on PowerShell's features is possible through
Further reading p. 20 cmdlets such as Get-Command, which lists the commands, including cmdlets and
functions, available on a system. PowerShell was "very much designed with exploration
and interactive usage in mind," according to Aiello. In that regard, Jones said

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PowerShell has taken a cue from, and expanded upon, man pages from the Unix/Linux
In this e-guide world. Man pages, or manual pages, provide documentation on commands.

Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new Help capabilities. Admins can gain insight into PowerShell concepts and components
and seasoned admins p. 2
through the Get-Help cmdlet. The help system, Jones said, reinforces a design
What is PowerShell? p. 3 philosophy that protects the user's investment in learning. For example, the consistent
Powershell commands p. 4 set of verbs used in cmdlets -- Get, Set and Start for example -- helps admins deduce
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6 the purpose of any command using the same verb. "Once PowerShell asks you to learn
How to create and run PowerShell scripts . something, you get a return on that same learning," Jones said. "The help system is a
. p. 7
huge part of that promise."
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts
. p. 10 Remote commands. PowerShell was built with enterprise management and the ability
PowerShell features p. 11 to accomplish tasks at scale as design considerations, Aiello noted. This direction put
PowerShell Active Directory management an emphasis on remoting from the beginning, and Microsoft's protocol support has
. p. 13
expanded amid PowerShell's cross-platform makeover. Microsoft has added support
On-premises management, monitoring and
deployment p. 14
for SSH, a staple of remote Linux administration, in addition to other protocols such as
WS-Management.
Public cloud and workload management
. p. 15
Pipelining. In another borrowing from Unix, PowerShell pipelining lets admins link a
PowerShell products and services p. 16
series of commands together. This approach lets the output from one command
PowerShell 7 p. 17
become the input for the next command in the sequence. Pipelining enables users to
The future of PowerShell p. 19
take PowerShell's Lego-like pieces and assemble them in different ways depending on
Further reading p. 20 what they want to accomplish, Jones said.

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Some important features that were added in later editions of PowerShell include
In this e-guide Desired State Configuration. DSC, which arrived with PowerShell 4.0 in 2013, aims to
offer admins a method for maintaining consistent configuration sets across computing
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new devices.
and seasoned admins p. 2

What is PowerShell? p. 3

Powershell commands p. 4

PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6

How to create and run PowerShell scripts .

. p. 7

PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts

. p. 10

PowerShell features p. 11

PowerShell Active Directory management

. p. 13

On-premises management, monitoring and

deployment p. 14

Public cloud and workload management

. p. 15

PowerShell products and services p. 16

PowerShell Active Directory management
PowerShell 7 p. 17

The future of PowerShell p. 19 PowerShell's features and functionality extend to a cornerstone technology of
Further reading p. 20
Windows environments: Active Directory (AD).

PowerShell as an automation tool can play a couple of roles with AD. Group
administration, for instance, can prove a time-consuming burden for AD managers.

Page 13 of 20
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However, a handful of AD-oriented PowerShell cmdlets can help admins manage AD

In this e-guide groups

Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new In addition, PowerShell can be used to find and transfer AD flexible server master
and seasoned admins p. 2
operations (FSMO) roles. FSMO roles can prove hard to track because they might be
What is PowerShell? p. 3 dispersed across different domain controllers. PowerShell commands, coupled with the
Powershell commands p. 4 ability to create specialized functions, can simplify this activity.
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6

How to create and run PowerShell scripts .

. p. 7 On-premises management, monitoring and deployment
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts
. p. 10 Admins can use PowerShell to manage and troubleshoot systems, taking advantage of
PowerShell features p. 11 modules available in PowerShell Gallery, GitHub and Microsoft products such as
PowerShell Active Directory management Internet Information Services (IIS).
. p. 13

On-premises management, monitoring and Rebooting machines is a common administrative activity, and PowerShell can help
deployment p. 14
simplify the process. As its name suggests, the PowerShell pending reboot module lets
Public cloud and workload management admins check if Windows has a pending reboot, an important consideration because
. p. 15
Windows requires a reboot to wrap up tasks such as patch installation.
PowerShell products and services p. 16

PowerShell 7 p. 17 In addition, organizations can use PowerShell to configure Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
The future of PowerShell p. 19 when building an IIS website. Admins can get the details on SSL configuration with
Further reading p. 20 PowerShell in a tutorial based on the WebAdministration module installed by default
on IIS 10.0.

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Other PowerShell modules that can help IT professionals in their daily tasks include
In this e-guide PSWindowsUpdate, which enables admins to view update installation history and
pending updates; PoshWSUS, which manages Windows Server Update Services;
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new Carbon, which interacts with users, websites, certificates and other areas to handle a
and seasoned admins p. 2
range of tasks; and NTFSSecurity, which puts a user-friendly spin on working with NTFS
What is PowerShell? p. 3
file permissions.
Powershell commands p. 4

PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6 As for troubleshooting, PowerShell can help admins filter and query Windows event
How to create and run PowerShell scripts . logs. Commands built on PowerShell's Get-EventLog cmdlet can reveal the most recent
. p. 7
errors contained in a specific event log.
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts
. p. 10

PowerShell features p. 11
Public cloud and workload management
PowerShell Active Directory management
. p. 13
More IT assets are moving to the cloud, and PowerShell plays several roles in that
On-premises management, monitoring and environment.
deployment p. 14

Public cloud and workload management PowerShell can provide an automated way to access Azure resources, for example.
. p. 15
Admins can use an Azure service principal authentication script as part of an
PowerShell products and services p. 16
automated workflow that manages Microsoft's cloud. The Az PowerShell module
PowerShell 7 p. 17
provides the toolkit to get started.
The future of PowerShell p. 19

Further reading p. 20 Microsoft's Cloud Shell, meanwhile, provides a browser-based shell that lets users
work with PowerShell or BASH to manage Azure resources. "Cloud Shell is the most

Page 15 of 20
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brilliant thing you can do to make people use PowerShell," Jones said, noting Cloud
In this e-guide Shell introduces technicians unfamiliar with PowerShell to the technology.

Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new PowerShell's reach, however, extends beyond Azure -- in keeping with Microsoft's
and seasoned admins p. 2
cross-platform aspirations. The AWS Tools for PowerShell module gives admins
What is PowerShell? p. 3 another, and possibly familiar, option for AWS administration. Windows admins
Powershell commands p. 4 already working with PowerShell can quickly learn to use cmdlets to manage AWS
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6 offerings, noted Dan Franciscus, a systems engineer in the higher education sector.
How to create and run PowerShell scripts .
. p. 7 Digging deeper into AWS services, admins can also use PowerShell to create an AWS
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts Lambda function that provisions Elastic Compute Cloud instances. Lambda is AWS'
. p. 10 serverless computing service.
PowerShell features p. 11

PowerShell Active Directory management

. p. 13
PowerShell products and services
On-premises management, monitoring and
deployment p. 14
Although PowerShell covers a lot of ground on its own, users can take advantage of
Public cloud and workload management numerous third-party tools in the broader scripting language ecosystem.
. p. 15

PowerShell products and services p. 16 A range of products are available that aim to help admins boost their PowerShell script
PowerShell 7 p. 17 building. Those tools include advanced editors, low-code offerings and services
The future of PowerShell p. 19 targeting specific platforms such as AD. Bertram cited several PowerShell tools in a
Further reading p. 20 product roundup: Cimitra Software's Cimitra Server, Ironman Software's Universal
Automation, Sapien Technologies' PowerShell Studio, ScriptRunner Software's

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PowerShell automation and delegation platform and System Frontier's privilege access
In this e-guide management product.

Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new Services around PowerShell include online training courses, which aim to
and seasoned admins p. 2
accommodate people with varying levels of expertise. Offerings range from a
What is PowerShell? p. 3 PowerShell tutorial for beginners on the Udemy learning platform to courses that focus
Powershell commands p. 4 on specific technologies such as DSC. Pluralsight, meanwhile, offers a multi-course
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6 learning path that provides content for entry-level to advanced users.
How to create and run PowerShell scripts .
. p. 7

PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts PowerShell 7

. p. 10

PowerShell features p. 11 In 2018, Microsoft's cross-platform plans led to the creation of PowerShell Core, an
PowerShell Active Directory management edition of PowerShell the supports Linux and macOS. That product emerged in addition
. p. 13
to traditional Windows PowerShell. The arrival of PowerShell 7, however, ends what
On-premises management, monitoring and Aiello described as a temporary fork in development. PowerShell 7 and its successors,
deployment p. 14
according to a Microsoft statement, represent "the one, true PowerShell going
Public cloud and workload management
. p. 15 forward."
PowerShell products and services p. 16
The short-term Windows PowerShell/PowerShell Core split, however, created some
PowerShell 7 p. 17
functionality fissures and module incompatibilities between the editions. PowerShell 7
The future of PowerShell p. 19
deals with some, but not all those gaps. Bertram said PowerShell 7's ability to run
Further reading p. 20 modules previously unavailable under Core addresses "one of the key reasons that
Windows admins have avoided migrations to the newer version."

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Specifically, PowerShell 7 includes a compatibility layer that Microsoft said lets users
In this e-guide "import modules in an implicit Windows PowerShell session." With such PowerShell 7
features "backward compatibility is, essentially, as good as it's going to get," Aiello
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new added.
and seasoned admins p. 2

What is PowerShell? p. 3 Features left behind with PowerShell 7 include PowerShell Workflow, which was also
Powershell commands p. 4 absent from PowerShell Core 6.0. Workflow's role in paralyzing tasks is now replaced
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6 with PowerShell 7's pipeline parallelization. That feature is provided via the ForEach-
How to create and run PowerShell scripts . Object cmdlet and the new -Parallel parameter.
. p. 7

PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts "Customers told us that the only thing they really missed from Workflows was the
. p. 10 parallelization aspect, which is why we prioritized ForEach-Object -Parallel," Aiello said.
PowerShell features p. 11 Pipeline parallelization will result in "massive performance gains," he added.
PowerShell Active Directory management
. p. 13 However, the -Parallel parameter isn't a complete Workflow replacement, according to
On-premises management, monitoring and Jones, who noted Workflow was also designed for resumable, long-running tasks. He
deployment p. 14
said Workflow never had high adoption, adding that DSC has superseded Workflow in
Public cloud and workload management
. p. 15
many ways.

PowerShell products and services p. 16

Other features in PowerShell 7 include a new Get-Error cmdlet, new ternary operators
PowerShell 7 p. 17 and new pipeline operators. As for PowerShell error handing, PowerShell 7 offers a few
The future of PowerShell p. 19 twists. In addition to Get-Error, which lets admins survey all the information within a
Further reading p. 20 PowerShell error record, PowerShell 7 also includes ConciseView, which makes error
messages easier to understand.r

Page 18 of 20
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In this e-guide
The future of PowerShell
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new One issue ahead for PowerShell is migration from previous versions of the technology
and seasoned admins p. 2
to the consolidated PowerShell 7. Considerations that favor a move to PowerShell 7
What is PowerShell? p. 3
from Windows PowerShell include the previously mentioned module compatibility and
Powershell commands p. 4
features that seek to make the product easier and more efficient. Faster execution
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6 speed, which stems from PowerShell 7's .NET Core foundation, is another argument in
How to create and run PowerShell scripts . favor of migration.
. p. 7

PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts Going forward, Microsoft will continue to focus on distributed and cloud-based
. p. 10
scenarios, making sure PowerShell serves as an effective tool in those environments,
PowerShell features p. 11
Jones noted. He expects Microsoft to pursue developments along the lines of Cloud
PowerShell Active Directory management Shell.
. p. 13

On-premises management, monitoring and Overall, Jones believes PowerShell has reached a "nice level of maturity" that will let
deployment p. 14
Microsoft focus on "tweaking the small things" rather than developing grand, new
Public cloud and workload management
. p. 15 features. An unanticipated IT revolution could compel Microsoft's PowerShell
PowerShell products and services p. 16 development team to undertake a sweeping overhaul. But otherwise, incremental
PowerShell 7 p. 17
changes will characterize the years ahead, he said.

The future of PowerShell p. 19

"We are looking at continual evolution," Jones added. "The team created something
Further reading p. 20 that can withstand the ages."

Further reading

Page 19 of 20
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In this e-guide
About SearchWindowsServer
Comprehensive PowerShell guide for new
and seasoned admins p. 2 SearchWindowsServer.com, comprised of our industry expert editorial staff such as 14-
time Microsoft MVP, Brian Posey, is dedicated to providing Windows server
What is PowerShell? p. 3
professionals with the news, expert advice, tips and tutorials they need to thrive in this
Powershell commands p. 4 rapidly changing OS environment.
PowerShell learning: Basics p. 6
As the buzz surrounding Windows OSes and technologies seems to heighten by the
How to create and run PowerShell scripts .
. p. 7 day, IT professionals are continuously evaluating new Windows technologies, planning
for inevitable migrations to new Windows Server OSes, and optimizing Windows
PowerShell learning: Advanced concepts
. p. 10 troubleshooting and management strategies.
PowerShell features p. 11
Explore insights on all things Windows, from career development and Microsoft
PowerShell Active Directory management SharePoint, to management tips for hardware, server provisioning , storage and more.
. p. 13

On-premises management, monitoring and

deployment p. 14

Public cloud and workload management For further reading, visit us at:
. p. 15
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PowerShell products and services p. 16
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PowerShell 7 p. 17
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Further reading p. 20

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