Windows PowerShell Best Practices

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

Table of Contents

Part I: Understanding the basics of Windows PowerShell
Chapter 1. Survey of Windows PowerShell capabilities
Chapter 2. Using the CIM cmdlets

Part II: Planning for scripting
Chapter 3. Using the Active Directory module
Chapter 4. Identifying scripting opportunities
Chapter 5. Configuring the script environment
Chapter 6. Avoiding scripting pitfalls
Chapter 7. Tracking scripting opportunities

Part III: Designing the script
Chapter 8. Designing the script
Chapter 9. Designing help for scripts
Chapter 10. Designing modules
Chapter 11. Handling input and output
Chapter 12. Handling errors
Chapter 13. Testing scripts
Chapter 14. Documenting scripts

Part IV: Deploying the script
Chapter 15. Managing the execution policy
Chapter 16. Running scripts
Chapter 17. Versioning scripts
Chapter 18. Logging results
Chapter 19. Troubleshooting scripts
Chapter 20. Using the Windows PowerShell ISE
Chapter 21. Using Windows PowerShell remoting and jobs
Chapter 22. Using Windows PowerShell Workflow
Chapter 23. Using the Windows PowerShell DSC