Getting Started with Powershell

by Michael Shepard

About This BookHarness the capabilities of the PowerShell system to get started quickly with server automationLearn to package commands into a reusable script and add control structures and parameters to make them flexibleGet to grips with cmdlets that allow you to perform administration tasks efficientlyWho This Book Is ForThis book is intended for Windows administrators or DevOps users who need to use PowerShell to automate tasks. Whether you know nothing about PowerShell or know just enough to get by, this guide will give you what you need to take your scripting to the next level.What You Will LearnLearn to verify your installed version of PowerShell, upgrade it, and start a PowerShell session using the ISEDiscover PowerShell commands and cmdlets and understand PowerShell formattingUse the PowerShell help system to understand what particular cmdlets doUtilize the pipeline to perform typical data manipulationPackage your code in scripts, functions, and modulesSolve common problems using basic file input/output functionsFind system information with WMI and CIMAutomate IIS functionality and manage it using the WebAdministration moduleIn Detail

Windows PowerShell is a task-based command-line shell and scripting language designed specifically for system administration. It helps IT professionals to control and automate the administration of Windows OS and applications that run on Windows.

Getting Started with PowerShell is designed to help you get up and running with PowerShell, taking you from the basics of installation to writing scripts and web server automation. This book, as an introduction to the central topics of PowerShell, covers finding and understanding PowerShell commands and packaging code for reusability, right through to a practical example of automating IIS.

Along the way, you will learn to perform data manipulation and solve common problems using basic file input/output functions. By the end of this book, you will be familiar with PowerShell and be able to utilize the lessons learned from the book to automate your servers.

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 27, 2015

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent introduction to the world of powershell. Didn’t get too far in depth on any one topic, and there were a few topics that didn’t seem incredibly helpful (i.e. the last two) However, it was an enjoyable read and I do think I ended up learning a thing or two.

[Collin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pretty decent introduction to Powershell.
It's not super in-depth. But, for those already used to writing code or working on the command line via Bash it will be a good primer.

I gave it 4/5 instead of 5 because a few chapters were a bit scant on content and examples towards the beginning and it seems to rely on the internal Powershell Documentation pretty heavily.