PowerShell in Depth

by Don Jones, Jeffery Hicks, Richard Siddaway

SummaryPowerShell in Depth, Second Edition is the go-to reference for administrators working with Windows PowerShell. Every major technique, technology, and tactic is carefully explained and demonstrated, providing a hands-on guide to almost everything an admin would do in the shell. Written by three experienced authors and PowerShell MVPs, this is the PowerShell book you'll keep next to your monitor—not on your bookshelf! Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.About the BookA Windows admin using PowerShell every day may not have the time to search the net every time he or she hits a snag. Wouldn't it be great to have a team of seasoned PowerShell experts ready to answer even the toughest questions? That's what you get with this book. PowerShell in Depth, Second Edition is the go-to reference for administrators working with Windows PowerShell. Every major technique, technology, and tactic is carefully explained and demonstrated, providing a hands-on guide to almost everything an admin would do in the shell. Written by PowerShell MVPs Don Jones, Jeffrey Hicks, and Richard Siddaway, each valuable technique was developed and thoroughly tested, so you'll be able to consistently write production-quality, maintainable scripts while saving hours of time and effort. This book assumes you know the basics of PowerShell. What's InsideAutomating tasksPackaging and deploying scriptsIntroduction to Desired State ConfigurationPowerShell securityCovers PowerShell version 3 and laterAbout the AuthorsDon Jones, Jeffery Hicks, and Richard Siddaway are Microsoft MVPs, trainers, and administrators. Collectively, they've authored nearly three dozen books on PowerShell and Windows administration.Table of ContentsPART 1 POWERSHELL FUNDAMENTALSIntroductionPowerShell hostsUsing the PowerShell help systemThe basics of PowerShell syntaxWorking with PSSnapins and modulesOperatorsWorking with objectsThe PowerShell pipelineFormattingPART 2 POWERSHELL MANAGEMENTPowerShell RemotingBackground jobs and schedulingWorking with credentialsRegular expressionsWorking with HTML and XML dataPSDrives and PSProvidersVariables, arrays, hash tables, and script blocksPowerShell securityAdvanced PowerShell syntaxPART 3 POWERSHELL SCRIPTING AND AUTOMATIONPowerShell's scripting languageBasic scripts and functionsCreating objects for outputScopePowerShell workflowsAdvanced syntax for scripts and functionsScript modules and manifest modulesCustom formatting viewsCustom type extensionsData language and internationalizationWriting helpError handling techniquesDebugging tools and technique

Genres: Programming, Computers, Nonfiction, Reference, Coding

744 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2012

About the author

Don Jones has written dozens and dozens of books and ebooks on information technology topics, and is perhaps most well-known in that space for his "Month of Lunches" series, published by Manning. Don's recently branched out into topics like business management, instructional design, and self-improvement/motivational, along with launching books in science fiction and fantasy. Don lives in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, is a huge fan of Disney Parks, and loves Figment best of all.

Reviews

[Sebastian Gebski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a while, I admit (even though they were chapters I've skimmed through quickly).
First important point about this book: it's really **in depth**.
Well, author is not decompiling Powershell on his own :), but he covers some topics I've never seen covered in any other PowerShell book.

For instance:
* details of remoting
* good description of how credentials work in PS
* CIM (it's not that different from WMI, but it's still good to learn the diffs)
* DSC (brief description, but unlike to some other books - it covers & emphasizes some very valid points)
* Workflows (ok, I think they are useless ;P but now I have a better basis to claim that)

Neither time, nor money wasted.
Why 4 & not 5 stars then?
Some code samples were very easy-going, debugging chapter has disappointed me a lot, chapters like GUI/DB one doesn't make much sense TBH (it's about using .NET classes, so why bother?).
Anyway - if you want to refresh your Powershell-fu, this book is quite a good choice.

[Jorgon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes one has to get into the mind of an enemy, and this one helps an unlucky admin accomplish that. More seriously, if you have to work with PowerShell (and there can be worse fates), this will help you slog through weird variable definitions, cryptic error messages and garbled syntax--and you will even have some fun along the way. Plus, you can occupy yourself reading this while your PowerShell scripts execute with all the alacrity of a lethargic snail.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive guide to writing efficient, robust Power Shell scripts, and more.

Anybody facing admin tasks, automation, remote access, configuration or even extracting data for reports will benefit from this book.

Note: I read the sequel that is currently a MEAP: 3rd edition of the book that also covers PowerShell 4.0.

[Niels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights on PowerShell. Good examples.