Windows PowerShell Unleashed

Tyson Kopczynski9780672329531, 0-672-32953-0

PowerShell is one of the most exciting new products to come out of Microsoft in a long time. It is both a new scripting language and a command-line shell. People who have seen the demos have been extremely impressed by the power it brings to admins to automate and customize their regular tasks. PowerShell will be used as the basis for all Windows administrative scripting in the future, starting with Exchange 2007 and Vista. IT Pros have been hungering for whatever PowerShell information they can get their hands on. This book first focuses on PowerShell basics, how it relates to existing Windows scripting practices, and how your existing knowledge can be translated into PowerShell knowledge. After gaining insight into PowerShell, you are presented with transferable PowerShell scripting examples. The goal of presenting these examples is to outline methods of using PowerShell to manage Windows Server, Active Directory, and Exchange Server 2007 that have not been explained or touched upon by other sources.

---

Table of contents :
Windows® PowerShell Unleashed……Page 1
Table of Contents……Page 5
Introduction……Page 14
Part I: Introduction to PowerShell……Page 18
What Is a Shell?……Page 20
A Shell History……Page 27
Enter PowerShell……Page 29
Summary……Page 30
Getting Started……Page 32
Accessing PowerShell……Page 34
Understanding the Command-Line Interface (CLI)……Page 35
Understanding cmdlets……Page 46
Useful cmdlets……Page 48
Expressions……Page 53
Understanding Variables……Page 54
Understanding Aliases……Page 58
Escape Sequences……Page 62
Understanding Scopes……Page 63
Your First Script……Page 66
Summary……Page 69
Object Based……Page 70
Understanding Providers……Page 85
Understanding Errors……Page 91
Error Handling……Page 93
PowerShell Profiles……Page 97
Understanding Security……Page 98
Summary……Page 104
Introduction……Page 106
What Is Code Signing?……Page 107
Obtaining a Code-Signing Certificate……Page 108
Signing PowerShell Scripts……Page 113
Verifying Digital Signatures……Page 114
Signed Code Distribution……Page 115
Summary……Page 119
Script Development……Page 120
Script Design……Page 123
Script Security……Page 130
Standards for Scripting……Page 131
Summary……Page 133
Part II: Translating Your Existing Knowledge into PowerShell……Page 136
File System Management in WSH and PowerShell……Page 138
Working with Permissions……Page 141
From VBScript to PowerShell……Page 149
Summary……Page 168
Registry Management in WSH and PowerShell……Page 170
From VBScript to PowerShell……Page 174
Summary……Page 194
Comparing WMI Usage Between WSH and PowerShell……Page 196
From VBScript to PowerShell……Page 204
Summary……Page 216
Comparing ADSI Usage Between WSH and PowerShell……Page 218
From VBScript to PowerShell……Page 225
Summary……Page 245
Part III: Using PowerShell to Meet Your Automation Needs……Page 246
The PSShell.ps1 Script……Page 248
The ChangeLocalAdminPassword.ps1 Script……Page 259
Summary……Page 272
The Exchange ManagementShell (EMS)……Page 274
The GetDatabaseSizeReport.ps1 Script……Page 279
The GetEvent1221Info.ps1 Script……Page 288
The ProvisionExchangeUsers.ps1 Script……Page 298
Summary……Page 305
A……Page 308
C……Page 309
E……Page 311
F……Page 312
I……Page 313
N……Page 314
P……Page 315
R……Page 316
S……Page 317
T……Page 318
W-X-Y-Z……Page 319