PowerShell 101
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PowerShell 101

The No-Nonsense Guide to Windows PowerShell

About the Book

Before PowerShell, I began my career as an IT Pro, pointing and clicking in the GUI. I wrote this book to save IT Pros from themselves by reducing the learning curve and helping them avoid being reluctant to learn PowerShell.

Instead of a book that covers topics with fictitious scenarios, this book is a condensed version targeting the specific topics I've found an IT Pro needs to know to succeed with PowerShell in a real-world production environment. It's a collection of what I wish someone would have told me when I started learning PowerShell, along with the tips, tricks, and best practices that I've learned while using PowerShell since 2007.

This book focuses on Windows PowerShell version 5.1 running on Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022 in a Microsoft Active Directory domain environment. However, the basic concepts apply to all versions of PowerShell running on any supported platform.

All (100%) of the royalties from the sales of this book beginning June 3rd, 2020, and later are donated to the OnRamp scholarship program to help bootstrap others into the industry.

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About the Author

Mike F. Robbins
Mike F. Robbins

Mike F. Robbins, a former Microsoft MVP, is the lead technical writer for Azure PowerShell at Microsoft. With extensive experience in PowerShell, he is a scripting, automation, and efficiency expert. As a lifelong learner, Mike continuously strives to improve his skills and empower others by sharing his knowledge and experience. He is also a published author, having written several books, including:

- Author of PowerShell 101: The No-Nonsense Guide to Windows PowerShell

- Creator of The PowerShell Conference Book

- Co-author of Windows PowerShell TFM 4th Edition

- Contributing author in the PowerShell Deep Dives book

When Mike's not writing documentation for Microsoft, he can be found sharing his thoughts and insights on his blog at mikefrobbins.com and interacting with his followers on Twitter @mikefrobbins.

Reader Testimonials

Marvin Carpenter
Marvin Carpenter

I always learn something new or a new technique just by reviewing your code.

Table of Contents

    • Preface
    • About this book
      • Who is this book for?
      • The mission of this book
      • About the author
      • About the technical editor
      • Lab environment
    • Disclaimer
    • Chapter 1 - Getting started with PowerShell
      • What is PowerShell?
      • What you need to get started with PowerShell
      • Where to find PowerShell
      • How to launch PowerShell
      • Determine your version of PowerShell
      • Execution policy
      • Summary
      • Review
      • References
      • Next steps
    • Chapter 2 - The help system
      • Discoverability
      • The three core cmdlets in PowerShell
      • Get-Help
      • Updating help
      • Get-Command
      • Contributing to the documentation
      • Summary
      • Review
      • References
      • Next steps
    • Chapter 3 - Discovering Objects, Properties, and Methods
      • Prerequisites
      • Get-Member
      • Get-Command
      • Active Directory
      • Summary
      • Review
      • References
      • Next steps
    • Chapter 4 - One-Liners and the pipeline
      • One-Liners
      • Filter Left
      • The Pipeline
      • PowerShellGet
      • Finding pipeline input the easy way
      • Summary
      • Review
      • References
      • Next steps
    • Chapter 5 - Formatting, aliases, providers, comparison
      • Prerequisites
      • Format Right
      • Aliases
      • Providers
      • Comparison Operators
      • Summary
      • Review
      • References
      • Next steps
    • Chapter 6 - Flow control
      • Scripting
      • Looping
      • Break, Continue, and Return
      • Summary
      • Review
      • References
    • Chapter 7 - Working with WMI
      • WMI and CIM
      • Query Remote Computers with the CIM cmdlets
      • Summary
      • Review
      • References
    • Chapter 8 - PowerShell Remoting
      • One-To-One Remoting
      • One-To-Many Remoting
      • PowerShell Sessions
      • Summary
      • Review
      • References
    • Chapter 9 - Functions
      • Naming
      • A simple function
      • Parameters
      • Advanced Functions
      • SupportsShouldProcess
      • Parameter Validation
      • Verbose Output
      • Pipeline Input
      • Error Handling
      • Comment-Based Help
      • Summary
      • Review
      • References
    • Chapter 10 - Script modules
      • Dot-Sourcing Functions
      • Script Modules
      • Module Manifests
      • Defining Public and Private Functions
      • Summary
      • Review
      • References

Causes Supported

DevOps Collective Scholarships

http://devopscollective.org

Support IT education scholarships by giving to The DevOps Collective, Inc.

The DevOps Collective’s OnRamp scholarships help younger technology professionals, many from underrepresented groups and disadvantaged backgrounds, learn about IT automation, DevOps practices, and more - all at no cost to them or their families. We’re changing one life at a time and helping to ensure the continuation and advancement of our trade!

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