Stanek W. - Windows PowerShell Self-Study Training Kit

Windows PowerShell:

The Personal Trainer

PowerShell 3.0, 4.0, 5.0

William Stanek

PUBLISHED BY

Stanek & Associates
PO Box 362
East Olympia, WA 98540-0362

Copyright 2015 William Stanek

All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written permission of the publisher.

United States of America

The Personal Trainer and Stanek & Associates are trademarks of William Stanek. All other marks are property of their respective owners.

The example names for companies, organizations, persons and other named elements used in the book are fictitious. No association with any real company, organization, person or other named element is intended or should be inferred.

This book expresses the authors views and opinions. The information contained herein is provided without any express, statutory or implied warranties. Neither the authors, the publishers, the resellers nor distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused either directly or indirectly by this book.

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You can provide feedback related to this book by emailing the author at williamstanek@aol.com. Please use the name of the book as the subject line.

Introduction

Windows PowerShell: The Personal Trainer is the authoritative quick reference guide to Windows PowerShell and is designed to be a key resource you turn to whenever you have questions about Windows PowerShell. To this end, the book zeroes in on the key aspects of Windows PowerShell that youll use the most.

Inside this books pages, youll find comprehensive overviews, step-by-step procedures, frequently used tasks, documented examples, and much more. One of the goals is to keep the content so concise that the book remains compact and easy to navigate while at the same time ensuring that the book is packed with as much information as possiblemaking it a valuable resource.

Windows PowerShell: The Personal Trainer covers PowerShell 3.0 and PowerShell 4.0. In this book, I teach you how PowerShell features work, why they work the way they do, and how to use them to meet your needs. One of the goals is to keep the content so concise that the book remains compact and easy to navigate while ensuring that the book is packed with as much information as possiblemaking it a valuable resource. In addition, this book provides hands-on, tips, and best practices for working with Windows PowerShell.

To get practical and useful information into your hands without the clutter of a ton of background material, I had to assume several things. If you are reading this book, I hope that you have basic networking skills and a basic understanding of Windows, and that Windows PowerShell is already installed on your systems. I also assume that you are fairly familiar with Windows commands and procedures as well as the Windows command line. With this in mind, I dont devote entire chapters to understanding Windows architecture or installing Windows PowerShell. I do, however, provide complete details on the core features of Windows PowerShell and how you can use these features.

Rome wasnt built in a day, and this book wasnt intended to be read in a day, a week, or even 21 days. Ideally, youll read this book at your own pace, a little each day, as you work your way through the features Windows PowerShell has to offer.

Making this book easy to follow and understand was my number one goal. I really want anyone, skill level or work schedule aside, to be able to learn how to effectively use Windows PowerShell.

To make the book easy to use, this book is organized into multiple chapters. The chapters are arranged in a logical order, taking you from the essential concepts you need to know to work with Windows PowerShell to techniques for managing computers with scripts.

Windows PowerShell: The Personal Trainer is designed to be used with Windows PowerShell for Administration: The Personal Trainer . While this book focuses on core features, the latter book focuses on putting Windows PowerShell to work in the real world.

Ive used a variety of elements to help keep the text clear and easy to follow. Youll find code terms and listings i n monospac e type, except when I tell you to actually enter a command. In that case, the command appears in bold type. When I introduce and define a new term, I put it in italics .

This book also has notes, tips and other sidebar elements that provide additional details on points that need emphasis.

Although some books are offered as all-in-one guides, theres simply no way one book can do it all. This book is intended to be used as a concise and easy-to-use resource. It covers everything you need to perform core tasks with Windows PowerShell, but it is by no means exhaustive.

As you encounter new topics, take the time to practice what youve learned and read about. Seek additional information as necessary to get the practical experience and knowledge that you need.

I truly hope you find that Windows PowerShell: The Personal Trainer helps you use Windows PowerShell successfully and effectively.

Thank you,

William R. Stanek

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Chapter 1
Windows PowerShell Essentials