PowerShell- Learning Virtually on MV Academy & MSDN Channel 9 from Videos, eBooks and Blogs
Learning Powershell can be exciting and intense with bursts of elation when a concept or an method is achieved. As I have said before I am a novice still for many reasons but on occasion I do enjoy the immersive experience. Each time I find, I retain more and more for the next foray in to the realm of Powershell. I will endeavor to open up your exploration with various resources. Whether you need to accomplish a certain level or goal for your career or you’re like me, want to expand your mind with something that is enormously powerful, Locally and/or Remotely, as compared to the old DOS look alike Command Prompt(CMD), I do hope you find this useful and informative.
Now before we go any further, we have at least a Beginner, to as much as, Intermediate, maybe even greater achievement, in Powershell, right in our midst. That is Woody Leonhard, himself, you will have to ask him what he has achieved. His two page article is a tutorial in its own right and chalked full of suggestion, inspiration and LINKS as well.
You maybe wondering, why are you doing this Crysta? Well, you would have to ask the “Powers That Be”, you know the ones, that manage the “Committee of They”? However, I did hear that one ‘Blushed’. O.o ?
Well, anyway I am and I hope it Helps somebody at least. If you have a good memory and aptitude, Powershell is easy enough to Learn to the point of fluency. I have a ‘Short Term’ Memory failing that causes me great difficulty to overcome For me, it is a struggle, but I do enjoy my time with it. That is precisely why I like GUI’s BUT the Powershell ISE is GUI enough and helps me overcome allot!!! If you’re somewhat like me, than fear not you can do some too, even if it is slow. Don’t worry about that, just do it as much as you want, you need, you enjoy, and enjoy your small successes they are important and you can build on them, I know I do.
Go pro: The power user’s guide to PowerShell Part I
Go pro: The power user’s guide to PowerShell Part II
“PowerShell is a powerful tool to master. Here’s our step-by-step guide to getting familiar with Windows’ über language”
By Woody Leonhard Senior Contributing Editor, InfoWorld | OCT 3, 2016
We will start in Part I, with Microsoft’s Virtual Academy(MVA), with a couple of high points as well as a search list of links for the rest. There is a list of eBooks on right hand side of the page for your reading and studying enjoyment. Next we will look at MSDN Channel 9, Microsoft’s Netcast and conference/seminar Broadcast TV streaming/download channel. There are no eBooks here but Jeffrey Snover (the Father of Powershell) has appeared many times on air like he also has on a couple of Learning series on MVA. I will attempt to point out a couple of videos or video series but most will be covered in a search list of links of the website as it pertains to Powershell. Finally I will also include a You Tube search list of links. In Part II, I will provide links for a variety of publications, blogs and repositories. The content on the web is actually quite extensive, which means I will not be able to cover it all here. So keep on the lookout for various new sources about the wonderful world of Powershell.
What!? You mean you haven’t installed or setup/configured Powershell and Powershell ISE for this Introduction? ? OH Dear! Fear not, we have you covered in our first point, Enjoy…..
Install and Configure PowerShell and PowerShell ISE via the WMF
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/install-and-configure-powershell-and-powershell-ise-via-the-wmf/
Microsoft Virtual Academy
https://mva.microsoft.com/
Most if not all media is timeless, since up to this point at least, all of the versions are additive to each other for the most part. There may be bug fixes that alter some things slightly but other than that, we can take you to the best opening series of Powershell with the father, Jeffrey Snover in 2013 when Powershell was V 3. It regularly oscillates in and out of the most viewed series on @CH9.
Getting Started with Microsoft PowerShell
https://mva.microsoft.com/en-US/training-courses/getting-started-with-microsoft-powershell-8276
“Interested in learning PowerShell? This Microsoft PowerShell course is designed to teach busy IT professionals, Admins’, and Help Desk personnel about how to use PowerShell to improve management capabilities, automate redundant tasks, and manage the environment in scale. Through this PowerShell tutorial, you will learn how PowerShell works and how to make PowerShell work for you from experts Jeffrey Snover, the inventor of PowerShell, and Jason Helmick, Senior Technologist at Concentrated Technology. Create a valuable experience when you take this free Microsoft PowerShell course at Microsoft Virtual Academy.”
Jason Helmick and Jeffrey Snover
Published: 3 years ago
What’s New in PowerShell v5
https://mva.microsoft.com/en-US/training-courses/whats-new-in-powershell-v5-16434
“Would you like to learn about the latest and greatest features that Microsoft has built into PowerShell Version 5? Be sure to check out this course, and get the details that can enable you to begin using these features immediately. Explore the new features in PowerShell, including changes in security, scripting, debugging, and administration role management, along with the PowerShell Gallery, ScriptAnalyzer, and DSC(Desired State Configuration). Plus, learn to install modules, implement the Wait Debugger, look at Just Enough Administration(JEA), and much more.”
Ashley McGlone – Premier Field Engineer, Microsoft
Published: 9 months ago
PowerShell Search results of MVA
https://mva.microsoft.com/training-topics/powershell?whr=uri:MicrosoftAccount&lng=en-US&countrycode=CA&channel=MVA#!index=2&orderby=popularity&lang=1033
“Windows PowerShell is a task-based, command-line, automation platform and scripting language that allows you to simplify the management of your systems. Join us, and learn to automate the administration of your Windows environments with the rich objects and built-in functionality of PowerShell.”
MSDN Channel 9
https://channel9.msdn.com/
Jeffrey Snover
“Jeffrey Snover is a Technical Fellow at Microsoft and the Chief Architect for the Enterprise Cloud Group which includes Azure Stack, Windows Server, System Center and Operations Management Suite. Snover is the inventor of Windows PowerShell, an object-based distributed automation engine, scripting language, and command line shell. Snover joined Microsoft in 1999 as divisional architect for the Management and Services Division, providing technical direction across Microsoft’s management technologies and products. Snover has over 30 years of industry experience with a focus on management technologies and solutions. He was an architect in the office of the CTO at Tivoli and a development manager at NetView. He has worked also as a consulting engineer and development manager at DEC, where he led various network and systems management projects. Snover is a frequent speaker at industry and research conferences on a variety of cloud, management and language topics.”
Jeffrey Snover Sessions
https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Speakers/Jeffrey-Snover
PowerShell 10 Year Anniversary
Nov 14, 2016 19 episodes
Redmond and other locations around the world
“PowerShell celebrates 10 Years in production with a day-long event. This will be streaming live and shown world-wide on the home page for Channel9.msdn.com.
There will be segments including PowerShell and SQL, PowerShell and Azure Automation, and the future directions for PowerShell. In addition, several presentations will focus on cool ways of using PowerShell, including setting up a MineCraft server, using PowerShell to control sprinklers or an IOT-based Theramin, or a Tesla (among other things).
There will also be opportunities to hear the team members talk about how the product has evolved, and some of the MVPs talk about community involvement and the new open source engagement. Stay and join in on the coding contests, or come back later for any of the talks above.”
“Jeffrey Snover and Kenneth Hansen will kick off the day at 8:00am (PST). Join from then until 4:00pm (PST) for the PowerShell 10th Anniversary Celebration!”
PowerShell 10 Year Anniversary
https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/PowerShell-Team/PowerShell-10-Year-Anniversary
Search Channel 9 for PowerShell: Relevance, English, Past year
https://channel9.msdn.com/Search?term=PowerShell#ch9Search&lang-en=en&pubDate=year
Search You Tube for PowerShell
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Powershell
PowerShell Magazine
http://www.powershellmagazine.com/
“The PowerShell community itself is very strong with several sources of information such as MVP & community blogs, podcasts, and open source PowerShell modules and extensions. There are also several technical magazines providing PowerShell content in bits and pieces. The “PowerShell Magazine” was started with a thought of serving exclusive PowerShell content free of cost to the readers. Our magazine is a monthly magazine and is available as an online edition and as downloadable PDF (and ePub/Mobi formats in future). The majority of content contribution is done through guest authors and the community. A few selected guest authors will be rewarded for the content either in cash or other means. If you are interested in writing for us, you may submit an article pitch here.
Editorial Panel
Our editorial team includes several Microsoft MVPs in PowerShell, crossing disciplines between software development and systems administration, as well as long time PowerShell community members. We will leverage our own skills, as well as those of the community we interact with to drive topics, content, and areas of focus. You can reach our editorial team at: Editors@PowerShellMagazine.com ”
Server & Tools Blogs > Server & Management Blogs > Windows PowerShell Blog
Windows PowerShell
Automating the world one-liner at a time…
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/powershell/
Windows Management Framework (WMF) 5.1 Released
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/powershell/2017/01/19/windows-management-framework-wmf-5-1-released/
Update January 27, 2017: .Net version info updated.
“We are pleased to announce that we are releasing the Windows Management Framework (WMF) 5.1 via the Microsoft download center.
WMF 5.1 upgrades Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2 to the PowerShell, WMI, WinRM and SIL components that were released with Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 Anniversary Edition.
You can find out more about the WMF 5.1 release in the Release Notes.
Please note that for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 the installation instructions have changed significantly. Please read the Install and Configure topic in the release notes. We have removed the requirement for pre-installing WMF 4 on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, but to do so we had create a script for checking the prerequisites that accompanies the MSU in a ZIP file. WMF 5.1 requires .Net version 4.5.2, and cannot be installed on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 if WMF 3.0 is installed. This affects only Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. The Install and Configure topic in the release notes provides details on using the script.
As always, we welcome your feedback on PowerShell and WMF via our UserVoice site.
Thank you –”
The PowerShell Team
SAPIEN Information Center
SAPIEN Technologies, Inc.
http://info.sapien.com/index.php
Beginner
CONTENTS
Adding auto-complete to an input textbox
How Do Multi-Form Projects Work?
How I learned to love DialogResult
PowerShell GUI Apps: Why think in events?
PowerShell GUIs: Where do I start?
Take Values from the Pipeline in PowerShell
Typing Enter Pushes a Button
Write a Multi-Form PowerShell GUI App
Microsoft Script Center
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/scriptcenter/bb410849.aspx
“At the Microsoft Script Center, we are dedicated to the system administrator scripter’s of the world whom we teach how to use Windows PowerShell to reduce time spent performing mundane tasks.”
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Repositories
Script resources for IT professionals
https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter
“Download resources and applications for Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012,Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, SharePoint, System Center, Office and other products. Find resources written in VB Script, PowerShell, SQL, JavaScript or other script languages. New resources are added frequently so check often and see what’s new.,
Each contribution is licensed to you under a License Agreement by its owner, not Microsoft. Microsoft does not guarantee the contribution or purport to grant rights to it.”
Unfortunately, the “Microsoft Script Center” repository is not directly Powershell friendly like PS Gallery below. You can Register and Set the Powershell friendly Repositories, but not this one. Therefore, I have not found a way yet to Install these Scripts. They are handled differently, see my forum posts, below.
NOTE: In The Script Center, if you find something you like, PLEASE CHECK for it in PS Gallery, which is next, because that will be where the latest information and versions will be. Not all scripts, however have been moved there BUT those that have been moved there, does not mean relocated there. Yes, there is a difference. Also, as I have encountered, some of the Scripts may in fact be included in Modules, which is fine, Install the Module. However, the same name does not necessarily mean the same Script. So if you find more than one Module with the same Script name, you will need to check them until you find the one or more that you want
PowerShell Gallery
https://www.powershellgallery.com/
“Welcome to the PowerShell Gallery
The PowerShell Gallery is the central repository for PowerShell content. You can find new PowerShell commands or Desired State Configuration (DSC) resources in the Gallery.”
“Getting Started with the Gallery
Installing items from the Gallery requires the latest version of the PowerShellGet module, which is available in Windows 10, in Windows Management Framework (WMF) 5.0, or in the MSI-based installer (for PowerShell 3 and 4).”
“Get Windows 10
Get latest WMF
Get PowerShellGet for PS 3 & 4
With the latest PowerShellGet module, you can:”
“Search through items in the Gallery with Find-Module and Find-Script
Save items to your system from the Gallery with Save-Module and Save-Script
Install items from the Gallery with Install-Module and Install-Script
Upload items to the Gallery with Publish-Module and Publish-Script
Add your own custom repository with Register-PSRepository”
“Check out the Documentation for more information on how to use PowerShellGet commands with the Gallery. You can also run Update-Help -Module PowerShellGet to install local help for these commands.”
NOTE: I just run ‘Update-Help’ in Powershell and update everything I have so far. In Powershell ISE under the Help Menu Button, you can just click on ‘Update-Help’ which what I do, because it is quick.
Here are one of each that I have already covered. Last I checked, Get-PendingReboot had not been moved to PS Gallery But you check…..
Powershell ISE Module: Installing PSWindowsUpdate, Script: Provisioning Get-PendingReboot
MSDN: Get Started with the PowerShell Gallery
Chocolatey
https://chocolatey.org/
“The package manager for Windows
Chocolatey – Software Management Automation
The sane way to manage software on Windows
Chocolatey builds on technologies you know – unattended installation and PowerShell. Chocolatey works with all existing software installation technologies like MSI, NSIS, InnoSetup, etc, but also works with runtime binaries and zip archives. Go Pro/Business to dial that experience up to 11!”
“Easily manage all aspects of Windows software (installation, configuration, upgrade, and uninstallation). Chocolatey is the most reliable when software is included in the package, but can also easily download resources.
Take advantage of PowerShell to provide automated software management instructions and Chocolatey’s built-in module to turn complex tasks into one line function calls!”
“Official Chocolatey tools
The CLI client, choco.exe, was designed with security in mind. Know you are using Chocolatey from a trusted source when you are using the official Chocolatey clients.
Use choco.exe to install, upgrade, uninstall, publish and search for packages (and much more).
Use Chocolatey GUI when you need a visual representation of packages.
There is an official provider for Windows 10/Windows Server 2016’s built-in package manager (PowerShell PackageManagement) coming soon.”
NOTE: I am so looking forward to the above.
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1. Tower Totals: 2xSSD ~512GB, 2xHHD 20 TB, Memory 32GB
SSDs: 6xOS Partitions, 2xW8.1 Main & Test, 2x10.0 Test, Pro, x64
CPU i7 2600 K, SandyBridge/CougarPoint, 4 cores, 8 Threads, 3.4 GHz
Graphics Radeon RX 580, RX 580 ONLY Over Clocked
More perishable
2xMonitors Asus DVI, Sony 55" UHD TV HDMI
1. NUC 5i7 2cores, 4 Thread, Memory 8GB, 3.1 GHz, M2SSD 140GB
1xOS W8.1 Pro, NAS Dependent, Same Sony above.
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