Automating Windows Server 2008 R2 Administration with Windows PowerShell

Aleksandar Nikolić, PowerShell MVPTwitter: @alexandair

October 20, 2011

What is Windows PowerShell?

• Not just a command-line shell• Not just a scripting language• An automation engine, an automation platform• Designed especially for system administration• Cmdlets – built-in PowerShell commands

Why Windows PowerShell? (1)

• To automate administrative tasks• Manage the computers from the command-line• Access to file system, Registry, certificate store…• The Admin Development Model

– An interactive shell -> quick and dirty scripting -> a formal production scripting

• Based on the .NET Framework

Why Windows PowerShell? (2)

• Consistency and discoverability• Standards-based management (WMI/CIM and WSMan)• Extensible (PowerShell modules/snap-ins)• Great help system• PowerShell vs. GUI PowerShell and GUI

How to get it?

• Windows PowerShell v2• Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2

– A part of the operating system– Server Core! (optional feature)

• XP SP3, Vista SP2, Server 2003 SP2, and 2008 SP2– Windows Management Framework (KB968929)– Windows Update and WSUS

Windows PowerShell in a Nutshell

• Cmdlets (Verb-Noun)• PSProviders and PSDrives• Get-Help, Get-Command, Get-Member, Get-PSDrive• Pipeline• Sends objects down the pipeline• -WhatIf and –Confirm parameters

DEMO:basic commands

Automating Management Tasks

• Standards-based management (WMI/CIM and WSMan)• Local and remote• PowerShell jobs• Task scheduling

CustomPowerShellEndpoint

Management Stack in PowerShell v2

DCOMClient

DCOMService

WMIEngine

PowerShellRemoting

WinRMClient

ServerManagerConsole

ManagementApplication

DefaultPowerShellEndpoint

WMI

PowerShell

ProvidersProvidersDCOM

WS-ManagementWinRMService

Internet

Management Station

wsman.msft.netManaged Source

CommunicationPathway

Standards-Based Management

• Protocol: DMTF Standard Protocol: Web Services Management (WSMan)• Agent: The WinRM service in Windows implements the server role of the WSMan protocol. WMI

implements the CIMOM.• Tool: WSMan cmdlets allow access to any device that complies with CIM and WSMan standards• Extensions: Microsoft extensions to WSMan enable PowerShell remoting (1-1, 1-many, many-1)

Management Station

Managed Source

https (port 5986)

DEMO:managementtasks

Extending Windows PowerShell

• Think about MMC snap-ins• A set of related PowerShell functionalities• To package and deploy PowerShell functionalities• PSSnapins (v1+)

– Get-PSSnapin –Registered– Quest AD cmdlets and VMware vSphere PowerCLI cmdlets

• Modules (v2+)– Get-Module –ListAvailable– include cmdlets, providers, functions, variables, aliases

Built-in Modules

Name Command to import module or add snap-in

Active Directory Rights Management Services module for Windows PowerShell

Import-Module ADRMS

Application ID Policy Management module for Windows PowerShell

Import-Module AppLocker

Best Practice Analyzer module for Windows PowerShell

Import-Module BestPractices

Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) module for Windows PowerShell

Import-Module BITSTransfer

Server Manager module for Windows PowerShell Import-Module ServerManager

Troubleshooting pack support Import-Module TroubleshootingPack

Name Required installed role or feature Command to import module or add snap-in

Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell Requires installation of the Active Directory Domain Services role

Import-Module ActiveDirectory

Active Directory Rights Management Services administration module for Windows PowerShell

Requires installation of the AD RMS role. Import-Module ADRMSAdmin

Failover Clusters module for Windows PowerShell Requires installation of the Failover Clustering feature.

Import-Module FailoverClusters

Group Policy module for Windows PowerShell Requires installation of the Group Policy Management feature.

Import-Module GroupPolicy

Network Load Balancing Clusters module for Windows PowerShell

Requires installation of the Network Load Balancing feature.

Import-Module NetworkLoadBalancingClusters

Remote Desktop Services module for Windows PowerShell

Requires installation of the Remote Desktop Services role.

Import-Module RemoteDesktopServices

Server Migration module for Windows PowerShell Requires installation of the Windows Server Migration Tools feature

Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.Windows.ServerManager.Migration

Windows Backup snap-in for Windows PowerShell Requires installation of the Windows Server Backup Features: Windows Server Backup and Command-line Tools.

Add-PSSnapin Windows.ServerBackup

Internet Information Services (IIS) module for Windows PowerShell

Requires installation of the Web Server (IIS) role Import-Module WebAdministration

Web Services for Management (WS-Management) Requires installation of Web Services for Management (WS-Management) role

Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.WSMan.Management

DEMO:built-inmodules

Windows PowerShell in Action, Second EditionBruce Payettehttp://www.manning.com/payette2/

Windows PowerShell Cookbook, Second EditionLee Holmeshttp://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596801519

Administrator's Guide to Windows PowerShell RemotingDr. Tobias Weltner, Aleksandar Nikolic, Richard Gileshttp://powershell.com/cs/media/p/4908.aspx

Further Reading

Requirements

• Windows PowerShell requires Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP1

• PowerShell ISE requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1

• Out-GridView requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1

• Get-WinEvent requires Vista or newer and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5

• Get-Counter and Import-Counter require Vista or newer

• Export-Counter requires Windows 7

• Microsoft Windows PowerShell– http://www.microsoft.com/powershell

• Windows PowerShell Team Blog– http://blogs.msdn.com/PowerShell

• MS TechNet Script Center– http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/hubs/msh.mspx

• PowerShell Forum– http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverpowershell/

• Windows PowerShell Survival Guide– http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/windows-

powershell-survival-guide.aspx

Microsoft Resources

• PowerShell Community– http://powershellcommunity.org

• PowerShell Code Repository– http://poshcode.org

• PowerShell.com Community– http://powershell.com

• PowerGUI.org Community– http://powergui.org

• PowerShell Magazine– http://powershellmagazine.com

• irc.freenode.net #PowerShell

Community Resources

Thank you for your attention.

Microsoft and Open Source

gateway for deeper exploration of open

source engagements

http://www.microsoft.com/openness

Port25blogs from the

platform community and the OSS Lab

teams http://Port25.technet.com

Codeplexresources for

developers and consumers of open

source projectshttp://www.codeplex.com

Interoperability Bridgestechnical

collaborative works http://www.interoperabilitybridges.com

Open Upcross-Industry

Interoperability and Standards activitieshttp://www.microsoft.com/interop/openup

Shared Sourceportal for

programmatically sharing code

http://www.microsoft.com/sharedsource

ODataopen source starter

kit for Internet publishing of

Government datasets using the Open Data

http://ogdisdk.cloudapp.net

Open Specprotocols, file

formats, standards, technical

specificationshttp://www.microsoft.com/openspecifications

BizSparkProgram for Start-Up

companies from both commercial and open source

backgroundshttp://www.microsoft.com/bizspark

Openness and Interoperability @Microsoft

How can I receive up-to-date Openness announcements from Microsoft?In addition to the websites above, you can receive regular updates to Microsoft’s openness, interoperability and standards efforts via the following channels:• http://blogs.technet.com/b/openness/ • http://blogs.msdn.com/b/interoperability/ • http://twitter.com/OpenAtMicrosoft • http://port25.technet.com • http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Interoperability

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