Take PowerShell beyond simple scripts and build time-saving automations for your team, your users, and the world. In Practical Automation with PowerShell you will learn how to: Build PowerShell functions to automate common and complex tasks Create smart automations that are adaptable to new challenges Structure your code for sharing and reusability Store and secure your automations Execute automations with Azure Automation, Jenkins, Task Scheduler, and Cron Share your automations with your team and non-technical colleagues Store and retrieve data, credentials, and variables Use source control solutions to maintain and test code changes Provide front-end UI solutions for PowerShell automations Practical Automation in PowerShell reveals how you can use PowerShell to build automation solutions for a huge number of common admin and DevOps tasks. Author Matthew Dowst uses his decades of experience to lay out a real blueprint for setting up an enterprise scripting environment with PowerShell. The book goes beyond the basics to show you how to handle the unforeseen complexities that can keep automations from becoming reusable and resilient. From the console to the cloud, you'll learn how to manage your code, avoid common pitfalls, and create sharable automations that are adaptable to different use cases. About the Technology The PowerShell scripting language is a force multiplier, giving you programmatic control over your whole data center. With this powerful tool, you can create reusable automations that radically improve consistency and productivity on your Ops team. This book shows you how to design, write, organize, and deploy scripts to automate operations on systems of all sizes, from local servers to enterprise clusters in the cloud. About the Book Practical Automation with PowerShell: Effective scripting from the console to the cloud shows you how to build PowerShell automations for local and cloud systems. In it, you’ll find tips for identifying automatable tasks, techniques for structuring and managing scripts, and lots of well-explained example code. You’ll even learn how to adapt existing scripts to new use cases and empower non-technical users through easy-to-understand SharePoint frontends. What’s Inside Structure PowerShell code for sharing and reusability Store and secure your automations Execute automation with Azure Automation, Jenkins, Task Scheduler, and Cron Store and retrieve data, credentials, and variables Use source control solutions to maintain and test code changes About the Reader For sysadmin and IT professionals who manage backend systems. About the Author Matthew Dowst has over 15 years of experience in IT management and consulting. Table of contents PART 1 1 PowerShell automation 2 Get started automating PART 2 3 Scheduling automation scripts 4 Handling sensitive data 5 PowerShell remote execution 6 Making adaptable automations 7 Working with SQL 8 Cloud-based automation 9 Working outside of PowerShell 10 Automation coding best practices PART 3 11 End-user scripts and forms 12 Sharing scripts among a team 13 Testing your scripts 14 Maintaining your code

Take PowerShell beyond simple scripts and build time-saving automations for your team, your users, and the world. In Practical Automation with PowerShell you will learn how to: Build PowerShell functions to automate common and complex tasks Create smart automations that are adaptable to new challenges Structure your code for sharing and reusability Store and secure your automations Execute automations with Azure Automation, Jenkins, Task Scheduler, and Cron Share your automations with your team and non-technical colleagues Store and retrieve data, credentials, and variables Use source control solutions to maintain and test code changes Provide front-end UI solutions for PowerShell automations Practical Automation in PowerShell reveals how you can use PowerShell to build automation solutions for a huge number of common admin and DevOps tasks. Author Matthew Dowst uses his decades of experience to lay out a real blueprint for setting up an enterprise scripting environment with PowerShell. The book goes beyond the basics to show you how to handle the unforeseen complexities that can keep automations from becoming reusable and resilient. From the console to the cloud, you'll learn how to manage your code, avoid common pitfalls, and create sharable automations that are adaptable to different use cases. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the Technology The PowerShell scripting language is a force multiplier, giving you programmatic control over your whole data center. With this powerful tool, you can create reusable automations that radically improve consistency and productivity on your Ops team. This book shows you how to design, write, organize, and deploy scripts to automate operations on systems of all sizes, from local servers to enterprise clusters in the cloud. About the Book Practical Automation with PowerShell: Effective scripting from the console to the cloud shows you how to build PowerShell automations for local and cloud systems. In it, you’ll find tips for identifying automatable tasks, techniques for structuring and managing scripts, and lots of well-explained example code. You’ll even learn how to adapt existing scripts to new use cases and empower non-technical users through easy-to-understand SharePoint frontends. What’s Inside Structure PowerShell code for sharing and reusability Store and secure your automations Execute automation with Azure Automation, Jenkins, Task Scheduler, and Cron Store and retrieve data, credentials, and variables Use source control solutions to maintain and test code changes About the Reader For sysadmin and IT professionals who manage backend systems. About the Author Matthew Dowst has over 15 years of experience in IT management and consulting. Table of contents PART 1 1 PowerShell automation 2 Get started automating PART 2 3 Scheduling automation scripts 4 Handling sensitive data 5 PowerShell remote execution 6 Making adaptable automations 7 Working with SQL 8 Cloud-based automation 9 Working outside of PowerShell 10 Automation coding best practices PART 3 11 End-user scripts and forms 12 Sharing scripts among a team 13 Testing your scripts 14 Maintaining your code

Learn PowerShell from the inside out, right from basic scripting all the way to becoming a master at automating, managing, and maintaining your Windows environment About This Book - Use proven best practices to optimize code and automate redundant tasks - Get to grips with PowerShell's advanced functions and effectively administer your system - Create a variety of PowerShell scripts to automate your environment Who This Book Is For If you are a system administrator who wants to become an expert in automating and managing your Windows environment, then this course is for you. Some basic understanding of PowerShell would be helpful. What You Will Learn - Discover PowerShell commands and cmdlets and understand PowerShell formatting - Solve common problems using basic file input/output functions - Use .NET classes in Windows PowerShell and C# and manage Exchange Online - Use PowerShell in C# to manage Exchange Online and work with .NET classes in PowerShell - Automate LYNC clients, consuming client-side object models to administrate SharePoint Online - Optimize code through the use of functions, switches, and looping structures - Manage files, folders, and registries through the use of PowerShell - Discover best practices to manage Microsoft systems In Detail Are you tired of managing Windows administrative tasks manually and are looking to automate the entire process? If yes, then this is the right course for you. This learning path starts your PowerShell journey and will help you automate the administration of the Windows operating system and applications that run on Windows. It will get you up and running with PowerShell, taking you from the basics of installation to writing scripts and performing web server automation. You will explore the PowerShell environment and discover how to use cmdlets, functions, and scripts to automate Windows systems. The next installment of the course focuses on gaining concrete knowledge of Windows PowerShell scripting to perform professional-level scripting. The techniques here are packed with PowerShell scripts and sample C# code to automate tasks. You will use .NET classes in PowerShell and C# to manage Exchange Online. In the final section, you will delve into real-world examples to learn how to simplify the management of your Windows environment. You will get to grips with PowerShell's advanced functions and how to most effectively administer your system. This Learning Path combines some of the best that Packt has to offer in one complete, curated package. It includes content from the following Packt products: - Getting Started with PowerShell by Michael Shepard - Windows PowerShell for .Net Developers Second Edition by Chendrayan Venkatesan and Sherif Talaat - Mastering Windows PowerShell Scripting by Brenton J.W. Blawat Style and approach This is a step-by-step course to help you effectively administer and maintain your development environment with PowerShell.

Windows PowerShell is a scripting language that simplifies Windows system administration. PowerShell in Practice is a hands-on reference for administrators wanting to learn and use PowerShell. Following the "in Practice" style, individual related techniques are clustered into chapters. Each technique is presented in the form: problem, solution, discussion, and includes annotated code listings. Written to answer the question "How can PowerShell make my job as an administrator easier?" this book concentrates on practical tasks and automation. Starting with an a brief tutorial and review, the majority of the book focuses on two major PowerShell usage areas: People - user accounts, mailboxes, desktop configuration; and Servers - Active Directory, Exchange, IIS, and more. Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.

Automate complex tasks and processes with PowerShell scripts. This amazing book teaches you how to write, test, and organize high-quality, reusable scripts for Windows, Linux, and cloud-based systems. Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition takes you beyond command-line PowerShell and opens up the amazing world of scripting and automation. In just 27 bite-sized lessons, you’ll learn to write scripts that can eliminate repetitive manual tasks, create custom reusable tools, and build effective pipelines and workflows. In Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition you’ll learn: Setting up a reliable scripting environment Designing functions and scripts Effective pipeline usage Scripting and security Dealing with errors and bugs Source control with git Sharing and publishing scripts Professional-grade scripting practices The PowerShell language lets you write scripts to control nearly every aspect of Windows. Just master a few straightforward scripting skills, and you'll save yourself from hours of tedious tasks. This revised second edition is fully updated to PowerShell’s latest version, including hands-on examples that perfectly demonstrate modern PowerShell’s cross-platform applications. About the technology You can write PowerShell scripts to automate nearly any admin task on Windows, Linux, and macOS. This book shows you how! In just 27 short lessons you can complete on your lunch break, you’ll learn to create, organize, test, and share scripts and tools that will save you hours of time in your daily work. About the book Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition is a hands-on introduction to PowerShell automation and toolbuilding. Updated for the latest version of PowerShell, this thoroughly revised bestseller teaches you how to write efficient scripts, find and squash bugs, and organize your tools into libraries. Along the way, you’ll even pick up tips for securing and managing Linux and macOS systems. What's inside Setting up a reliable scripting environment Designing functions and scripts Effective pipeline usage Sharing and publishing scripts About the reader Beginning to intermediate knowledge of PowerShell required. About the author James Petty is CEO of PowerShell.org and The DevOps Collective and a Microsoft MVP. Don Jones and Jeffery Hicks are the authors of the first edition of Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches. Table of Contents PART 1 1 Before you begin 2 Setting up your scripting environment 3 WWPD: What would PowerShell do? 4 Review: Parameter binding and the PowerShell pipeline 5 Scripting language: A crash course 6 The many forms of scripting (and which to choose) 7 Scripts and security PART 2 8 Always design first 9 Avoiding bugs: Start with a command 10 Building a basic function and script module 11 Getting started with advanced functions 12 Objects: The best kind of output 13 Using all the streams 14 Simple help: Making a comment 15 Errors and how to deal with them 16 Filling out a manifest PART 3 17 Changing your brain when it comes to scripting 18 Professional-grade scripting 19 An introduction to source control with Git 20 Pestering your script 21 Signing your script 22 Publishing your script PART 4 23 Squashing bugs 24 Enhancing script output presentation 25 Wrapping up the .NET Framework 26 Storing data—not in Excel! 27 Never the end

Learn to use PowerShell, Microsoft's scripting language, to automate real-world tasks that IT professionals and system administrators deal with every day. Save Time. Automate. PowerShell® is both a scripting language and an administrative shell that lets you control and automate nearly every aspect of IT. In PowerShell for Sysadmins, five-time Microsoft® MVP "Adam the Automator" Bertram shows you how to use PowerShell to manage and automate your desktop and server environments so that you can head out for an early lunch. You'll learn how to: Combine commands, control flow, handle errors, write scripts, run scripts remotely, and test scripts with the PowerShell testing framework, Pester Parse structured data like XML and JSON, work with common domains (like Active Directory, Azure, and Amazon Web Services), and create a real-world server inventory script Design and build a PowerShell module to demonstrate PowerShell isn't just about ad-hoc scripts Use PowerShell to create a hands-off, completely automated Windows deployment Build an entire Active Directory forest from nothing but a Hyper-V host and a few ISO files Create endless Web and SQL servers with just a few lines of code! Real-world examples throughout help bridge the gap between theory and actual system, and the author's anecdotes keep things lively. Stop with the expensive software and fancy consultants. Learn how to manage your own environment with PowerShell for Sysadmins and make everyone happy. Covers Windows PowerShell v5.1

TAGLINE Power Up Your Automation and Administration with PowerShell KEY FEATURES ● Master PowerShell for efficient IT administration and configuration. ● Explore practical scenarios with clear explanations and essential scripts. ● Enhance automation skills to stay ahead in IT innovation. ● Optimize Microsoft product management with advanced PowerShell techniques. DESCRIPTION Unlock the power of PowerShell with this comprehensive guide, designed as your ultimate companion, the book is structured into three parts, each focusing on different aspects of PowerShell. You'll start with the basics and then explore PowerShell Core's unique features. Next, you'll delve into building blocks, pipelines, and data control with arrays, loops, and hash tables. As you progress, you'll master PowerShell security and develop advanced functions to automate complex tasks. Further chapters will guide you through optimizing Windows administration, managing tasks and jobs, and exploring remoting features for efficient multi-system management. Finally, you'll leverage PowerShell for cloud operations and integrate it seamlessly with the Microsoft ecosystem. This book provides a progressive journey in PowerShell automation, equipping you with essential skills for various tasks, from Windows administration to cloud operations. WHAT WILL YOU LEARN ● Master PowerShell and PowerShell Core fundamentals, syntax, and cmdlets. ● Develop robust scripts using variables, arrays, conditionals, loops, and hash tables. ● Implement security best practices to safeguard data and systems. ● Create advanced functions to streamline script development. ● Administer Windows environments efficiently with PowerShell. ● Automate tasks and optimize system performance with PowerShell. ● Utilize PowerShell remoting for remote administration and cross-platform execution. ● Manage cloud resources using PowerShell for provisioning and configuration. ● Integrate PowerShell with Microsoft ecosystem components like Active Directory and Azure. ● Create custom modules for enhanced efficiency, including support for other cloud vendors. ● Enhance PowerShell scripting and automation skills to automate tasks, troubleshoot issues, and optimize workflows across diverse computing environments. ● Master cloud automation with PowerShell, efficiently automating tasks in Azure and AWS to manage cloud resources effectively. WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR? This book is tailored for IT professionals, system administrators, database administrators, and automation engineers seeking to enhance efficiency through PowerShell automation across diverse platforms. Prerequisites include basic understanding of IT systems and familiarity with command-line interfaces. Whether managing server configurations, administering databases, or navigating complex projects, this resource equips you with the skills to streamline tasks effectively using PowerShell. TABLE OF CONTENTS Part 1 Fundamentals of PowerShell 1. Introduction to PowerShell 2. Introduction to PowerShell Core 3. PowerShell Building Blocks and Pipelines Part 2 PowerShell Scripting and Automation 4. Data Control and Arrays Using Conditional Statements, Loops, and Hashtables 5. PowerShell Security 6. PowerShell Advanced Functions 7. Windows Administration Using PowerShell Part 3 PowerShell Advanced Topics 8. PowerShell Tasks and Jobs 9. PowerShell Remoting 10. Managing Cloud Operations Using PowerShell 11. PowerShell and Microsoft Ecosystem Index