Microsoft Windows PowerShell: Features and Components

Microsoft Windows PowerShell is a commendable combination of scripting language, command-line prompt and Graphical User Interface (GUI) tools that allows IT professionals to automate basic administrative functions with ease. Microsoft's Windows PowerShell is an intuitive management framework built using the .NET framework. The recent version of PowerShell is v5 that comes integrated with Windows 10 to empower administrators in managing the entire Windows Server OS with prominent control over Microsoft SQL, Exchange and Lync-based servers. With the latest technological evolution, PowerShell is now an open source with added support to Linux and Unix-based operating systems.

PowerShell offers a set of unique cmdlets that allow you to manage objects efficiently, thereby improving the system performance. This article walks you through the primary features and main components of PowerShell that make it more powerful.

Primary Features of Windows PowerShell

·         Pipeline (|): It is feature in Microsoft PowerShell allowing users to chain commands together by with a pipe character. It causes PowerShell to run the first part of the command such that the output of the first command becomes the input for the command. It is used to perform a multiple step task like creating a username, adding the username to a security group, and resetting the default password.

·         Function ({}): This feature allows you to link different cmdlets together offering greater control over the scripting process.

Main components of PowerShell include its modules and cmdlets.

1. Cmdlets: cmdlets refers to pre-defined commands used in the PowerShell environment that allows PowerShell users to perform various functions.

· Get-Help (cmdlet): This cmdlet provides the system help on various PowerShell cmdlets. It retrieves the core information, including syntax use and the list of commands along with the purpose, they intend to accomplish.

· Get-Command (cmdlet): This cmdlet helps you to access the list of commands available in each module.

·  Set-Variable (cmdlet): This built-in cmdlet helps you to create variables to store data such as file paths, multiple objects, or snippets that can be repeatedly reused.

· Invoke-Command (cmdlet): This cmdlet allows user to call another cmdlet while running the current command locally and executing the invoked command on a remote computer.

· Out-File (cmdlet): With this cmdlet, you can export the output to a file. It is used along with the Pipe (|) switch that lists the disabled user accounts in the Active Directory. 

· Import-Module (cmdlet): To import multiple modules into the Windows PowerShell, this cmdlet offers advance capabilities by adding on to the feature set, cmdlets and functionality of the Windows PowerShell.

2. Modules: A module in Windows PowerShell refers to a set of related functionalities clubbed together as a single unit.  Defining a set of related script files, assemblies, and resources as a module allows you to refer, load, persist, and share your code effortlessly. It facilitates re-use and abstraction of the PowerShell codes, as and when required. Two powerful modules in PowerShell are:

· Active Directory (module): This module of Windows PowerShell helps in extending management capabilities to the Active Directory objects including computers, user groups, and attributes stored within the accounts.

· Exchange Server (module): This module enables effective administration of the Exchange Servers and offers additional cmdlets to support varied aspects of Microsoft Exchange email server.

Conclusion

Microsoft Windows PowerShell training and certification courses can help you gain familiarity and expertise on the cmdlets, features and modules in Windows PowerShell environment. The guidance and certification mapped training can help you gain sound knowledge of the concepts and hands-on exposure on working over the commands, that in-turn can help you to automate the administrative tasks proficiently. 

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