Holger Schwichtenberg 
Essential PowerShell [PDF ebook] 

Use Power Shell to Streamline and Automate Your Most Time-Consuming Windows Administration Tasks With Windows Power Shell, Microsoft brings innovative console-based system administration and scripting to Windows clients and servers. Power Shell combines the best features of traditional UNIX shells with the immense power of the .NET Framework, offering a consistent and easy-to-use replacement for both the Windows command line and the Windows Script Host. In Essential Power Shell, noted expert Holger Schwichtenberg gives Windows sysadmins all the knowledge and sample scripts they need to successfully administer production systems with Power Shell. Schwichtenberg begins by introducing the innovative Power Shell architecture, along with crucial Power Shell concepts such as pipelining and navigation. Next, he introduces the Power Shell Script Language, shows the secure execution of command sequences as scripts, and demonstrates how to use Power Shell to access essential operating system interfaces such as COM, WMI, ADSI, and ADO.NET. After you’ve mastered the fundamentals, Schwichtenberg presents an extensive collection of Power Shell solutions for virtually every area of day-to-day administration. For each topic, he presents dozens of self-contained examples, all downloadable from a companion Web site. He covers both Microsoft’s standard Power Shell commandlets and the free commandlets available as Power Shell Community Extensions. He also presents a full chapter of tips, tricks, and troubleshooting solutions. Coverage includes Understanding Power Shell’s components and features Setting up your Power Shell scripting environment Creating and using commandlets Using object-oriented pipelining for filtering, sorting, grouping, comparisons, calculations, and more Mastering Power Shell’s uniform navigation model and using it with all types of data Programming command sequences with the Power Shell Script Language Making the most of the Power Shell console and third-party tools Managing processes, event logs, and registry entries Controlling networking, printing, and software installation Manipulating Active Directory and other enterprise services with Power Shell Using Power Shell to enforce stronger system and network security Storing data in files, documents, and databases