Microsoft PowerShell Fundamentals for Network Administrators

Three days, Instructor-led

Introduction

Elements of this syllabus are subject to change

The launching of Microsoft Windows PowerShell marks a significant event in the world of Windows scripting.  No longer must network administrators contend with the legacy of arcane commands “simply because they were in Visual Basic” – rather, they can leverage the power of the Microsoft .NET Framework in a clean and organized fashion. 

This class seeks to unravel the mysteries of and misconceptions about this powerful and elegant scripting language.  This course will equip students with the tools to automate setup, deployment, and management of Windows machines.  In addition, it provides students with an understanding of commandlets (cmdlets).  This course will lead the student into an awareness of the basics of programming through the modeling of fundamental techniques.   

Audience

This course is aimed at several audiences, including the following:

·         Windows networking consultants.  Anyone desiring to standardize and automate the installation and configuration of networking components.

·         Windows network administrators.  Anyone desiring to automate the day-to-day management of Windows networks.

·         Windows Help Desk staff.  Anyone desiring to verify configuration of remotely connected desktops.

·         General technical staff.  Anyone desiring to collect information – configure settings on Windows Server 2003/2008, Windows XP or Vista.

·         Power users.  Anyone wishing to obtain maximum power and configurability of Windows Server 2003/2008, Windows XP or Vista either at home or in an unmanaged desktop workplace environment. 

At Course Completion

After completing this course, students will understand how to:

• Describe PowerShell and associated scripting technologies.
• Use objects in code written in Windows PowerShell.
• Master the essentials of the PowerShell syntax.
• Understand proper debugging and error handling techniques.
• Use PowerShell to interact with Windows systems.
• Develop techniques to interact with Active Directory and Exchange 2007.
• Develop scripts that perform common administrative tasks.

Prerequisites

Before attending this course, students must have:

• Understanding of core Windows technologies (navigating the user interface, working with the file and print subsystem, Windows security, and user authentication).  These topics are taught in Microsoft course 2273.
• Tenacity – the ability to work through logic and run-time issues without getting too frustrated.     
• Awareness of the potential uses of scripts. 

Next Step

To continue in your technology training, we recommend that you take the following course after successfully completing this course:

• 2433 Microsoft VBScript Fundamentals for Network Administrators

OR

• 5047/5049: Installing, Managing, and Securing Microsoft Exchange Server 2007

OR

• Windows 2008

Course Outline

Module 1 – Overview of Windows PowerShell

·         Introduction to PowerShell environment

·         Running and working with object-oriented scripts

·         Comparing PowerShell with VBScript and other scripting technologies

 Module 2 – Using Windows PowerShell Cmdlets

·         Cmdlet Terminology

·         Use Get-Command to retrieve a listing of cmdlets

·         Configure search options

·         Configure output parameters

 Module 3 – Leveraging PowerShell Providers

·         Understand the role of providers in Windows PowerShell

·          Using key providers (Get-PSProvider, Get-PSDrive, Get-Item, Set-Location)

·         Use the file system to access data from built-in providers

Module 4 – Using PowerShell Scripts

·         Understand how to run Windows PowerShell scripts

·         Understand how to break lines

·         Understand the use of variables and constants

·         Create objects in a Windows PowerShell script

 Module 5 – Using WMI

·         Understand the concept of WMI namespaces

·         Discover classes supplied by WMI providers

·         Use the Get-WmiObject cmdlet to perform simple WMI queries

·         Produce a listing of all WMI classes 

Module 6 – Querying WMI

·         Understand the different methods for querying WMI

·         Configure the filter argument to limit information returned by WMI

·         Configure the WMI query to return selected properties

·         Leverage both hardware classes and system classes to configure machines 

Module 7 – Working with Active Directory

·         Make a connection into Active Directory

·         Understand the use of ADSI providers

·         Generating E-Mail Messages

·         Create key Active Directory objects using PowerShell

If time permits…

Module 8 – Leveraging the Power of ADO

·         Understand the use of ADO in Windows PowerShell scripts

·         Connect to Active Directory to perform a search

·         Control the way data is returned

·         Use compound query filters 

Module 9 – Managing Exchange 2007

·         Understand the Providers included with Exchange 2007

·         Configure Exchange 2007 recipient settings

·         Configure Exchange 2007 storage settings

·         Query, configure, and audit policy 

Your Next Step

After completing this course, consider the following as your next step in your technical learning journey:

·         Visual Basic 2005 – Step Up. 

·         5047/5049: Installing, Managing, & Securing Microsoft Exchange 2007