Microsoft Virtual Academy: PowerShell M01

Looking to learn more about Power Shell I stumbled across a link on SpiceWorks that lead me to Microsoft Virtual Academy. http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/training-courses/getting-started-with-powershell-3-0-jump-start?o=3276#?fbid=aVs9FfAH2DJ

I have decided to complete and write a review of each module over the next 9 wks (1 module a week).

Today starts out Module 1.

• Contains two videos:
1. Intro - Don't fear the shell (6.41 mins)
2. Getting familiar with the shell (53:00 mins)
• Presentations
1. 01-Dont fear the shell 1.pptx (15 slides)

Starting off we get a brief introduction from Jeffrey Snover, the inventor of PowerShell, and Jason Helmick, Senior Technologist at Concentrated Technology.

Then we start going over understanding and becoming comfortable with the shell.

Discuss history of PowerShell.  Warn against running out to install 3.0 with out checking release notes first. There are systems that do not support V3 (SP 2010 is one of them).

First introduction to PowerShell is how to tell if you are in Administrator mode or not.  In the Program's title bar your should see Administrator: Windows PowerShell and not Windows PowerShell. If you are not in administrator mode you will have limited access and rights.

Second is a quick lesson on customizing the window to work better for coding.

• Accessing preferences
• Right click the title bar to get drop down, select preferences
• Changing the font to make it easier to differentiate ` vs '
• recommend Lucida Console
• set to bold if presenting
• Setup window size
• Layout tab
• Adjust Window to fit on desktop (black screen)
• ensure blue does not fall off the screen
• Ensure Screen buffer and Window size width match
• Ensure Screen buffer Height is 3000+
• allows you to see more past commands
• many PowerShell Console default to 300
• Colors
• adjust to desired scheme

Third go over basic commands

• cmdlets: Verb - Noun
• set-location
• change directory
• Clear-host
• clear screen
• get-childitem
• list out directory
• Native commands work
• ping
• ipconfig
• calc
• notepad
• Aliases (DOS/Unix)
• dir / ls
• actual runs get-childitem
• cd
• actual runs set-location
• cls
• actual runs clear-host
• get-alias / gal
• list of aliases

Fourth discussed and demonstrated help/gal searching

• gal g*
• All aliases starting with G
• gal *sv
• all aliases containing SV