PowerShell

PowerShell was designed to automate system tasks, such as batch processing, and create systems management tools for commonly implemented processes. The PowerShell language is similar to Perl. PowerShell includes more than 130 standard command line tools for functions that formerly required users to create scripts in VB, VBScript or C#.

PowerShell offers a variety of ways to automate tasks, including:

• Cmdlets, which are very small .NET classes that appear as system commands.
• Scripts, which are combinations of cmdlets and associated logic.
• Executables, which are standalone tools.
• Instantiation of standard .NET classes.

PowerShell integrates with the .NET environment and can also be embedded within other applications. Over a hundred cmdlets are included that can be used separately or combined with others to automate more complex tasks. Users can also create and share cmdlets.

PowerShell is available as a free download for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista. Support for PowerShell is built into Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7, where it is included as an optionally installed feature.

Getting started with PowerShell

To explore how the PowerShell is used in the enterprise, here is an additional resource:

Learning Center: Windows PowerShell for beginners: Ready to get started with Windows PowerShell? This collection of screencasts, book excerpts and tutorials lays the groundwork for anyone that wants to get the most out of Microsoft's scripting language.

Read more about PowerShell: - You can download PowerShell V 1.0 here, though you will need to install the .NET Framework first. - You can find the PowerShell home page at Microsoft here. - For more information, see Windows scripting tutorials for system administrators. - The official PowerShell blog offers a handy cheat sheet. - WindowsDevCenter.com features "Top 10 Tips for using PowerShell."

Do you have something to add to this definition? Let us know. Send your comments to techterms@whatis.com

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT Getting started with Windows PowerShell and Microsoft Hyper-V Check out this intro tutorial for using Windows PowerShell scripts to create a new virtual machine for Microsoft Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008. How to keep IIS logs from filling up your server hard drives Learn how a simple script can help prevent IIS logs from accumulating and filling up disk space on your server. Scripting secrets for reviewing Windows event log data Find the event logs you need with this script that improves the effectiveness of custom views in the Microsoft Event Viewer.