LSA 6: Identify PowerShell

PowerShell is a cross-platform task automation and configuration management framework from Microsoft. It includes a command-line shell and scripting language built on the .NET framework, designed for system administrators and power users to automate tasks and manage systems.

Key Features:

Command-line interface: PowerShell provides a command-line interface for executing commands and scripts.

Scripting Language: It supports a scripting language that allows you to write complex scripts to automate administrative tasks.

Cmdlets: PowerShell commands, known as cmdlets, follow a Verb-Noun naming convention, such as ‘Get-Process’ or ‘Set-Item’.

Pipelines: PowerShell supports pipelining, which allows you to pass the output of one cmdlet as input to another cmdlet, enabling complex data manipulation.

Object-oriented: Unlike traditional command-line interfaces that output text, PowerShell outputs objects. This allows for more advanced data manipulation and processing.

Remote Management: PowerShell supports remote management and scripting, enabling administrators to manage multiple systems from a single interface.

Modules: PowerShell functionalities can be extended using modules, which are packages of cmdlets, providers, functions, and other tools.

Common Uses

System Administration: Automating repetitive tasks, managing configurations, and handling system operations.

Configuration Management: Setting up and managing system configurations across many servers.

Task Automation: Writing scripts to automate complex workflows and repetitive tasks.

File Management: Performing file and directory operations such as copying, moving, deleting, and renaming files.

User Management: Creating, modifying, and deleting user accounts and groups.

Service Management: Starting, stopping, and managing Windows services.

Software Deployment: Installing, configuring, and managing software packages.

Basic Commands

Get-Help: Displays help information about PowerShell cmdlets.

Update-Help: to update your Help Files

Get-Command: Lists all cmdlets, functions, workflows, aliases installed on your system.

Get-ChildItem: displays the files and directories in the PowerShell console.

Get-Process: Retrieves the processes running on a local or remote computer.

Get-Service: Gets the status of services on a local or remote machine.

New-Item: Creates a new item, such as a file or directory.

Copy-Item: Copies an item from one location to another.

Remove-Item: Deletes files or directories.