"PowerShell in 7 Days" covers the fundamentals of PowerShell, its syntax, and its scripting capabilities concisely yet comprehensively. It is a practical toolkit that empowers busy IT professionals to become proficient PowerShell users. You can become capable of automating tasks and managing systems more efficiently within a week. Examine its history, versions, and various use cases before examining installation options for different platforms. Master modules, providers, commands, and pipelines to craft efficient scripts. Build reusable functions, control script flow with looping and error handling, and create scripts with diverse outputs. Use PowerShell remoting to manage systems remotely. Manage on-premises services like Active Directory and optimize performance by troubleshooting common issues. Finally, explore advanced functionalities like security best practices and signing scripts for confident use. By the end of the book, readers will have a solid understanding of working with both local and remote data, troubleshooting common issues using PowerShell, and writing scripts that save time and enhance productivity. Readers can transform their approach to tasks and challenges in their job roles, optimizing processes and deploying solutions quickly and effectively.

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• About the Author
• About the Reviewer
• Acknowledgement
• Preface
• Table of Contents
• 1. Introducing PowerShell
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Introduction to PowerShell
  • PowerShell versions and current state
  • What is PowerShell?
  • Who is PowerShell for?
  • When should you use PowerShell?
  • Conclusion
• 2. Setting Up PowerShell
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Overview of the PowerShell installation options
  • Installing using an installable package
  • Installing on a non-Windows platform
  • Using the PowerShell Gallery
  • Conclusion
• 3. Getting Started with Modules and Providers
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Introduction to PowerShell modules
  • Purpose of PowerShell modules
  • Understand the different types of providers
  • Use the built-in PowerShell providers
    • Find all PDF files in your documents folder
    • Add a new value to the PATH environment variable
    • Create a new registry entry
    • Check the existence of a certificate and then import
  • Import modules from the operating system
  • Import external PowerShell modules
  • How to use the help system
  • Review WMI within PowerShell
  • Review CIM within PowerShell
  • Conclusion
• 4. Executing PowerShell Commands
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Discovering commands to execute
  • Understanding the different types of commands
    • Cmdlets
    • Functions
    • Scripts
    • Aliases
  • Executing existing commands within a Windows computer
  • Executing commands from specific modules
  • Understanding the command return or response object
  • Using PowerShell in Visual Studio Code
  • Conclusion
• 5. Working with Variables and Pipelines
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Understanding the pipeline operator
  • Executing commands that flow into single and multiple pipelines
  • Using variables in PowerShell
  • Creating and managing variables in PowerShell
  • Declaring and casting variable types
  • Passing variables between commands
  • Techniques for filtering data in the pipeline
  • Conclusion
• 6. Deep Diving PowerShell Objects
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Understanding PowerShell objects
  • Creating and managing string arrays
  • Working with object properties and methods
  • Creating and managing custom objects
  • Using [PSCustomObject] data type
  • Setting specific data types within PowerShell variables
  • Using the Export and Import cmdlets
  • Understanding and working with .NET objects in PowerShell
  • Conclusion
• 7. Using Functions and Parameters
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Creating PowerShell functions
  • Choosing the output of functions
  • Creating and using parameters in PowerShell functions
  • Using default values and data types in parameters
  • Advanced parameter features
  • Passing and returning values in PowerShell functions
  • Defining and calling PowerShell functions
  • Combining functions into complex scripts
  • Conclusion
• 8. Flow Control, Looping, and Error Handling
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Overview of looping within PowerShell
  • Reviewing the ForEach-Object command
  • Reviewing foreach loops
  • Reviewing the switch command
  • Looping capabilities
  • Understanding error handling basics
  • Implementing error handling to control the flow
  • Conclusion
• 9. Scripts for Multiple Output Paths
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Introduction to PowerShell output redirection
  • Using output redirection operators
  • Creating commands that produce multiple outputs
  • Piping output to multiple destinations
  • Splitting output into different files
  • Appending results to existing files
  • Customizing output destinations with conditional statements and loops
  • Examples of scripts with multiple output paths
  • Conclusion
• 10. PowerShell Remoting, WinRM, and the Invoke-Command
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • What is PowerShell remoting?
  • Understanding WinRM and its role in PowerShell remoting
  • Understanding the security implications of PowerShell remoting
  • Configure remoting within Windows
  • Configure remoting within Linux
  • Creating and using a remote session with New-PSSession and Enter-PSSession
  • Remotely connecting to Windows and Linux using PowerShell
  • Using Invoke-Command to execute commands on remote computer
  • Conclusion
• 11. Managing On-premises Services
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Introduction to PowerShell for on-premises Management
  • Configuring and managing Active Directory
  • User and group management
  • Managing domain controllers
  • Managing DNS and DHCP services
  • Creating and managing file shares
  • Managing certificates
  • Managing server roles and features
  • Conclusion
• 12. Troubleshooting Windows and Performance Optimization
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Analyzing system resources
  • Diagnosing and resolving performance bottlenecks
  • Troubleshooting network connectivity issues
  • Identifying and remediating security vulnerabilities
  • Analyzing and filtering event logs
  • Challenges in using PowerShell for Windows troubleshooting
    • Handling complex error messages
    • Execution policy restrictions
    • Misinterpretation of command outputs
    • Overlooking security implications
  • Conclusion
• 13. Miscellaneous PowerShell Capabilities
  • Introduction
  • Structure
  • Objectives
  • Importance of securing PowerShell
  • Understanding PowerShell Execution Policies
  • Keeping computer and data secure
  • Understanding PowerShell Constrained Mode
  • Using AppLocker policies to disable PowerShell scripts
  • Signing PowerShell scripts for reuse
  • Next steps for the IT administrator
  • Conclusion
• Index