Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches [Paperback]

Don Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 14, 2011

In Windows, there's a control panel, dialog box, console, or wizard to manage every component of a system. There are thousands of them—so many that it can be nearly impossible to keep track of all the locations and settings one needs to administer Windows effectively. PowerShell provides administrators with a single, unified command line from which they can control and automate every aspect of Windows.

Learn Windows PowerShell in a Month of Lunches is an innovative tutorial designed for busy administrators. Author Don Jones has taught thousands of administrators to use PowerShell, and now he brings his years of training techniques to a concise, easy-to-follow book. Just set aside one hour a day—lunchtime would be perfect—for an entire month, and readers will be automating administrative tasks faster than they ever thought possible.

Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

This is the book I always wanted to use in live classes - so after teaching PowerShell for more than five years, I finally wrote it. This is the only book I'm aware of that doesn't try to make you a programmer by Chapter 3, and that focuses on a really effective order in terms of the outline. You hit about one new thing every lesson, and each one should take about an hour. Recently, I've uploaded almost 100 short video demos to YouTube (the book's companion Web site, which is listed in the book itself, contains links to the videos), which supplement each chapter of the book by actually showing you the examples from the book itself, and by covering additional tips and "gotchas."

About the Author

Don Jones is a PowerShell MVP, writes the PowerShell column for Microsoft TechNet Magazine, and blogs about PowerShell for WindowsITPro.com. A top-rated speaker and trainer, Don developed PowerShell courseware for Microsoft and other companies, and has taught PowerShell to more than 20,000 IT pros.

Product Details

• Paperback: 425 pages
• Publisher: Manning Publications; Pap/Psc edition (May 14, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1617290211
• ISBN-13: 978-1617290213
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.7 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Computers & Technology > Software > Business > Utilities
  • #87 in Books > Computers & Technology > Home Computing & How-to > Microsoft How-to > Windows OS

More About the Author

Don Jones is the founder of ScriptingAnswers.com and the lead scripting guru at SAPIEN Technologies. He's the author or more than twenty books on information technology, including Managing Windows with VBScript and WMI, Advanced VBScript for Windows Administrators, and Windows PowerShell: TFM. Don has written and spoken extensively about scripting and automation for years, including columns in REDMOND Magazine, MCPMag.com, Microsoft TechNet Magazine, and more, as well as a series of scripting-related Webinars for Microsoft TechNet. Don is a multiple recipient of Microsoft's MVP Award, and one of the industry's strongest advocates for Windows administrative automation.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The book for starting PowerShell May 15, 2011

By R. Siddaway

Format:Paperback

Don Jones is a well-known PowerShell MVP, trainer, author and blogger. This is his latest book on PowerShell. It sets out to teach a complete new comer to PowerShell how to use the language and commands to get stuff done. That is an important point - the book is about learning PowerShell so that you can use it to automate your administrative tasks.
The book is not an abstract look at PowerShell as a language but treats it as a tool you want to learn. It assumes you will be reading the chapters in order (which I would strongly recommend) and that you will be performing the exercises and running the code examples. Please make sure you do as it's the only way you will get the maximum benefit from the book.
As I have stated in other reviews I have three main criteria for judging a book:
* Is it technically accurate?
* Does deliver the material it claims to deliver?
* Is worth the cost of purchase and the time I spend reading it?
The first one is easy to deal with. Yes it is technically accurate. Don is an expert on the subject of PowerShell and more importantly for a book of this sort he is an expert on how to teach it. The book has been reviewed by a number of PowerShell experts and I performed the final technical review. It's as accurate as it can be!
The book has the following chapters:
1. Before you begin
2. Running commands
3. Using the help system
4. The pipeline: connecting commands
5. Adding commands
6. Objects: just data by another name
7. The pipeline, deeper
8. Formatting--and why it's done on the right
9. Filtering and comparisons
10. Remote control: one to one, and one to many
11. Tackling Windows Management Instrumentation
12. Multitasking with background jobs
13. Working with bunches of objects, one at a time
14. Security alert!
15. Variables: a place to store your stuff
16. Input and output
17. You call this scripting?
18. Sessions: remote control, with less work
19. From command to script to function
20. Adding logic and loops
21. Creating your own "cmdlets" and modules
22. Trapping and handling errors
23. Debugging techniques
24. Additional random tips, tricks, and techniques
25. Final exam: tackling an administrative task from scratch
26. Beyond the operating system: taking PowerShell further
27. Never the end
28. PowerShell cheat sheet
Each chapter is designed to be read, and the exercises performed, in an approximately one hour lunch break. They are short, concise and very much to the point. Don has a very easy writing style that stops the topics being dry. The humour comes through in places to liven things up.
This is a book about doing. If we look at chapter 17 for instance - this is where scripting is introduced as the previous chapters show what you can do with PowerShell just from the command line. The chapter has 7 solid examples plus a lab. There are two callouts urging you to try the code and a list of ideas to try at the end of the chapter. All of this in 12 pages!
As well as the basics of the PowerShell language the book covers what might be considered more advanced topics such as remoting and PowerShell jobs.
In a nutshell this book teaches you how to use PowerShell. If you work through the chapters and labs you can't fail to learn how to use PowerShell. Will it make you an overnight expert? No it won't but it will provide a very solid foundation for you to progress and discover more about PowerShell yourself.
Don is a teacher and that comes through the way the book is written and constructed. In terms of my last two questions:
* Does it deliver the material it claims - YES. There were a couple of points in the book that made me think about me assumptions about PowerShell.
* Is it worth the money to buy and the time to read - YES.
On the back cover there's a quote of mine "The book I wish I'd had when I started PowerShell". That sums it up for me. It's an excellent introduction to PowerShell itself and achieves exactly what it states it will do.
If you are new to PowerShell, or want to get started with it I can't recommend this book strongly enough. Buy it. Read it. Use it.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Textbook for Teaching a PowerShell Class June 7, 2011

By J. Hofferle

Format:Paperback

What I really like about the book are the lab exercises at the end of each chapter. This reminds me of the O'Reilly "Learning Perl" book, and makes it a suitable textbook for teaching a PowerShell course. I recently had to perform the role of instructor at an internal IT Workshop and instead of spending the time writing and testing my own lab exercises, I could use what has already been designed by a professional trainer. Be sure to check out the additional resources at morelunches.com, where the author provides a classroom trainer kit as companion content for the book. The lab manual included with the kit has a "guided experience" with step-by-step instructions for completing the labs, or a "challenging experience" where only the objective is given without the instructions. This really helps when there is a wide range of skill levels in a single class. He also has a complete video series available that covers all the topics in this book.

This is currently the book I recommend for people new to PowerShell, because it starts slowly and builds on what is learned in previous chapters. If someone has a programming background or is already very experienced with scripting, they may prefer the in-depth Windows Powershell in Action, Second Edition.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book but... October 9, 2011

By Frank

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

It is a good book for learning like I wanted to. The issue is that there is no website(404 error) to see what the answers are nor is there a forum where Don Jones answers question like it is stated in the book. So when you get stuck somewhere in the book, like I am, you are on your own which defeats much of what is stated in the opening chapter. So if you can find another book, I would suggest that one instead as I am looking for another one now.

Edited

I posted on there asking about the book and one of the MVPs there contacted Don Jones and they are in the middle of updating the site so that is why it is down now. I'll give 5 stars when the site is up. Again it is a very good book to learn powershell if you are just getting into it. There are other resources on the web to find the answers that you need.

EDITED

The site is up and has all the content as promised. One thing I will say is that he drills the help files into your head until you are sick of it but he is 100% correct. Now that I can understand what the help file says instead of the usual MS cryptic speak, it is so much easier. All the examples and labs work together to the point were i feel confident in just writing a script and troubleshooting it myself instead of googleing(don't know if that is a word yet) for an hour.

This is a beginners book but it gets you the foundation to go were you need to go with Powershell.