Windows PowerShell(TM) Scripting Guide [Paperback]

Ed Wilson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0735622795 | ISBN-13: 978-0735622791 | Publication Date: February 5, 2008

Get practical guidance for using Windows PowerShell to manage Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Written by Ed Wilson, a leading scripting expert and trainer at Microsoft, this reference offers a task-based approach to help you find the information you need for day-to-day tasks. With more than 200 scripts, it offers rich examples that administrators can customize for their own environment and needs. The scripts range in complexity from one-line commands, to full-blown scripts with managed output and command-line arguments examples that are applicable to all skill levels. Includes a companion CD with fully searchable eBook, sample scripts, and other resources for managing your Windows-based environment.

Key Book Benefits

Delivers more than 200 scripts administrators can customize and use to get up and running quickly

Provides multiple ways of accomplishing tasks: from one-line commands to full-blown scripts with managed output and command-line arguments

Features a task-oriented approach, and organized to help you quickly find the information you need for your day-to-day activities

Includes a companion CD with a fully searchable eBook, sample scripts, and other resources for on-the-job results

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ed Wilson is a senior consultant at Microsoft Corporation and a well-known scripting expert. He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer who delivers popular scripting, networking, and administration workshops to Microsoft employees and customers worldwide. He s written several books on Windows scripting, including Microsoft Windows Scripting Self-Paced Learning Guide and Microsoft VBScript Step by Step. Ed holds more than 20 industry certifications, including MCSE and CISSP.

Product Details

• Paperback: 650 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (February 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735622795
• ISBN-13: 978-0735622791
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #845,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ed Wilson, MCSE, MSCBA, MCT is the Microsoft Scripting Guy. As such, he writes the popular Hey Scripting Guy blog for Microsoft, speaks at conferences such as TechEd and TechReady. He is very active in the community and has spoken to numerous user groups around the world via Live Meeting and in person. Ed has written numerous books about VBScript, WMI, and Windows PowerShell scripting and his latest release is Windows PowerShell 2.0 Best Practices. In addition he wrote all the scripts for the Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7 Resource kits. Ed lives in York, South Carolina and Ed has been with Microsoft since 2001. Prior to becoming the writer of the Hey Scripting Guy blog Ed taught scripting workshops worldwide to Microsoft Premier customers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Promising but didn't deliver, May 14, 2008

By 

J. Villapudua (phoenix, az United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Windows PowerShell(TM) Scripting Guide (Paperback)

This book looked really good at first. A lot of practical scripts included, however, they all appear to be basically the same with exception of a WMI call (query). Which brings up the point, that a lot this book is geared towards using WMI. A better title might be Using Powershell and WMI. There is very little in terms of concepts, efficient uses of Powershell, using COM or WinRM. Many of the concepts and techniques are spread through out the book and difficult to locate. If you have a basic understanding of Powershell, need some quick and dirty scripts and don't plan on getting to know it much more in depth this might work for you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book at applied admin managment, February 20, 2009

By 

David A. Foreman "Dave F." (lansing, ks United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Windows PowerShell(TM) Scripting Guide (Paperback)

Unlike the previous reviewers, I found this book useful. The book structure is a hybrid meaning it isn't a training guide as to everything you can do with PowerShell. Nor is it a here is every scenario that you can run into in windows administration. It is definitely an introductory book that covers must basics in PowerShell. Then covers a cross sampling of Windows administrations tasks that system administrators need to do. The chapters are broken down by area with a substantial amount of methods to perform administration tasks .The Book gets into some intermediate capabilities like using PowerShell to open excel and building a spreadsheet or writing to a database.
I will agree with one aspect of the comments it would have been nice if in the index he indexed these areas

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a guide. More like a do-it-for-you book, November 11, 2008

By 

AR "FlyinRiz" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windows PowerShell(TM) Scripting Guide (Paperback)

While I'm sure this would be useful to Active Directory Admins (who don't like to come up with their own stuff), I found little use in this book. With this title, I expected to find a whole book going through how to write scripts and explaining the different concepts. Instead, there is one chapter of less than 30 pages titled "Scripting with PowerShell" and the rest of the book is pre-written examples of auditing and managing an AD based network. As the reviewer before me stated, this book should have been called Powershell and WMI. I got 10x more information about scripting with PS from a free 10 page tutorial I found online. With this book I was reminded why I don't like Microsoft sponsored books.

The other book by the same Author "Windows Powershell - Step by Step" was a little better but again most of it (2/3) was about AD and WMI.

I wouldn't waste your money on these. There are much better online tutorials for free and they are a much quicker read. However, like I said, if you don't like doing your own work, and your boss is hounding you for something out of PS, then by all means get this book. For the rest of us, save your money.