Fellow Windows PowerShell MVP Marco Shaw clued me in on a Microsoft blog post that did a terrific job of comparing, from a performance perspective the different PowerShell 2.0 techniques you can use when managing remote computers. The results are pretty much as I would expect.
Tag: PowerShell
Cool Custom Consoles
Ok, maybe this isn’t as slick as something from West Coast Customs but maybe you’d like to add a little style to your PowerShell session. I’m talking about the (by now) staid blue console. Perhaps you don’t like blue or the color contrast isn’t too your liking. Here are some things to try if you…
PowerShell Quick Start on Server Core R2
The great thing about the Server Core flavor that ships with Windows Server 2008 R2 is that it finally supports Windows PowerShell. I’ve talked about this before. However, I think I neglected some of the finer points in getting started. You can (and should) run PowerShell on your R2 Core servers. More than likely you…
Test Connection Troubles
In this week’s Prof. PowerShell column, I have an article on using the Test-Connection in Windows PowerShell. I thought it was pretty straightforward, but I didn’t take problems into account. I received an email asking what to do about error messages. For example, what if you have a computername in the list that can’t be…
New File Shortcut
I’ve been looking at the File Server Resource Manager (FSRM) feature in Windows Server 2008 R2 a lot lately. One very nice part of FSRM is the ability to schedule typical file management tasks. One of the examples from the Microsoft storage team is to create a custom task to move old files to another…
TechMentor Orlando 2010 Decks and Demos
I had a great time in Orlando at the TechMentor conference. The crowd was enthusiastic and asked good questions. As promised, here are my slide decks and demos. My sessions tend to be heavy on demonstration so I can’t promise you’ll get a ton of value from the decks alone. You’ll simply have to attend…
PowerShell in the Enterprise
A new whitepaper I wrote for Quest Software has finally made it’s public appearance: PowerShell in the Enterprise: Best Practices and Recommendations. The paper discusses some best practices for using PowerShell in an enterprise environment. Essentially, getting the most from your PowerShell “investment”, especially when you might have multiple PowerShell-based administrators. Although certainly the suggestions…
PowerShell Picasso
You have probably heard the story (or legend) about Pablo Picasso and his napkin drawing. A guy goes up to Picasso in a cafe and asks for an autograph or something. Picasso sketches out something in a minute or so. He turns to the guy and says, “That will be $10,000".” The guy is stunned…
Power Up your R2 Server Core Shell
I’ve recently started using the Server Core option for my test servers, especially for things like domain controllers. I can get by with smaller disk and memory requirements. Once you get the server configured, there’s very little you have to do that actually requires logging on to the server. Which is good because all you…
In the Beginning and at the End was the Command Line
I just finished reading a terrific essay (or short book) on the nature of operating systems and how we interact with them. The book is In the Beginning…was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson. The book was written about 10 years ago so some of the material might seem a little dated. But for those…
Promoting Scripting and PowerShell
Last week I was interviewed on the Mind of Root podcast about what administrators can do to promote PowerShell and automation in their environments. The show is now available for streaming or download. I still think your best approach is to gently let everyone know that it’s not a matter of if you will use…
A Smart PSDrive Provider
I’ve been doing a lot with the ActiveDirectory module that ships with Windows Server 2008 R2 and which you can also use with the Remote Server Administration Tools on WIndows 7. As I was trying things out with the PSDrive provider I discovered something very cool.
Get Expert AD and Identity Management Information
Some of my readers may have realized I don’t blog much about Active Directory here, despite having written a book on the subject. That’s because I also blog and help moderate The Experts Community. This site, although run by Quest Software, is not a commercial site. It is intended as a community drive site centered…
Potential Pipeline Pitfall
Last week I was helping someone out in the PowerShell forum at ScriptingAnswers.com. The specific problem is irrelevant;l however I learned something in the process that will affect how I write my own PowerShell functions from now on. Not being a developer I never picked up on this subtle (at least to me) distinction. Here’s…
GUI vs CLI
I often talk about using PowerShell GUIs vs the console experience. There is certainly a place for a GUI, but sometimes you need the raw power that comes with a console session. Here’s an example.