This article was formerly titled  "Automating IT Tasks with Windows PowerShell Overview."**

Table of Contents

Introduction and Getting Started

PowerShell is a vast product, especially when you take into account how it's used in other products such as Lync Server, Exchange, and the Windows Operating System. It can be a little daunting to those new with PowerShell - there is a vast array of deeply technical discussions of all of PowerShell's many aspects, quirks and peculiarities  and all. So start at the beginning, and learn the basics, either on you own, or possibly with the aid of a great training class. Then work with it and return to find more. And when you can, how about adding to the body of knowledge referenced here.

Purpose of this Document

The purpose of this document is to help you to learn more about PowerShell and to be successful in applying it. This document seeks to point to the best content on the web to enable you to reach that goal.

Scope of this Document

This page contains links to help you learn more about Microsoft Windows PowerShell. This includes PowerShell fundamentals as well as how PowerShell is used in Windows applications and services. As long as it's PowerShell related, we'll try to point to it!  The document is also version agnostic, and contains information about current and future versions of PowerShell.

Learning PowerShell Fundamentals

This section includes a list of pointers to guides that show you how to get started with PowerShell. For a more general list of sites that simply talk about PowerShell you should take a look in the "Essential PowerShell Resources Section".

Guides

Quick Reference Materials

Videos Covering PowerShell Fundamentals

Videos Covering PowerShell Fundamentals

Learning More About PowerShell

This section includes a list of pointers to guides that show you how to write advanced PowerShell scripts or pointers to specific topics.

General Topics

Writing PowerShell Cmdlets

Windows PowerShell Remoting

PowerShell and WMI

Essential PowerShell Resources

Getting The PowerShell Product

You get PowerShell, either fully loaded as a part of Window 7/Server 2008 R2 or later, as an add-on (eg Server 2008 RTM that enabled you to load PowerShell Version 1) or as an OS Patch.

Learning Resources

General Advice and Guidance

The web contains a rich set of advice and guidance for PowerShell - from learning the basics, to the obscure corners most folks don't go to. Below are what the community figures are the best general purpose places to go for good advice and guidance. NB: In a later section, below, we also provide links to more specific sets of guidance around the use of PowerShell.

Guidance Topics

Security

This section is for content relating to security. Insert links to blog posts, forum postings or Microsoft content relating to security and PowerShell

Note: Some of the links here were sourced from the PowerShell Security Survival Guide

Management

This section is for content relating to management. Insert links to blog posts, forum postings or Microsoft content relating to management and PowerShell.

Operations

This section is for content relating to operations. Insert links to blog posts, forum postings or Microsoft content relating to operations and PowerShell.

Sources for PowerShell Scripts

There are numerous repositories of PowerShell sample scripts. Some are very simple and just demonstrate one or two particular aspects of a class or COM object,while others are richer and fuller featured and do more. But all can be adapted, modified, and leveraged.

PowerShell Modules and Module Guidance

The community has been a rich resource, providing modules to manage aspects of Microsoft products. These can be invaluable This section sets out the key add-on modules and provides links to more guidance on their usage.

A List of Popular PowerShell Modules you can find here:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/4309.powershell-enabled-technologies-en-us.aspx

Powershell GUIs

Graphical user interfaces that have been built on top of Powershell.  They are built in a variety of methods including Winforms, WPF, WPK, and the Powershell module Show-UI.

Third party Cmdlets

Veeam Backup PowerShell scripting (PDF doc)
  • VisualSVN Server (complete list of cmdlets can be found in KB88)
  • Backup Exec 2012 Management Command Line Interface (BEMCLI)
  • Intel vPro Technology Module for PowerShell
  • List of Powershell-Enabled Technologies

    • A List of Powershell-Enabled Technologies you can find here:

    http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/4309.powershell-enabled-technologies-en-us.aspx

    List of Windows Features and Roles that Take Advantage of Windows PowerShell

    A List of Windows Features and Roles that Take Advantage of Windows PowerShell you can find here:

    http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/4327.list-of-windows-features-and-roles-that-take-advantage-of-windows-powershell-en-us.aspx

    Windows PowerShell Cmdlet Reference Material

    Additional PowerShell Resources

    Guidance Types

    PowerShell How-To Topics

    PowerShell Videos and Webcasts

    Most Videos you can get on channel9 http://channel9.msdn.com/search?term=powershell

    Webcast you can find by search true the Internet: