PowerShell is one of the most exciting new products to come out of Microsoft in a long time. It is both a new scripting language and a command-line shell. People who have seen the demos have been extremely impressed by the power it brings to admins to automate and customize their regular tasks. PowerShell will be used as the basis for all Windows administrative scripting in the future, starting with Exchange 2007 and Vista. IT Pros have been hungering for whatever PowerShell information they can get their hands on.
This book first focuses on PowerShell basics, how it relates to existing Windows scripting practices, and how your existing knowledge can be translated into PowerShell knowledge. After gaining insight into PowerShell, you are presented with transferable PowerShell scripting examples. The goal of presenting these examples is to outline methods of using PowerShell to manage Windows Server, Active Directory, and Exchange Server 2007 that have not been explained or touched upon by other sources.
When I first started working on the PowerShell Unleashed book, I happened to be reading a book on public key infrastructure (PKI). Although the materials in the book gave good background and reference information about PKI, they lacked details on how to apply PKI in an environment. Applied presentation is a component I have often wished was included in many technical books. With this realization, I decided I would try to approach the subject matter in the PowerShell book in a way different from most other technical books.
The outcome of this realization is the book you’re now reading. Although this book contains detailed reference information about what PowerShell is, I made an effort to show readers how PowerShell can be applied to meet their specialized needs. This approach might not be new or groundbreaking, but I hope it helps you gain a unique perspective on one of the most impressive Microsoft products to be recently released.
That last statement is by no means free marketing for Microsoft. The PowerShell team has truly created a shell that’s enjoyable, easy, fun, and, yes, powerful. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the