PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) Getting Started
Hello PowerShell World,
Just a few resources as we start gathering information to support your need to ramp-up on Desired State Configuration (DSC) and the role that PowerShell plays. You can use this blog to help learn more about PowerShell and then focus on PowerShell DSC. You won't find a lot of repetitive How To PowerShell guides here. There are a lot out there so many links are provided that have been helpful to learn. As new posts specific to Desired State Configuration are posted, they'll be added also.
Let's get started.
The purpose of PowerShell is to improve through automation, support admin needs in real-time and manage across the desktop, datacenter and Azure hybrid cloud.
Getting started requires Windows 8.1 (not Windows 8.0), you can not install WMF 4.0 and other need to know facts:
- PowerShell V4 - Windows Server 2012 R2 (Full version of the .Net Framework)
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40855
Windows Management Framework 4.0 includes updates to:
- Windows PowerShell
- Windows PowerShell ISE,
- Windows PowerShell Web Services (Management OData IIS Extension)
- Windows Remote Management (WinRM)
- Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
The Server Manager WMI provider and a new feature for 4.0, Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC). WMF 4.0 requires Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5. You can install Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 from the Microsoft Download Center.
NOTE, read the installation requirements if your not using Windows 8.1:
- Windows 7 SP1
- x64: Windows6.1-KB2819745-x64-MultiPkg.msu
- x86: Windows6.1-KB2819745-x86.msu
- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
- x64: Windows6.1-KB2819745-x64-MultiPkg.msu
- Windows Server 2012
- x64: Windows8-RT-KB2799888-x64.msu
As you increase the version of PowerShell the cmdlets are improved, updated and more available.
Windows PowerShell Blog, Windows Management Framework 5.0 Preview:
Great BLOG from our friends at Building Clouds.
Get Started here with Part1: https://blogs.technet.com/b/privatecloud/archive/2014/04/25/desired-state-configuration-blog-series-part-1-learning-about-dsc.aspx
Resources for PowerShell and as we move from this post to others you'll learn with the direct links for our PowerShell topic.
PowerShell . ORG is a great community site: https://powershell.org/wp/
Windows PowerShell BLOG team: https://blogs.msdn.com/b/powershell/
PowerShell Gallery and the DSC Resource Kit https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/DSC-Resource-Kit-All-c449312d
Hey Scripting Guys BLOG (The Scripting Guys, Ed Wilson and others) https://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/
What if your new to PowerShell and need a class to help you get started on the right foot? My buddy, Jeffrey Snover and "the" Jason Helmick provide a great starting point for PowerShell Automation. Now this was created in 2013 so the topic is PowerShell Version 3.0 but it is a great foundation at the Microsoft Virtual Academy site. Please note that a "outlook, or Hotmail account" is all you need to get access to this training and more for all the Microsoft solutions.
This is going to be fun, let me know if you have any other sites needed to added as PowerShell DSC resources.
-Marshall