Examine DSC configuration file

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DSC configurations are Windows PowerShell scripts that define a special type of function.

You can view some syntax examples and scenarios on the Configuration syntax page.

DSC configuration elements

We'll provide the example configurations and then discuss the elements within them. Let's start with the following example configuration:

    configuration LabConfig
    {
        Node WebServer
        {
            WindowsFeature IIS
            {
                Ensure = 'Present'
                Name = 'Web-Server'
                IncludeAllSubFeature = $true
            }
        }
    }

• Configuration block. The Configuration block is the outermost script block. In this case, the name of the configuration is LabConfig. Notice the curly brackets to define the block.
• Node block. There can be one or more Node blocks. It defines the nodes (computers and VMs) that you're configuring. In this example, the node targets a computer called WebServer. You could also call it localhost and use it locally on any server.
• Resource blocks. There can be one or more resource blocks. It's where the configuration sets the properties for the resources. In this case, there's one resource block called WindowsFeature. Notice the parameters that are defined. (You can read more about resource blocks at DSC resources.

Here's another example:

    Configuration MyDscConfiguration
    {
        param
        (
            [string[]]$ComputerName='localhost'
        )
   
        Node $ComputerName
        {
            WindowsFeature MyFeatureInstance
            {
                Ensure = 'Present'
                Name = 'RSAT'
            }
   
            WindowsFeature My2ndFeatureInstance
            {
                Ensure = 'Present'
                Name = 'Bitlocker'
            }
        }
    }
   
    MyDscConfiguration

In this example, you specify the node's name by passing it as the ComputerName parameter when you compile the configuration. The name defaults to "localhost."

Within a Configuration block, you can do almost anything that you normally could in a PowerShell function.

You can also create the configuration in any editor, such as PowerShell ISE, and save the file as a PowerShell script with a .ps1 file type extension.