Users Guide

NOTE: Admin password must be provided and TpmSecurity should have been enabled to enable the TpmActivation.
Desired State Configuration (DSC) for Dell Command | PowerShell
Provider
Desired State Configuration (DSC) is a management framework provided by Windows PowerShell that allows administrators to
monitor configuration drift, manage registry settings, groups, user accounts, and environment variables, through a seamless way of
scripting.
Dell Command | PowerShell Provider uses the DSC functionality to provide a solution that monitors the BIOS configuration on Dell
client systems and maintains the Dell BIOS settings that have drifted away from the desired state configuration. Dell Command |
PowerShell Provider provides a set of custom resources aligned to each category of BIOS settings and offers the user a declarative
framework to use properties (attributes) defined in the resources.
Prerequisite
Prerequisites for the client and server systems:
• PowerShell 5.0
NOTE: The WinRM service should be started in both client and server systems.
NOTE: To initiate remote command, check system and configuration requirements in details by executing the following
cmdlet:
get-help about_Remote_Requirements
Primary components of Desired State Configuration
Desired State Configuration is a declarative framework used for configuration, deployment, and management of systems. It consists
of three primary components:
• Configuration—Configuration defines the type of function that is used in DSC through declarative scripts. This function can be
called using the keyword ‘Configuration’ with suitable identifier. DSC configuration enforces the defined BIOS settings on the
client systems. The Local Configuration Manager (LCM) ensures that systems are configured according to the Configuration
declaration.
• Resources—Dell Command | PowerShell Provider provides the user a set of custom resources that can be leveraged to
enforce required Dell BIOS settings on the Dell client systems. The resources are classified into 22 categories. For the list of the
supported categories, run
Get-Help About_DellBIOSProvider_DscResources
Each category contains properties (BIOS attributes names) that are available in the resources folder DSCResources available at
${env:ProgramFiles}\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\DellBIOSProvider.
To discover deployed Dell’s DSC resources, run:
Get-DscResource *DCPP*
For more information on attributes, refer the Reference Guide available at Dell.com/DellClientCommandSuiteManuals.
The Dell Command | PowerShell Provider resources can verify the configuration drift, get current value settings, and set desired
value on Dell client systems. This workflow is similar to the flow of ‘Test-‘ and ‘Set-‘ of standard DSC configurations.
When you define BIOS configurations using scripts, the resources declared for Dell Command | PowerShell Provider are used to
monitor drift and maintain the configuration. Declared resources must be present both on server and client systems for
successful authoring, staging, and enactment.
• Node—Node is a target system on which you want to enforce the configuration. Node can either be an IP address or a system
name.
Dell Command | PowerShell Provider resources work seamlessly in both Push and Pull modes. In Push mode you author a
configuration, stage it to generate the Managed Object Format (MOF), and enact it on target nodes. In Push mode the server is
25