Datasheet

Chapter 1: Getting Started with Windows PowerShell
31
Summary
Windows PowerShell is the next - generation command - line shell and scripting language for
Windows. Exchange Server 2007 is the first Microsoft application to utilize Windows PowerShell
for deployment and administration.
Command shells provide a more flexible administrative interface compared to Graphical User
Interfaces (GUIs). Administrators use scripts to automate everyday tasks and resolve issues GUI
interfaces are not able to handle.
Windows PowerShell is built on top of .NET Framework version 2.0 and exposes .NET classes as
built - in commands. Actions in Windows PowerShell are based on .NET objects that carry their
structure definition as well as the current state of their attributes. Windows PowerShell objects
have properties (which are characteristics) and methods (which are actions that you can take)
and can be passed from one command to another without the need for parsing.
Exchange Management Shell extends Windows PowerShell to include more than 500 built - in
commands. Exchange Management Console is a GUI management application built on top of
Windows PowerShell.
The most basic component of Windows PowerShell is the built - in commands called cmdlets.
Cmdlet names are made up of a verb name that identifies the action to take and the noun name
that identifies the object on which to take action. Cmdlets use named parameters to identify
individual properties or control how the cmdlet executes.
Windows PowerShell includes a powerful help system available directly from the command line
that makes it easy to first discover and then learn how to use cmdlets.
The Windows PowerShell tab expansion feature takes the drudgery and guesswork out of
typing commands by allowing you to automatically complete partially entered cmdlet and
parameter names using the Tab key.
Windows PowerShell makes it possible to take the results of one cmdlet and pass it via pipeline
as input to another cmdlet for further processing. Using a pipeline to pass data from one cmdlet
to another is known as composition.
Command sequences that are run on a regular basis can be stored in a Windows PowerShell
script file for execution. Sharing these scripts between all administrators in an organization
ensures consistent results.
Further Reading
If you want a more basic understanding of general Windows PowerShell usage outside of Exchange,
explore another fine Wrox publication:
Professional Windows PowerShell ; Andrew Watt; ISBN: 978 - 0 - 471 - 94693 - 9; Wrox, 2004.
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
c01.indd 31c01.indd 31 12/17/07 3:19:32 PM12/17/07 3:19:32 PM