Datasheet

CHAPTER 1

icroso ’s latest version of its SharePoint platform, SharePoint 2010, introduces numer-

ous new capabilities and architectural changes that make what was already a power-

ful platform even more powerful and, in doing so, much more complex and di cult

to manage. As with the 2007 version of SharePoint, you can use the point-and-click

administrative tools found in the SharePoint Central Administration website or you

can use STSADM, SharePoint 2007’s command-line tool. But with SharePoint 2010,

we now have built-in support for Windows PowerShell, an incredibly powerful script-

ing tool meant to replace the old batch  les that many have used for years.

Before you get started managing and manipulating SharePoint using Windows

PowerShell, it is useful to understand the relationship between STSADM and

PowerShell as well as core PowerShell concepts that every PowerShell “programmer”

must know. In this chapter, we will cover four key areas to help you get started:

▶

Going from STSADM to Windows PowerShell

▶

Windows PowerShell components

▶

Variables and types

▶

Working with output

Prepare for Your Journey

Before you can begin working with SharePoint 2010 and Windows PowerShell, you

must  rst get your environment con gured and ready for use.  e full setup and

con guration of your environment is out of scope for this book; we will be focus-

ing on deploying and managing your SharePoint environment using Windows

PowerShell and not the setup and con guration of your operating system and

related installation  les.

In general, you will want to make sure that you, at a minimum, have the SharePoint

2010 binaries installed, have installed Windows PowerShell 2.0, and are logged on

with an account with appropriate rights. (See “Understand Required Permissions”

later in this chapter for more details.) It is also assumed that the server is a member

of a SharePoint 2010 Farm, except where explicitly noted.

NOTE

Windows PowerShell 2.0 will be automatically installed when you install the

SharePoint 2010 prerequisites. Though it is possible to use Windows PowerShell 1.0 with

Sh arePoint 2010, it is highly recommended that you do not.

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