PowerShell for Sysadmins: Getting Started (v7+)

Install PowerShell Core and check the version that was installed

Run a few old school command prompt commands like ping, cd, etc to see that the PowerShell console is just a shell and can be used without scripting at all!

Learn the different types of PowerShell commands and using the Get-Command command to find the commands you're looking for.

Discover the Get-Help command to discover how to find built-in command documentation. And learn how to refresh all help content to keep documentation up to date.

Learn how to create, read, modify and remove variables in PowerShell.

Learn what automatic variables are, how to discover them, and their role within PowerShell.

Everything is an object in PowerShell! But what are they exactly? Learn all about objects and what they're made of.

Learn how to create and work with the string type in PowerShell.

Learn how to create and work with the boolean type in PowerShell.

Learn how to create and work with the integer, float, and decimal types in PowerShell.

Learn how to create and work with scriptblocks in PowerShell.

Learn how to create and work with arrays and hashtables to store collections of elements in PowerShell.

Discover the possibility of eliminating unnecessary code, keeping code short, and succinct, and keeping your code readable by learning how to use the PowerShell pipeline.

You must know what you're up against before you create scripts the recommended way. See how PowerShell can create scripts with no editor required in this lecture!

Introducing Visual Studio (VS) Code, the preferred editor for all PowerShell developers. Learn how to install VS Code, hit the highlights, and install the PowerShell extension.

Code doesn't always follow a straight line and has many different conditions. Learn how to write PowerShell code to branch off accounting for various conditions through if/then and switch statements.

Let's get loopy by first covering the foreach loop. You'll learn how to create foreach loops and what's precisely happening when it processes items in a list.

Learn how for loops can iterate over a list using indexes and go deep into how exactly they work.

When you need to do something, choose do loops. This lecture teaches how to create various types of do loops like do/while and do/until loops.

Your code will break. It's inevitable, but you can control and handle that breakage with proper error-handling techniques. Get a great introduction in this lecture.

Learn how to build the example script we'll use throughout this section and see what happens when that first dreaded error strikes your script!

Not all errors are created equal in PowerShell. In reality, the effect they have on your code is drastically different. Learn how to control each error type, convert them to your preferred type and catch them in your net!

Did you know that every error that occurs is stored in PowerShell by default? Learn how to inspect this source, find historical errors and why you'd need to do so in this lecture.

Cmdlets are not the only type of command in PowerShell. Functions are a top contender. Learn the difference and their impact on your scripting in this lecture.

Get started building functions from scratch to start creating code that reduces code duplication, increases efficiency and makes your life so much easier.

Learn how to customize function behavior by allowing different input parameters to your custom functions.   You'll learn some best practices and cover some real-world scenarios in this lecture.

Learn how to take advantage of the PowerShell pipeline by introducing pipeline support in your custom functions. Learn the different types of pipeline support by object or by property name and how to integrate this support.

Polish your functions with help content and document them properly. Help your future self and others that may use your code on how to use your functions without much trouble.

Get started running code on remote computers with PowerShell remoting in this lecture. Set it up and run through some scenarios to prepare you for the rest of the section.

Learn how to take what you've learned so far and introduce remote code execution. We'll run simple commands and even whole scripts via PowerShell Remoting in this lecture.

Make your scripts more efficient and faster with reusable sessions. Learn how to create sessions that stick around allowing you to reuse them repeatedly in different commands.

Let's apply what you've learned so far and introduce a scenario where you'd use reusable sessions in the real world in this lecture.

Turn your PowerShell knowledge into an ad-hoc remote management tool using interactive sessions. No need for third-party tools when you can access the command line directly within PowerShell on remote machines in this lecture.

Learn one of the most common gotchas in PowerShell remoting called the double hop problem and how you can resolve it in this lecture.