Windows Power Users: Unleash your Inner Unix!

May 26, 2008 · Filed Under Windows

Microsoft has released Windows PowerShell as part of Windows 2008 Server, and it is also available here for 2003 Server and Vista and XP. Microsoft has always had scripting languages for its various operating systems: DOS, Windows Scripting Host (basically, Visual Basic lite), and a myriad of 3rd party languages. So what is different this time? The depth and breadth of the Windows PowerShell brings it close to the functionality of Unix shell scripting. Here are a few highlights:

The syntax and keywords are similar to C#
The commands can be strung or piped together, i.e. the output of one command becomes the input for another.
Windows servers can be administered remotely, including the starting and shutting down of services, retrieving errors from log files, etc.
Many resources and sample scripts are available, and a blog is being written by the PowerShell team.

Windows PowerShell is built in to the operating system, and it can automate many of the endless tasks necessary to keep a server farm running. If you do any Windows server administration work at all, time spent learning PowerShell would be time well spent.

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