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Don Jones

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Don Jones

372 articles published

• 2 min read

Using Install-WindowsFeature with Offline Source

As you probably know, the Install-WindowsFeature (used to be Add-WindowsFeature; that’s now an alias to Install-) can add Windows roles and features from PowerShell. If your server doesn’t have the installer source on the local disk, then the cmdlet will default to grabbing it from Windows Update - a pain for disconnected servers. Install-WindowsFeature does offer a means of using an alternate local source (like a DVD or file server location), but using it can be a bit hinky.

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PowerShell for Admins
• 6 min read

State of the Org, ending 2013

I wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a very happy new year, and to do a sort of wrap-up of 2013 from PowerShell.org’s perspective. We started 2013 with a bang, including our first-ever PowerShell Summit North America, held on-campus at Microsoft in Redmond. We’ll be returning to the Seattle area in April 2014 for PowerShell Summit North America 2014, and are planning the first PowerShell Summit Europe 2014 in Amsterdam in September.

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Announcements
• 4 min read

My outline for accelerated PowerShell training

When I teach PowerShell, either at a private client or in a public class, I tend to use my own outlines. I’m comfortable with them, and they work really well. They formed the basis for the Microsoft 10961 and 55039 courses, although I had to make some changes to accommodate Microsoft standards and varying MCT delivery styles. But I’m often asked if there’s a “MOC-equivalent” outline that combines the entry-level 10961 with the scripting-focused 55039.

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Training
• 1 min read

Coaches and Judges Selected for Winter Scripting Games

We’ve had an outpouring of support for the upcoming games, with more volunteers than we know what to do with! At this point, we have our judging panel completely full; we’re operating with a fairly small group of celebrity judges this time around. Games Master Richard Siddaway will introduce our judges in a few days. We’ve also filled our roster of Coaches, and Head Coach Mike Robbins will provide that lineup soon also.

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Scripting Games
• 3 min read

How "Quick and Dirty" Becomes "Permanent and Annoying."

Consider the following: $computers = Get-ADComputer -filter * -searchBase "ou=test,dc=company,dc=pri" foreach ($computer in $computers) { write-host "computer $computer" $result = Do-Something -computername $computer Write-Host "$($result.property) and $($result.value)" } Would you ever consider that acceptable? Some folks might well say, “sure! if I was just testing this, throwing in those Write-Hosts is no big deal. Heck, even if I was the only one who was going to use this, Write-Host isn’t bad.

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PowerShell for Admins
• 1 min read

Scheduled site downtime

Windows Azure has advised us of scheduled downtime on Friday, December 6, from approximately 15:00 hours (US Pacific) until approximately midnight Pacific time.

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Announcements
• 1 min read

Community Book of PowerShell Practices

Released in our new Git repo: _The Community Book of PowerShell Practices, _an ongoing book started from this past Summer’s “Great Debates” blog post series. Grab it from https://github.com/PowerShellOrg/ebooks/blob/master/Practices/2013Sep_Practices/2013Sep_Practices.doc and enjoy!

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Books
• 2 min read

Last chance for feedback on PowerShell course 10961A/B

I’m in the midst of working on 10961C, the Windows Server 2012 R2 / Windows 8.1 / PowerShell 4.0 update of Microsoft’s 10961A/B course, “Automating Administration with Windows PowerShell.” I anticipate this being closed out by the end of November, 2013, so if you’ve taken or taught this course and have any feedback - even a typo - now’s the time to tell me. Drop a comment below, or e-mail me (if you have my address). Please, no Twitter replies on this one.
The course will not be substantially changed from the B rev; because PowerShell v4 doesn’t change much, especially at the entry-level covered by 10961, there wasn’t much to alter. But I’m trying to sweep up as many lingering bugs and typos as possible. Kudos to MCT Jason Yoder for firing over a list of fixes!

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Training
• 1 min read

Login now required for comments

A quick note and an apology: I’ve had to modify the site configuration to require users to be registered and logged in before they can comment. We’ve been taking a ridiculous amount of comment spam, and it’s consuming more and more time to weed through it. You can register using any major social media account, so you don’t have to remember yet another username and password with us, so hopefully that’ll mitigate the inconvenience.

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Announcements
• 3 min read

PowerShell "Scripting and Toolmaking" Classroom Training Course Now Available to Microsoft Training Centers

Attention Microsoft training centers! Microsoft’s Courseware Marketplace now offers course 55039AC, “Windows PowerShell Scripting and Toolmaking.” Designed as a 5-day course, it’s a spiritual “Part 2” to Microsoft Official Curriculum course 10961. With 10961, the goal was to provide a founding in PowerShell basics, in a somewhat product-neutral way. That is, the course doesn’t cover Exchange, or SharePoint, or AD; it focuses on pure PowerShell. Unlike its predecessor, 10325, the 10961 course kind of “stops short” of actual scripting.

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Training