Running PowerShell in the Cloud (with Azure)

There's a PowerShell Azure sample application HERE.

Briefly, in Azure terminology, the sample provides:

1. The code to create a ASP.NET web role, which acts as the Internet-accessible web page that provides a simple interface to type in PowerShell code.
2. The sample also provides the code to create a PowerShell worker role, which is basically C# code creating a PowerShell runspace which takes the input from the ASP.NET interface.
3. So once a PowerShell command is passed via the web interface, it is passed to the PowerShell runspace.  Once the PowerShell runspace finishes the command passed, it returns the results back to the ASP.NET page to display.

I built the project yesterday using Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2.  Here’s the resulting Azure application: http://marcoposh.cloudapp.net/.  (This link may be removed early in 2010 once Azure becomes a paid service.)

Give the above link a try.  For example, try “get-service cl*”.

Assuming this is PowerShell version 2.0, it is a very restricted runspace, and some commands just won’t return any results…

Adding sounds to PowerGadgets

PowerGadgets is my favorite PowerShell add-on.  I think it is time to think up more usage examples now that PowerShell v2 is “mainstream”.

I was checking out the PowerGadgets support forums last week and came across a question HERE about whether sound could be added to a gadget when the data changes.

Well, you can do just about anything with PowerShell and PowerGadgets, and adding sound is a piece of cake.  Here’s my guest blog post on how to do this HERE.

I also have a guest blog post there on creating a stock ticker and a flashing display…

TechDays in Halifax… Still a few spots left

TechDays is near!  Halifax will be on November 2nd and 3rd.

I’ve been accepted to do two presentations:

• Operations Manager 2007 R2 for monitoring UNIX/Linux servers.
• Server management improvements in Windows Server 2008 R2.

There’s some PowerShell goodies, but I’m also in talks to put on a pure PowerShell deep-dive there.

Yes, the site says Halifax is SOLD OUT, but as of yesterday, I have some inside information that there have been a few more seats freed up.

Leave me a comment here if you want a spot!  Leave your email address and I’ll contact you directly.  Once I get your comment, I’ll delete it so your email address will never be shown.  I have it currently set that I have to moderate all comments before they will show.

PowerShell V2 Virtual Launch Party

Join Jeffry Snover, Hal Rottenberg and Jonathan Walz (hosts of the PowerScripting Podcast) in a PowerShell V2 Virtual Launch Party this Thursday, Oct 22nd, 9:30 PM EDT (GMT-4).

For more details and info on how to join go HERE.

Microsoft MVP – for another year!

Hey everyone…  I’m proud to announce that I was re-awarded as a Microsoft MVP for the 3rd consecutive year.

I’m very excited to be recognized by Microsoft for my contributions to the PowerShell community!

Are you ready for Windows 7? Moncton Community Event

Are you ready for Windows 7? Moncton Community Event

November 4, 2009 6:00 PM - November 4, 2009 8:00 PM Atlantic Time (Canada)
Welcome Time: 5:30 PM

Moncton Public Library
Room: AB
644 Main Street
Moncton New Brunswick E1C 1E2
Canada

Register:
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032427967&Culture=en-CA

Event Overview:
Are you ready for Windows 7?  It is a common question now that Windows
7 is released to manufacturing.  This 2 hour 4 part session will cover
all the key aspects, guidance, tools and resources to help prepare you
and company for Windows 7. For anyone looking how to Discover,
Explore, Pilot, Deploy or Manage Windows 7, this is the seminar for
you.

This session will answer questions like "Why and how to move to
Windows 7 from Windows XP?", "What are the differences between the
versions of Windows 7?" and focus on the three key pillars of Windows
7 - deployment, security, and networking.  From new deployment
techniques, application compatibility, to improved security and remote
access options this session will get you ready to answer questions
about Windows 7.

Please note: there is no cost to attend this event.

READY: Should you care about Windows PowerShell?

I’m going to start blogging on the System Center Central web site.  The site is dedicated to Microsoft’s System Center product line, which covers a wide-range of products. 

I’m starting a series of blogs posts there to talk about using PowerShell while focusing on its use with System Center products. I’m going to title the series: “READY”, “SET”, “GO”. “Ready” is already posted HERE where I talk about why you should learn PowerShell.

The “Set” post will probably cover some PowerShell terminology you should really know, and may want to refer back to at any time, and finally the “Go” posts will be a potentially indefinite number of posts where I’m actually going to use PowerShell to try to do something productive to show you how you can use PowerShell.

The integration these System Center products have with PowerShell also greatly varies, and I plan to discuss this in future posts in the series.  I would expect them to have better integration in the future though.

Please feel free to leave comments at any time if you want me to cover anything in particular. My next post  in that series should appear in the next 2 weeks...

PowerShell Terminology: Tightly integrated products

I've been doing a couple of blog posts this year on PowerShell terminology. In this post, I will discuss what I like to call “tightly integrated products”. Briefly, I use this term when I talk about how different Microsoft server products implement their support for PowerShell.

In the case of tightly integrated products, these products provide full PowerShell support. With tightly integrated products, every task that can be accomplished via the product’s administration user interface can be accomplished with the use of a cmdlet developed by the product team itself. In fact, it happens that the user interface actually runs these cmdlets under the covers.

As a matter of fact, from what I understand, PowerShell is now the only public API to managing Exchange 2007 and later. You could use WMI with Exchange 2003, but that interface is now gone. Apparently, you can still use MAPI to automate Exchange 2007 though. I don't know if the difference is that MAPI isn't offiicially supported by Microsoft anymore. Any readers know anything about this? Please leave a comment if you do.

These are example of Microsoft products that I consider to be tighly integrated:

• Exchange 2007 (and later).

• System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 (and later).

In the case of Exchange 2007, there was a complete rewrite of the administration interface from Exchange 2003. Now, every command that can be undertaken in the user interface is available as a cmdlet. As mentioned above, the user interface actually runs these cmdlets in the background.

What is cool about this type of integration is that, when undertaking any kind of task in the user interface using the built-in wizards, at the end of the wizard, a screen actually display the actual PowerShell commands that will be run. This makes it easy to copy and paste the commands to use this in other automation scenarios or simply to help with learning how to use PowerShell.

As a matter of fact, Exchange was the first product to fully integrate PowerShell to this level. Exchange 2007 was developed using PowerShell v1. Now, even more exciting news... Exchange 2010 was developed using PowerShell v2! Exchange 2010 fully utilizes some of the new v2 features like PowerShell remoting. Imagine... You can use v2 on a client, and as long as you have the proper permissions on the Exchange 2010, you can remote into the Exchange 2010 and use the Exchange Management Shell... You don't have to copy the admin tools to every client like with Exchange 2007.

Not all of this was good news to everyone though. Some have expressed concern that you can actually do more with the cmdlets as some tasks aren't available through the Exchange 2007 management console. That being said, that improved with SP1 (I'm not sure about SP2 which is now out). Exchange 2010 has expanded the number of cmdlets dramatically. I can't remember the exact numbers though.

I'm not going to specifically discuss SCVMM here, unless someone leaves a comment wishing that I discuss the PowerShell integration in more detail.

So the path to manage these applications is:

PowerShell->Application.

TechNet Webcast: Using Windows PowerShell with Hyper-V and Virtual Machine Manager (Level 300)

Date/time: Thursday, September 10, 2009 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)

You can sign up for the webcast HERE.

Event Overview
Windows PowerShell is likely to become the automation tool of choice. In this webcast, we provide examples of Windows PowerShell being used to perform common administration tasks in Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager. We compare the two automation methods in detail, and we discuss some online community-focused PowerShell resources such as http://powershellcommunity.org.

Presenters: Marco Shaw, Microsoft MVP, Independent; Darin Pendergraft, PowerGUI Product Manager, Quest Software; and Peter Zerger, Consulting Partner, AKOS Technology Services, Inc.

Call to Action: Please read if you want to influence PowerShell documentation

Hello everyone,

I'm a co-director of the PowerShellCommunity.org web site. I've been recently approached by June Blender from the Microsoft PowerShell documentation team to setup a process where people from the PowerShell community would participate in the review of PowerShell documentation while it is in a draft state.

I'm still working out the kinks in the process, but currently, I'm looking for at least 4 people from the community to volunteer to help review some outstanding documentation. Specifically, I'm looking for 2 beginner-level users and 2 intermediate/advanced users.

The review could be of new documentation or updates to existing documentation.

If you're interested in participating in the review and being able to provide your comments and influence how PowerShell help features are written, send a message to doc_reviews@powershellcommunity.org. Please indicate your current level of familiarity with PowerShell. Once assigned something to review, you will be expected to review what is assigned to you within 7 days.

You will need to be a member of the http://www.powershellcommunity.org
(http://www.poshcomm.org) web site to participate because the site will be used in the review process.

Once you are accepted as a reviewer, more details will be sent to you via email.

If you do not receive any kind of acceptance message/email, your name maybe archived for future use. Unfortunately, I don't know whether I will be able to respond to every email from all volunteers.

BOOK REVIEW: Chained Exploits

I recently read Chained Exploits - Advanced Hacking Attacks from Start to Finish, which is available on amazon.com HERE.

I really liked the approach taken by the authors to keep the reader interested. Reading about security can be boring for some, but I found the book very interesting in the format the authors chose: Write a series of stories by using a fictional character.

I think any Internet user could read this book, and even any executives interested in trying to understand why security in an organization is so important, would benefit from reading this book.

It helps bring to light, with one of the stories, how web 2.0 technologies (like MySpace and Facebook) can be compromised.

It does use quite a bit of social engineering tricks, and I think that's very important, because people can be a weak link in any organization. Security awareness within any organization is becoming more and more important.

I also learned about new hacking tools. The examples used existing tools that can be downloaded from the Internet.

Book rating: 5/5.

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group #10--VIDEO

Here's the video from my virtual user group meeting held in May:



The timing goes like this (format is MM:SS or HH:MM:SS):
-Intro (Marco) 0:00-3:45
-Glenn 3:55-37:05
-Sergei 37:15-1:17:40
-Bart 1:18:05-1:51:45
-Closing (Marco) 1:51:50-1:54:00

For the details on each speaker's topic, see HERE.

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group #10--UPDATE ON VIDEO

Well, I have the raw video from meeting #10, I just haven't had the chance to write down the timing for each presenter.

I will have it done next week though.

I've been pretty quiet of late, but I'm still planning on having other virtual user group meetings starting likely in September 2009.

PowerShell v2 RTMs!

Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/powershell/archive/2009/07/23/windows-powershell-2-0-rtm.aspx

This means that we are very close to getting our hands on Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2.

There's also an update on when we will see v2 for XP, Vista and Server 2008. Missing from that list is Server 2003 though. I'm not sure if that was just an error/omission or there's a problem with v2 support for Server 2003.

BOOK REVIEW: Microsoft PowerShell, VBScript and JScript Bible

Time for another book review. This time I will be reviewing Microsoft PowerShell, VBScript and JScript Bible available on amazon.com HERE.

I like the format of this book. Several sections provide code listings in VBScript and JScript to show how to complete various tasks.

All, if not most, of the content was written by James O'Neill. James has a very good blog (http://blogs.technet.com/jamesone/), and wrote an extensive PowerShell library for Hyper-V (http://www.codeplex.com/PSHyperv), so he definitely has some good practical experience with PowerShell.

In the end, I would recommend this book to anyone doing any kind of scripting. I think this is a good book for beginners as it is task-based, and if someone wants to gain experience with any of the scripting languages in this book, this is a good one-stop-shop reference guide.

My challenge for the authors would be to have all the code listing in all 3 scripting languages side-by-side, and, for example, have another section on what PowerShell can do, that the others can't like direct access to managed code.

BOOK REVIEW: Microsoft Windows PowerShell 2.0 Programming for the Absolute Beginner

I reviewed the first edition and gave it 5 stars on amazon.com. I still like the style used for the 2nd edition. The 2nd edition covers PowerShell 2.0, which is due to be released along with Windows 7 around October 2009.

The 2nd edition has about 40 pages more content.

I would only give 4 stars for this second edition. This book is based on the CTP2 release. A few major things that changed from CTP2 to CTP3 is that the *-Runspace cmdlets are now renamed to *-PsSession, and *-PsJob cmdlets have also been renamed to *-Job.

Some of the prerequisites for PowerShell v2 are also a bit unclear. If one is planning to use the new PowerShell remoting or the new PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE), the book doesn't cover the prerequisites in enough detail.

Even with the above comments, I would still strongly recommend this book to a PowerShell beginner.

NOTE: Amazon.com has changed its review policy. I can only submit a review if I purchased the book from *them*. I typically buy my books from stores or chapters.ca.

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #10--NEW DATE

**Last week's meeting had to be cancelled at the last minute. I'm going to retry this for this coming Thursday. Sorry for any inconvenience.**

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #10
Time: May 14th, 2009 at 8PM EST (New York time)
Place: Online via Live Meeting 2007

-----------------------------------------------------------
To sign up:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Registration site: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=138442
Event Code: 138442
-----------------------------------------------------------

This is our tenth virtual event. Invited speakers that will talk about various
PowerShell-related topics: Bart De Smet (Microsoft), Sergei Anotonov (Microsoft), Glenn Sizemore.

Agenda (EST/New York time):
8:00PM-8:10PM: Introduction (Marco)
8:10PM-8:40PM: Glenn Sizemore
8:40PM-9:10PM: Sergei Antonov (Microsoft)
9:10PM-9:40PM: Bart De Smet (Microsoft)
9:40PM-9:50PM: Closing (Marco)

Speaker topics:
*Glenn Sizemore: NetApp administration using PowerShell (http://www.get-admin.com).
*Sergei Anotonov (Microsoft): IIS PowerShell Snap-in functionality (http://blogs.iis.net/sergeia/).
*Bart De Smet (Microsoft): Using LINQ from PowerShell (http://bartdesmet.net/blogs/bart/).

To join:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join?id=8GBZCB&role=attend&pw=8%5E-%5CzqX

Video:
Video will be delivered via the Microsoft Live Meeting client
Audio:
For attendees, audio will be delivered via the Internet using your computer's speakers. There
will not be a call-in number for this meeting.

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:
1.Copy this address and paste into your web browser:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join
2.Copy and paste the required information:
Meeting ID: 8GBZCB
Entry Code: 8^-\zqX

PowerShell Terminology: Loosely integrated products

I recently started a small series of posts on PowerShell terminology.  In this post, I will discuss what I like to call “loosely integrated products”.  Briefly, I use this term when I talk about how different Microsoft server products implement their support for PowerShell.

In the case of loosely integrated products, these products don’t provide full PowerShell support.  Unlike some server products, with a loosely integrated product, not every task that can be accomplished via the product’s administration user interface can be accomplished with the use of a cmdlet developed by the product team itself.

These are example of Microsoft products that I consider to be loosely integrated:

• System Center Operations Manager 2007.
• Internet Information Services 7.0.
• SQL Server 2008.

In the above examples, the product team ships the product with a PowerShell snapin (except the IIS7 must be downloaded separately).

In the case of Operations Manager 2007, for example, the product provides a customized PowerShell console named “Command Shell” (renamed to “Operations Manager Shell” as of Operations Manager 2007 R2).  What the product team has done is used the Operations Manager SDK managed assembly and created a limited number of cmdlets.  So the cmdlets are officially supported, but you cannot accomplish everything from within PowerShell that can be done from the UI.  Furthermore, because of the incomplete cmdlet coverage, the UI wizards don’t provide similar functionality to the Exchange 2007 UI whereas when a task is done, the underlying PowerShell code used is not presented.

Hopefully the next version of Operations Manager (maybe in 2012) will provide more complete PowerShell support, which can mean a major rewriting of the user interface.

I’m not going to go into detail about IIS7 and SQL Server 2008, unless a comment is left asking me to discuss them in detail.

So the path to manage these applications is:

PowerShell->.NET assembly or SDK->Application.

I will cover tightly integrated products soon.

Managing OpsMgr using a mobile phone: RoveIT Mobile Admin

RoveIT has a product called Mobile Admin that you can read about HERE.

They are putting on a free webcast this coming April 29th at 11AM EDT.  You can register for the webcast HERE.

I’m looking forward to inviting RoveIT to my PowerShell user group possibly in June to talk about how they are using PowerShell in their products.

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #10--UPDATED

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #10
Time: May 7th, 2009 at 8PM EST (New York time)
Place: Online via Live Meeting 2007

-----------------------------------------------------------
To sign up:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Registration site: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=137921
Event Code: 137921
-----------------------------------------------------------

This is our tenth virtual event. Invited speakers that will talk about various
PowerShell-related topics: Bart De Smet (Microsoft), Sergei Anotonov (Microsoft), Glenn Sizemore.

Agenda (EST/New York time):
8:00PM-8:10PM: Introduction (Marco)
8:10PM-8:40PM: Glenn Sizemore
8:40PM-9:10PM: Sergei Antonov (Microsoft)
9:10PM-9:40PM: Bart De Smet (Microsoft)
9:40PM-9:50PM: Closing (Marco)

Speaker topics:
*Glenn Sizemore: NetApp administration using PowerShell (http://www.get-admin.com).
*Sergei Anotonov (Microsoft): IIS PowerShell Snap-in functionality (http://blogs.iis.net/sergeia/).
*Bart De Smet (Microsoft): Using LINQ from PowerShell (http://bartdesmet.net/blogs/bart/).

To join:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join?id=4FB8CN&role=attend&pw=8%5E-%5CzqX

Video:
Video will be delivered via the Microsoft Live Meeting client
Audio:
For attendees, audio will be delivered via the Internet using your computer's speakers. There
will not be a call-in number for this meeting.

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:
1.Copy this address and paste into your web browser:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join
2.Copy and paste the required information:
Meeting ID: 4FB8CN
Entry Code: 8^-\zqX

New Book: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Administration with Windows PowerShell

Wrox has a book on SQL Server 2008 and PowerShell HERE.  The book is due June 2009.

I just noticed that they have recently made the scripts from the book available for download.

The zip file contains: 76 .ps1 scripts, 26 .sql scripts, 2 .xml files, 1 .bat file, and 3 .txt files.  I’ve not looked through the scripts, but to include over 100 PowerShell and SQL scripts is super cool.

I can’t wait to get my hands on the book and review it…

[Edit: I originally reported 107 .ps1 scripts, but I was wrong.]

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group #10—NEW DATE

I recently announced my tenth meeting of my virtual PowerShell user group HERE.  The original date was April 30th.  I’m changing this to May 7th.

I apologize for any inconveniences.

I will post the updated information today.

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #10

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #10
Time: April 30th, 2009 at 8PM EST (New York time)
Place: Online via Live Meeting 2007

-----------------------------------------------------------
To sign up:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Registration site: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=137921
Event Code: 137921
-----------------------------------------------------------

This is our tenth virtual event. Invited speakers that will talk about various
PowerShell-related topics: Bart De Smet (Microsoft), Sergei Anotonov (Microsoft), Glenn Sizemore.

Agenda (EST/New York time):
8:00PM-8:10PM: Introduction (Marco)
8:10PM-8:40PM: Glenn Sizemore
8:40PM-9:10PM: Sergei Antonov (Microsoft)
9:10PM-9:40PM: Bart De Smet (Microsoft)
9:40PM-9:50PM: Closing (Marco)

Speaker topics:
*Glenn Sizemore: NetApp administration using PowerShell (http://www.get-admin.com).
*Sergei Anotonov (Microsoft): IIS PowerShell Snap-in functionality (http://blogs.iis.net/sergeia/).
*Bart De Smet (Microsoft): Using LINQ from PowerShell (http://bartdesmet.net/blogs/bart/).

To join:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join?id=4FB8CN&role=attend&pw=8%5E-%5CzqX

Video:
Video will be delivered via the Microsoft Live Meeting client
Audio:
For attendees, audio will be delivered via the Internet using your computer's speakers. There
will not be a call-in number for this meeting.

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:
1.Copy this address and paste into your web browser:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join
2.Copy and paste the required information:
Meeting ID: 4FB8CN
Entry Code: 8^-\zqX

PowerShell Terminology: Common Engineering Criteria

I recently started a series on PowerShell terminology HERE.  One thing I mentioned was Microsoft’s Common Engineering Criteria (CEC).

You can read through Microsoft’s official web site HERE.

From my understanding, CEC is a set of best practices that are to be implemented in all server-based products.  Now, this may be some kind of internal document, and I’ve never seen it, so this is my unofficial interpretation of things…

Microsoft added PowerShell as of their CEC 2009 standards.  Apparently, if a server product doesn’t meet all of the CEC guidelines, the particular product team must justify each and every deviance from this to some internal Microsoft group who likely oversees the compliance to the standards.

Based on the products that have recently come out from Microsoft, I don’t believe the standard outlines exactly how PowerShell should be implemented in products.  This is my conclusion based on seeing the differences with how newer products have varying levels of PowerShell support.

I introduced some new terms HERE: “PowerShell-enablers”, “loosely integrated products”, and “tightly integrated products”.  I’ll likely cover these last 2 terms next week.

PowerShell Terminology: PowerShell-enablers

I’m going to blog about a few terms I like to use when I talk about how PowerShell is supported in different Microsoft server applications.

The terms I will introduce in are:

• PowerShell-enablers.
• Loosely integrated products.
• Tightly integrated products.

This is the first post in this small series, so I’m going to briefly discuss “PowerShell-enablers”:

Since Microsoft announced that PowerShell was now part of their Common Engineering Criteria since 2009, there are some products that officially released around the time of the announcement and also after.

There are examples of Microsoft products that don’t provide any PowerShell support per se:

• Hyper-V.
• System Center Configuration Manager 2007.
• Office Suite and Internet Explorer (just client applications, but still).

Now, that being said, these products do support “PowerShell-enablers”.  To me, these are technologies like COM (Component Object Model) and WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation).

Via COM, I can automate Office and IE, and I can access COM from PowerShell.  Via WMI, I can automate Hyper-V and ConfigMgr, and there is excellent support for WMI from PowerShell.

So the path to manage these applications is:

PowerShell->WMI or COM->Application

In the next post, I’ll talk about loosely integrated products.

Book: System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed – 2nd edition

I just wanted to mention a book that I am writing for:  System Center Operations Manager 2007 by Kerrie Meyler, Cameron Fuller, John Joyner and Andy Dominey.

(The link and image are for the 1st edition.)

A publication date has not been set yet, to my knowledge.

I’ve contributed a chapter on using PoweShell where I cover the basics of what a OpsMgr user should know, show some basic examples of general Windows tasks in PowerShell, then show some practical examples of how to use PowerShell in OpsMgr to script and automate tasks.

(Image copied from Amazon link.)

Book: SQL Server 2008

I just wanted to mention a book that I contributed to last year:  SQL Server 2008 Management and Administration by Ross Mistry.

It was published this past January 2009.

I contributed a chapter on using PoweShell with SQL Server 2008 where I cover the new features provided in this release.  I also cover some of the basics a DBA should have a grasp of before using PowerShell.

I also briefly cover using SMO (SQL Server Management Objects).

If you visit my blog and have the book, please don’t hesitate to leave any comments!

(Image copied from Amazon link.)

User Group Connection (Moncton) Update

The user group meeting I’m helping to organize originally mentioned HERE is coming along very well.

The room size allows a maximum of 60 attendees.  As of about 2 weeks ago, the registration was at 53.

I’m looking forward to meeting IT people from the area.  I’ll also be trying to get in a few minutes to talk about starting up a IT Pro user group in the Moncton area.

TechDays DAC Update

The previous post HERE mentions a free online Microsoft event where I did a 60 minute session on PowerShell-related developer topics.

There is a link HERE to the Live Meeting recording of the event (the link should work).

Hopefully developers new to PowerShell will find the discussion interesting.

Free event: TechDays Defy All Challenges

On April 1st, 2009, Microsoft is putting on a free 24-hour virtual event called TechDays Defy All Challenges. This is a developer-focused event.

I'm proud to be presenting "Scripting the .NET Framework using Windows PowerShell". I'm going to be doing a 60 minute presentation on Windows PowerShell that will show how to access the .NET Framework. I'll also spend a small percentage talking about PowerShell v2.

Overview:
Now that PowerShell is part of the Microsoft Common Engineering Criteria. Expect to see more and more PowerShell in Microsoft's server products. This session will look at how PowerShell can be used to directly access the .NET Framework. Some simple examples will be demonstrated, but also more advanced examples of using WPF (.NET 3.0), and LINQ (.NET 3.5) will be discussed.

User Group Connection: The Future of the Microsoft Windows-based Platform - (Moncton)

User Group Connection: The Future of the Microsoft Windows-based Platform - (Moncton)

Date:
April 21, 2009 6:30 PM - April 21, 2009 8:30 PM Atlantic Time (Canada)

Welcome Time: 6:00 PM

Location:
Mapleton Rotary Pavilion
600 Mapleton Road
Moncton New Brunswick Canada

Register (seating is limited to 60):
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032406296&Culture=en-CA

Details:
User Group Connection: The Future of the Microsoft Windows-based Platform
Innovation solves problems and fosters new ideas; it is the lifeblood of our industry. However, with every innovation, a question is asked by those with the opportunity to leverage it: “How is this going to make my life easier?”
In this complimentary session we will help answer this question as we discuss Windows 7, Windows Server® 2008 R2, and show you how they can be integrated into your current environment and help solve some of today’s challenges around application compatibility, remote access and branch offices. You’ll learn how you can help reduce bandwidth costs between your head office and the branch, how to leverage new virtualization technologies to solve application compatibility issues and discover how you can finally eliminate the VPN.
Join your local user group and Microsoft for an evening of exploration and demonstration of the future of the Windows-based platform and understand how to make use of the Springboard resources (http://www.microsoft.ca/springboard). Take the opportunity to share your feedback, get your questions answered, and connect with your peers at User Group Connection: The Future of the Windows-based Platform.

Register now! Seating is limited.

Edmonton Microsoft User Group presentation

The Edmonton Microsoft User Group is meeting March 11th at 6.30PM MST (8.30PM EST). I will be doing a 90 minute PowerShell presentation remotely via Live Meeting.

The user group has given me the permission to make this public, so anyone can listen in.

I plan to provide an introduction to Windows PowerShell, which I would still consider about a level 200.

I'll cover:
-General introduction to Windows PowerShell.
-Discuss how some popular server applications like Exchange 2007, IIS 7 and SharePoint can be automated via PowerShell.
-Cover some of the things coming in PowerShell v2.

There isn't a registration link required for this event. Just use the attendee URL to join in and listen on March 11th.

Attendee URL: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join?id=HSC5NN&role=attend&pw=8%5E-%5CzqX

URL: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup
Meeting ID: HSC5NN
Attendee Entry Code: 8^-\zqX

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group #9--UPDATE

Unfortunately, the video recording of my 9th PowerShell user group meeting held recently has been lost.

My sincere apologies to everyone. Chad Miller has agreed to redo his presentation on his SQL Server PowerShell extensions, so I'll be working with him some time next week to redo his part.

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #9

**Update 1: The date is Wednesday, February 18th. I had incorrectly put Thursday, February 19th originally.**
**Update 2: It is Chad Miller (and not Chris Miller).**
**Update 3: The date is 2009, and not 2008.**

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #9

Time: February 18th, 2009 at 8PM EST (New York time)
Place: Online via Live Meeting 2007

-----------------------------------------------------------
To sign up:
-----------------------------------------------------------

Registration site: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=135834
Event Code: 135834
-----------------------------------------------------------

This is our ninth virtual event. Invited speakers that will talk about various

PowerShell-related topics: Doug Finke, Chad Miller and James Brundage (Microsoft).

To join:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join?id=J5DPR3&role=attend&pw=8%5E-%5CzqX

Video:
Video will be delivered via the Microsoft Live Meeting client

Audio:
For attendees, audio will be delivered via the Internet using your computer's speakers. There

will not be a call-in number for this meeting.

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:
1.Copy this address and paste into your web browser:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join
2.Copy and paste the required information:
Meeting ID: J5DPR3
Entry Code: 8^-\zqX

Agenda (EST/New York time):
8:00PM-8:10PM: Introduction (Marco)
8:10PM-8:40PM: Doug Finke
8:40PM-9:10PM: Chad Miller
9:10PM-9:40PM: James Brundage (Microsoft)
9:40PM-9:50PM: Closing (Marco)

Speaker topics:
*Doug Finke: Data visualization in PowerShell (http://www.dougfinke.com/blog).
*Chad Miller: SQL Server PowerShell Extensions (http://www.codeplex.com/SQLPSX).
*James Brundage: Using WPF from PowerShell (http://blogs.msdn.com/powershell).

PowerShell In Action--2nd Edition!

Check HERE!

Bruce is working on an update to his most excellent book on Windows PowerShell. It appears the book is due September 2009.

The first edition is definitely seen as the most definite/technical guide currently available.

I'm sure the 2nd edition promises to be even better and will definitely cover PowerShell v2 features.

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group #8--VIDEOS

NOTE: I apologize as it seems my microphone was a bit too close to my mouth and you can basically hear me breathe in the recording when I'm not muted.

Here's the "time layout" (format is MM:SS or HH:MM:SS):
-Intro (Marco) 5:25-11:40
-June 11:40-35:00
-Compellent 36:35-57:50
-James 58:00-1:32:18
-Closing (Marco) 1:32:18-1:34:55

For the details on each speaker's topic, see HERE.

WMV format: For use with most players

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #8--UPDATE

I first announced my 8th meeting coming this Thursday HERE.

Update:
James O'Neill has been added to the list of speakers. He's going to be talking about his PowerShell library for managing Hyper-V.

Microsoft Scripting Games 2009 ANNOUNCED

I had asked around at Microsoft whether there would be a 4th annual Microsoft Scripting Games against this year.

It appears the Scripting Guys have recently announced that it will be a Summer Scripting Games for this year (versus being in February every year).

There is no other information currently available on their home page HERE.

If you want to have some cool challenges, and match yourself up against some of the best, this is your chance.

Doing the Scripting Games in my Speedos will be so much more cool than being fully dressed for bone chilling cold weather. My keystrokes will be so much more controlled and efficient.

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #8

See also: http://www.systemcenterusergroup.org/blogs/wpvug/archive/2009/01/22/windows-powershell-virtual-user-group-meeting-8.aspx

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #8

Time: January 29th, 2008 at 12PM EST (noon; New York time)
Place: Online via Live Meeting 2007

-----------------------------------------------------------
To sign up:
-----------------------------------------------------------

Registration site: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=135049
Event Code: 135049
-----------------------------------------------------------

This is our eight virtual event. Invited speakers that will talk about various PowerShell-related topics: June Blender (Microsoft) and Compellent (vendor)

To join:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join?id=J5NWMK&role=attend&pw=8%5E-%5CzqX

Video:
Video will be delivered via the Microsoft Live Meeting client

Audio:
For attendees, audio will be delivered via the Internet using your computer's speakers. There will not be a call-in number for this meeting (as was the case in the past).

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:
1.Copy this address and paste into your web browser:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join
2.Copy and paste the required information:
Meeting ID: J5NWMK
Entry Code: 8^-\zqX

Agenda:
12:00PM-12:10PM: Introduction (Marco)
12:10PM-12:40PM: June Blender (Microsoft)
12:40PM-1:10PM: Compellent (vendor)
1:10PM-1:20PM: Closing (Marco)

Speaker topics:
*June Blender (Microsoft): "Exciting new help features in PowerShell v2".
*Compellent (vendor): Data Center management: System Center Command Set for Windows PowerShell

Windows Administration in Realtime (online eJournal)

What could be better than a free online eJournal with industry experts like Don Jones and Greg Shields (both from www.concentratedtech.com)? Well nothing!

Check out the Windows Administration in Realtime eJournal.

You need to sign up for this! Another regular is Sapien's own Jeffery Hicks.

I was just published in the January 2009. My article is on /n software's NetCmdlets.

It just happens that version 2 of NetCmdlets was officially released last week. I'm hoping to do an online presentation (or 2) on these great networking cmdlets some time soon.

PowerShell needs some BLING!

Check out BLING.ps1 HERE. This link provides a preview of the next release of the project that will apparently all be based on PowerShell.

The project is called "Performance Analysis of Logs" (PAL).

Project description:
"Ever have a performance problem, but don't know what performance counters to collect or how to analyze them? The PAL (Performance Analysis of Logs) tool is a new and powerful tool that reads in a performance monitor counter log (any known format) and analyzes it using complex, but known thresholds (provided). The tool generates an HTML based report which graphically charts important performance counters and throws alerts when thresholds are exceeded. The thresholds are originally based on thresholds defined by the Microsoft product teams and members of Microsoft support, but continue to be expanded by this ongoing project. This tool is not a replacement of traditional performance analysis, but it automates the analysis of performance counter logs enough to save you time. This is a VBScript and requires Microsoft LogParser (free download)."

I got an error when trying to run it with v2 CTP3 (XP SP2). I reported the issue on the site.

PowerShell Challenge 2009

Over on the System Center Forum site HERE, I posted a challenge late in 2008 HERE.

Basically, I'm challenging anyone to come up with some kind of automation scenario for Operations Manager 2007 that they think I can't automate. Of course there are some things that might just not be possible, but I'm leaving that to everyone out there to find something I can't solve!

I'm offering at least $100US to the person who provides the best challenge, and will likely offer at least $50US to 2nd and 3rd place.

It didn't take Tim McFadden to come up with a good one for me (check the comments HERE). I do have a solution for his challenge, and just need to write it up in a blog post.

Fredericton .NET User Group presentation

I put on a PowerShell presentation this past Wednesday night for the Fredericton .NET User Group.

It was a blast! Using Live Meeting is a very cool way for me to extend the reach of giving out PowerShell presentations.

I would be willing to give such a presentation to any user group. Just send out a feeler email to your members if there's any interested, and let me know via a comment here (leave an email address) or email me at marcoDOTshaw_AT_gmailDOTcom.

I do all of my PowerShell virtual user group meetings via Live Meeting.