I have been asked recently to create a short list of powershell learning resources. While creating it, I actually found A LOT of of them. I thought it could be interesting to document everything here for future use.
We all spend a lot of time searching for information on things can be automated using PowerShell. We mostly use, blogs, videos, books for this. The information is spread through the internet on various different sites. Some good, some excellent. There are a lot of tutorials, free or non-free out there, and it with the information listed below, you will have all the keys to start powershell from scratch, and work your way all the way to the top in no time.
I thought I would document the list of videos and books here so it could be used by others, and perhaps open doors to new learning courses for any of you.
A few good resources to start PowerShell from scratch:
Beginners courses:
Jump start with PowerShell 3.0
I actually really like the two set of videos below. Even if it is focused on Powershell 3.0 only, it covers everything that needs to be learned to get you started. The best thing about this course is that it is taught by Jason Helmick (PowerShell MVP) and Jefrey snover (Microsoft PowerShell Team lead and architect).
For the side note, Jefrey Snover is the ‘inventor’ of powershell, and he really knows how it works internally, and you can defenitly see it while he is talking about it. A must for the ones starting freshly in PowerShell. (The advance course is also very interesting).
Advanced scripting:
The second part of the MVA jump course from Jason Helmick with Jeffrey Snover
Sapien video course:
Although these vidéos are quite old, they still deserve a place in this list. These vidéos can still be a good ressource since they go straight to the point (wheras on other présentations there is a lot of chitchat during the course which can make the course a bit long). Short and effective. A good reference list.
https://www.youtube.com/c/SAPIENTech
CBT nuggets:
Windows PowerShell v2-v3-v4 Ultimate Training:
This course from the CBT nuggets website is composed of 90 different modules (!) and will go from the very basics, all the way down to complex WMI / CIM scripting operations. Don Jones will bring has a long list topic coverd. Don jones is well knowned in the PowerShell Community for the quality of his classes, and there for I a putting this course here.
http://www.cbtnuggets.com/it-training-videos/course/cbtn_pwrshl_master
PowerShell 3 Foundations:
22 videos where don Jones teaches us the fundamentals of PowerShell (limited to version 3 of PowerShell). If you go for CBT nugget, the PowerShell v2 v3 V4 ultimate training might be a better option since it is more recent.
http://www.cbtnuggets.com/it-training-videos/course/microsoft-powershell-3
PluralSight:
For those who do not know PluralSight yet, it is my preffered on line training website. Of course, it is not free, but you can easily put this in your expenses or ask you boss to pay for it. I have listed you guys a list of their powershell courses, I haven’t had the time to watch them all, but most of them are pretty good.
The case PowerShell:
Mark Minasi (@mminasi), through some VERY basic topics during this very very short video of 1h17min going through
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/case-for-powershell
PowerShell Gotchas:
Jim Christopher will walk you through here a long list of the most common PowerShell gotcha’s that are always good to know about.
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/powershell-gotchas
PowerShell V4 New features:
Jeffrey Hicks goes through the new features that got available with the release of PowerShell version 4.0. This vidéo contains a good introduction to Desired State configuration (DSC).
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/powershell-v4-new-features
Powershell and SQL:
I haven’t watched this video (yet!) but this is for sure a hot topic that any of us working with any of the system center products (or any Microsoft product as a matter of fact) might need one day or another.
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/powershell-and-sql-server
Just enough Administration:
This new tool/concept created by Jeffrey Snover (the PowerShell inventor!) in a after Snowden world teaches how to avoid these internal threats with JEA.
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/play-by-play-jitjea-snover
Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration Fundamentals:
Jeffrey Hicks goes through the fundamentals of DSC in this 3h long course focus 100% on DSC. I think this video raps it all quite well.
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/powershell-desired-state-configuration-fundamentals
Powershell courses focus on specific technologies:
SMA and Windows Azure pack on channel9:
There is a nice and complete series on SMA and Azure pack available on MVA. The series is composed of 7 videos which will bring you from not knowing anything about Service Management Automation, to knowing everything about it.
http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Service-Management-Automation-with-Windows-Azure-Pack
SMA with Windows Azure Pack:
This MVA course presented by Eamon O’Reilly and Symon Perriman (@symonPerriman) will tackle quite some content around Service Management automation (SMA) in the Azure Pack. Don’t miss it!
Exchange:
Martin Coetzer (@exchangeHero) and Andi conrad go through how to manage your Exchange environment using PowerShell and RBAC.
Sharepoint:
Christopher Harrison (@geekTrainer) and Brian AlderMann (@BrianAlderman) will walk you trhough this MVA course on how to deploy and manage Sharepoint 2013 with PowerShell.
System center SP1 (Orchestrator):
This MVA course offered by Andreas Rynes starts with PowerShell, but Is actually more focused on System Center Orchestrator (SCORCH).
Since Orchestrator is part of automation, I will put it here for the record.
http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/training-courses/system-center-2012-sp1-automation
Active Directory:
Active Direcotry is one of this other technologiy which I really like to automate. Why? Simply because everything makes so much sence with it, and the possibilities are huge when we are using PowerShell.
Windows Server 2012 R2 AD enhancements:
The following course done by … Is actually not 100% AD + PowerShell, but the module 3 focuses on AD and PowerShell.
Using PowerShell for Active Directory:
Here is another PowerShell course presented by Jason Helmick (@TheJasonHelmick) and Ashley McGlone (@goateePFE)
http://channel9.msdn.com/Series/Using-PowerShell-for-Active-Directory/01
SQL:
Powershell and SQL:
I haven’t watched this video (yet!) but this is for sure a hot topic that any of us working with any of the system center products (or any Microsoft product as a matter of fact) might need one day or another.
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/powershell-and-sql-server
Security:
Just enough Administration:
This new tool/concept created by Jeffrey Snover (the PowerShell inventor!) in a after Snowden world teaches how to avoid these internal threats with JEA.
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/play-by-play-jitjea-snover
Desired state configuration:
Chanel9: Getting started with DSC
Brian Keller talks with Keith Bankston (Senior Program Manager) and Jeff Levinson and gives us the first introduction to DSC. This is very good video to get your first impressions about DSC, but should defenitley be completed with other ones if you want to get more into the details of DSC.
http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/briankel/Getting-Started-with-Desired-State-Configuration
System center Configuration Manager video training:
Client-Side Powershell Scripting for Reliable SCCM Deployments:
In this course, Adam Bertram will in a little less then 3hours, guide you through some client side scénarios where Powershell could be used.
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/client-side-powershell-scripting-sccm
Planning & Creating Applications in System Center ConfigMgr 2012:
Adam Bertram will walk you through the creation of Application in SCCM 2012 with PowerShell.
http://www.pluralsight.com/courses/planning-creating-applications-sccm-2012
Learn WMI/CIM:
I wrote a set of articles that might help you to understand the logic behind WMI. The first 2 posts (day 1 and day 2) are good to understand the global picture of WMI.
https://www.powershelldistrict.com/category/wmi-week/
Books:
PowerShell in action:
This book is probably my best powershell buy. It has been written by Bruce Payett, which is part of the Microsoft PowerShell team (thus the guys who actually invented the powershell language). This is in my opinion a great reference book, which you should walk by. One small negative point, is that is has been written when powershell 2.0 came out. So some topics like workflows, DSC, OneGet etc.. are not covered in it.
Learn PowerShell in a month of lunches:
Learn PowerShell in a month of lunches is a reference in the PowerShell community. Written by DonJones (@donJones) and Jeffrey Hicks, it will go through the basics of powershell by teaching a new topic.
The book is written in a way, that you each module is readable in around 30 to 40min including exercises.
I have this book on my shelf, but actually rarely used it, since It felt it was more to start from schratch. I preffered “Powershell in Action” from Bruce payet, which is in my opinio, a great Powershell reference book.
This sums it up for the english part at least. Did a vidéo? Did a miss a (your?) book? do not hesitate to contact me either through commenting this article, or directly through twitter at @stephanevg
Regards
Stéphane
Cours PowerShell en Français:
Pour mes comptatriotes Francophones, voici une petite liste de ressources en Français pour apprendre Powershell.
Formation chez Alphorm.Com
J’ai créer cette formation pour permettre au personnes n’ayant absolument aucune connaisance en programmation ou même en scripting, de pouvoir franchir le cap et de commencer à automatiser differentes tâches au sein de votre entreprise.
Ce cours est composé de 17 modules pour un total de 17h12min de cours, pour vous amener des fondamentaux de la technologie PowerShell jusqu’à des sujets plus avancés tel que le WMI, l’éxecution à distance etc..
http://www.alphorm.com/formation/formation-powershell-20
MVA: Introduction a PowerShell:
Une formation d’initiation proposö par Jacques Poirier, qui balaie rapidement les notions de base, et finit par un petit script de création de VM.
Cette formation est plus tôt courte, est permet de voir rapidement quelques points. Il faudra cependant la compléter avec une autre si vous démarrer vraiment de zéro, ou si vous avez besoin de plus de détails.
http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/training-courses/introduction-powershell-fr
Video2Brain: Introduction a PowerShell:
Il y a égalemnt une formation chez “Video2Brain” effectué par Rudi Bruchez. Je n’ai pas suivi ce cours, mais n’hésitez pas à nous faire partager votre experience.
https://www.video2brain.com/fr/tuto/presentation-de-windows-powershell