PowerShell Scripting Basics for Sysadmins

PowerShell scripting basics

PowerShell lets you automate repetitive admin tasks. Here are the building blocks.

Variables and output

$name = "Server01"
Write-Host "Checking $name..."

Loops

1..5 | ForEach-Object { Write-Host "Ping attempt $_" }

A simple function

function Get-DiskFree {
    Get-PSDrive -PSProvider FileSystem |
        Select-Object Name, @{N='FreeGB';E={[math]::Round($_.Free/1GB,1)}}
}
Get-DiskFree

Pro Tip: Save scripts with a .ps1 extension and run them with ./script.ps1.