Master Microsoft PowerShell Course Syllabus

Overview: This concise, hands-on course is designed for IT professionals seeking to master PowerShell for automation and system management. With approximately 2 hours of focused content, learners will progress through short, practical modules covering core scripting, remoting, and configuration management. The course emphasizes real-world skills with immediate applicability in Windows environments, enabling automation, remote management, and infrastructure as code practices. Lifetime access allows for self-paced learning and review.

Module 1: Getting Started with PowerShell

Estimated time: 0.2 hours

• Install and launch PowerShell in Windows environments
• Understand the console, ISE, and VS Code integrations
• Learn key concepts: cmdlets, aliases, and help system

Module 2: Cmdlets, Objects & Pipelines

Estimated time: 0.3 hours

• Explore common cmdlets for file, process, and service management
• Inspect and manipulate .NET objects returned by cmdlets
• Chain commands using the pipeline to build complex queries

Module 3: Providers & Navigating the File System

Estimated time: 0.2 hours

• Use providers to treat registries, certificates, and variables as drives
• Navigate file system and registry with Set-Location, Get-ChildItem, and Get-Item
• Map PSDrives for custom locations

Module 4: Scripting Fundamentals

Estimated time: 0.3 hours

• Write reusable scripts with parameters, functions, and comments
• Implement script modules and dot-sourcing for code organization
• Leverage Get-Help and Update-Help for documentation

Module 5: Advanced Scripting Techniques

Estimated time: 0.3 hours

• Apply loops (foreach, while) and conditional logic (if, switch)
• Handle errors with Try/Catch/Finally and $ErrorActionPreference
• Log script activity and output using Write-Verbose and Write-Log

Module 6: Remoting & Background Jobs

Estimated time: 0.3 hours

• Enable and configure PowerShell Remoting (WinRM)
• Execute commands on remote systems with Invoke-Command
• Manage asynchronous tasks using background jobs (Start-Job, Receive-Job)

Module 7: Desired State Configuration (DSC)

Estimated time: 0.3 hours

• Define DSC configurations using declarative scripts
• Apply configurations to local and remote nodes
• Monitor and enforce desired states

Module 8: Real-World Use Cases & Best Practices

Estimated time: 0.2 hours

• Automate user account management, software deployment, and system updates
• Follow coding standards, naming conventions, and security best practices
• Share and version-control your scripts in Git repositories

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with Windows operating systems
• Basic understanding of command-line interfaces
• Administrative access to a Windows machine for lab setup

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Navigate and manage Windows environments using PowerShell cmdlets and scripts
• Discover and use providers, pipelines, and modules to extend functionality
• Write, debug, and optimize PowerShell scripts for automation tasks
• Implement error handling, logging, and basic testing in scripts
• Manage remote systems using PowerShell Remoting and background jobs