Lab: Configuring Windows PowerShell, and finding and running commands

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Scenario

You’re an administrator who’ll use Windows PowerShell to automate many administrative tasks. You must ensure that you can successfully start the correct Windows PowerShell host applications and configure them for future use by customizing their appearance.

You’re also preparing to complete several administrative tasks by using Windows PowerShell. You need to discover commands that you’ll use to perform those tasks, run several commands to begin performing those tasks, and learn about new Windows PowerShell features that’ll enable you to complete those tasks.

Objectives

After completing this lab, you’ll be able to:

  • Open and configure the Windows PowerShell console application.
  • Open and configure the Windows PowerShell ISE application.
  • Find and run Windows PowerShell commands.
  • Use Windows PowerShell Help and About topics to learn new shell concepts and techniques.

Estimated time

60 minutes

Lab setup

Virtual machines: AZ-040T00A-LON-DC1 and AZ-040T00A-LON-CL1

User name: Adatum\Administrator

Password: Pa55w.rd

Lab startup

  1. Select LON-DC1.
  2. Sign in by using the following credentials:
    • User name: Administrator
    • Password: Pa55w.rd
    • Domain: Adatum
  3. Repeat these steps for LON-CL1.

Exercise 1: Configuring the Windows PowerShell console application

Exercise scenario 1

To customize Windows PowerShell, you need to first make changes to the console. In this exercise, you’ll open the Windows PowerShell console application and configure its appearance and layout.

The main tasks for this exercise are:

  1. Start the console application as Administrator, and pin the Windows PowerShell icon to the taskbar.
  2. Configure the Windows PowerShell console application.
  3. Start a shell transcript.

Task 1: Start the console application as Administrator, and pin the Windows PowerShell icon to the taskbar

  1. On LON-CL1, start the Windows PowerShell application as Administrator. Make sure that the window title bar reads Administrator and doesn’t include the text (x86). This indicates that it’s the 64-bit console application and that an administrator is running it.
  2. Pin the Windows PowerShell icon to the taskbar.

Task 2: Configure the Windows PowerShell console application

  1. Open Windows PowerShell Properties, and then configure Windows PowerShell to use the Consolas font with 16-point size.
  2. From the Colors tab, select alternate display colors for the primary text and background.
  3. From the Layout tab, size the window to fit on the screen and remove any horizontal scroll bar.

Task 3: Start a shell transcript

  1. In the Windows PowerShell console, enter the following command, and then press the Enter key:

    Start-Transcript C:\DayOne.txt

Note: You’ve now started a transcript of your Windows PowerShell session. It’ll save all commands that you enter and the command output to a text file until you run Stop‑Transcript or close the Windows PowerShell window. You can review the transcript’s contents at any time by opening C:\DayOne.txt.

Exercise 1 results

After completing this exercise, you’ll have opened and configured the Windows PowerShell console application and its appearance and layout.

Exercise 2: Configuring the Windows PowerShell ISE application

Exercise scenario 2

In this exercise, you’ll customize the appearance of the Windows PowerShell ISE application.

The main tasks for this exercise are:

  1. Open the Windows PowerShell ISE application as Administrator.
  2. Customize the ISE’s appearance to use a single-pane view, hide the Command pane, and adjust the font size.

Task 1: Open the Windows PowerShell ISE application as Administrator

  1. Right-click the Windows PowerShell icon on the taskbar or activate its context menu, and then open the Windows PowerShell ISE application as Administrator.

Task 2: Customize the appearance of the ISE to use the single-pane view, hide the Command pane, and adjust the font size

  1. Configure the ISE to use the single-pane view and display the console pane.
  2. Hide the Command pane.
  3. Adjust the font size so that you can review it comfortably.
  4. Close the Windows PowerShell ISE and the Windows PowerShell windows.

Exercise 2 results

After completing this exercise, you’ll have customized the appearance of the Windows PowerShell ISE application.

Exercise 3: Finding and running Windows PowerShell commands

Exercise scenario 3

In this exercise, you’ll use Windows PowerShell’s Get-Help and Get-Command commands to discover new commands that can complete specific tasks within Windows PowerShell. You’ll also run several basic Windows PowerShell commands. In some instances, you might have to find the commands that you’ll use to complete the task.

The main tasks for this exercise are:

  1. Find commands that’ll accomplish specified tasks.
  2. Run commands to accomplish specified tasks.

Task 1: Find commands that’ll accomplish specified tasks

  • On LON-CL1, ensure that you’re signed in as Adatum\Administrator and determine the answers to the following questions:

    • What command would you run to resolve a DNS name?
    • What command would you run to make changes to a network adapter? After finding such a command, what parameter would you use to change its Media Access Control (MAC) address (on adapters that support changes to their MAC address)?
    • What command would let you enable a previously disabled scheduled task?
    • What command would let you block access to a file share by a particular user?
    • What command would you run to clear your computer’s local BranchCache cache?
    • What command would you run to display a list of Windows Firewall rules? What parameter of that command would display only enabled rules?
    • What command would you run to display a list of all locally bound IP addresses?
    • What command would you run to suspend an active print job in a print queue?
    • What native Windows PowerShell command would you run to review the content of a text file?

Task 2: Run commands to accomplish specified tasks

  1. Ensure you are signed in on the LON-CL1 virtual machine as Adatum\Administrator.

  2. Display a list of enabled Windows Firewall rules.

  3. Display a list of all local IPv4 addresses.

  4. Set the startup type of the BITS service to Automatic:

    a. Open the Computer Management console, and then go to Services and Applications.

    b. Locate the Background Intelligence Transfer Service (BITS) and note its startup type setting prior to and after changing the startup type in Windows PowerShell.

  5. Test the network connection to LON-DC1. Your command should return only a True or False value, without any other output.

  6. Display the newest 10 entries from the local Security event log.

Exercise 3 results

After completing this exercise, you’ll have demonstrated your ability to find and run Windows PowerShell commands that perform specific tasks.

Exercise 4: Using About files

Exercise scenario 4

In this exercise, you’ll use help discovery techniques to find content in About files, and then use that content to answer questions about global Windows PowerShell functionality.

Remember that you must use Get-Help and wildcard characters. About files aren’t commands, Get-Command will not be useful in this exercise.

The main task for this exercise is:

  • Locate and review About help files.

Task 1: Locate and review About help files

  • Ensure that you’ll still signed in to LON-CL1 as Adatum\Administrator from the previous exercise, and answer the following questions:

    • What comparison operator does Windows PowerShell use for wildcard string comparisons?
    • Are Windows PowerShell comparison operators typically case-sensitive?
    • How would you use $Env to display the COMPUTERNAME environment variable?
    • What external command could you use to create a self-signed digital certificate that’s usable for signing Windows PowerShell scripts?

Exercise 4 results

After completing this exercise, you’ll have demonstrated your ability to locate help content in About files.