What Are the Most Commonly Used Powershell Commands for System Administration?

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PowerShell has become an essential tool for system administrators, thanks to its powerful capabilities in automation and configuration management. Here, we explore the most commonly used PowerShell commands in system administration that can streamline your daily tasks.

1. Get-Help

The Get-Help command is crucial for both beginners and advanced users as it provides detailed information about PowerShell cmdlets, including their syntax, parameters, and examples. Always start here when exploring new commands.

Get-Help <cmdletName>

2. Get-Command

To list all available cmdlets, functions, workflows, aliases, and applications, use Get-Command. It is particularly useful when discovering what is available in your current session.

Get-Command

3. Get-Service

Get-Service helps manage local and remote Windows services. By default, it lists the status of all services, which is essential for monitoring and troubleshooting tasks.

Get-Service

4. Set-Service

The Set-Service cmdlet allows administrators to change the properties of a service, such as its status and startup type. Effectively managing services is essential for maintaining system performance and uptime.

Set-Service -Name <serviceName> -Status Running

5. Get-Process

Use Get-Process to view all running processes on a machine. This is particularly useful for diagnosing performance issues or terminating misbehaving applications.

Get-Process

6. Stop-Process

When a process is causing issues, Stop-Process can be used to terminate it. Exercise caution with this command, as terminating critical processes could impact system stability.

Stop-Process -Name <processName>

7. Get-EventLog

PowerShell’s Get-EventLog makes it easy to access system event logs, which are crucial for diagnosing and understanding system behavior over time.

Get-EventLog -LogName Application

8. Set-ExecutionPolicy

Before running scripts, administrators might need to alter the PowerShell execution policy. Set-ExecutionPolicy allows you to change this setting, thereby enabling or restricting script execution.

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

9. Invoke-Command

For executing commands on remote machines, Invoke-Command is invaluable. It allows for automation across multiple systems, saving time and effort.

Invoke-Command -ComputerName <hostname> -ScriptBlock {Get-Service}

10. Get-WmiObject

Get-WmiObject is used to access Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) data, providing details about the operating system, hardware, and more.

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_OperatingSystem

Additional PowerShell Resources

To further utilize the power of PowerShell, consider diving into these topics:

Whether you are just starting or a seasoned admin, mastering these commands will significantly enhance your system administration capabilities. With the right skills, PowerShell becomes an invaluable asset in your toolkit.“`

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