Chapter 7. Leveraging PowerShell for Command-Line SharePoint Administration and Automation

Microsoft originally introduced Windows PowerShell in 2003 as an automation scripting engine to help administrators use various products across the Microsoft stack. Unlike other command-line tools that accept and return text, PowerShell works with .NET Framework objects, which enables it to be more flexible for administration of bulk changes and automation.

With the release of SharePoint 2010, Microsoft released 500+ PowerShell commandlets (cmdlets) designed to help automate and administrate SharePoint environments. These commandlets enable administrators to administer a SharePoint 2010 environment entirely from the command line, if needed. Indeed, SharePoint 2010 administration is positioned as PowerShell-first rather than GUI-first, and many tasks can only be performed from the command line. It is subsequently critical that SharePoint administrators have at least a basic understanding of PowerShell and how it can be used to administer a SharePoint farm.

This chapter focuses on introducing PowerShell to SharePoint administrators. It focuses first on a general overview of how PowerShell works, and then branches off to demonstrate how specific PowerShell commandlets can automate and administer SharePoint. Specific examples of common SharePoint administration tasks in PowerShell are illustrated.