Powershell networking tools

In the 12 years since Microsoft released PowerShell, it has become the de facto tool to dependably administer servers. In August of , it was made open-source and cross-platform with the introduction of PowerShell Core. Microsoft also purchased Github in June , making it the home of the increasing catalog of PowerShell scripts.

You can use some of the scripts below to add security. Some let you review the security status of a network.

Others allow you to see what an attacker would do to a system. These 10 PowerShell scripts should not be considered standalone, but as a much larger collection of tools needed to manage workstations and servers. The following command performs the ping, but returns lengthy output:.

A more useful form for summary information a display of the Address, ResponseTime, and StatusCode properties, as generated by the following command. The Autosize parameter of Format-Table resizes the table columns so that they display properly in PowerShell.

You can use an array to ping multiple computers with a single command. Because there is more than one address, use the ForEach-Object to ping each address separately:. You can use the same command format to ping all of the computers on a subnet, such as a private network that uses network number To represent an array of the numbers from 1 through in PowerShell, use the expression A complete subnet ping can be performed by adding each value in the range to a partial address in the ping statement:.

Note that this technique for generating a range of addresses can be used elsewhere as well. You can generate a complete set of addresses in this way:.

To get a summary of this information, use the following command:. The cmdlet calls the method specified on each instance returned by the query. There are several distinct actions you can perform using WMI, and we will step through a few of the common ones. Both are used in the same way.

In general, use these methods if you only need to release or renew addresses for an adapter on a specific subnet. For many users, PowerShell is a better alternative to Command Prompt. The reason is that it simply has more horsepower. One of the biggest differences is that PowerShell uses cmdlets rather than commands. Cmdlets place registry management and Windows Management Instrumentation within the administrative reach of users.

In contrast, Command Prompt is confined to much more simple commands. There is some crossover in syntax between the two platforms as PowerShell will accept some command prompt commands like ipconfigtocd. However, these are known as aliases rather than cmdlets. Another key difference is that PowerShell is centered on objects. Every piece of data output from a cmdlet is an object rather than text. This makes it easier for the user to navigate their way around complex data. The inclusion of the.

NET framework also enables PowerShell scripts to use. NET interfaces. In short, PowerShell is Command Prompt on steroids. Before we delve into the basics of using PowerShell, you first need to access the main interface.

If you are a Windows 10 user then you will already have access to PowerShell 5. Windows NET framework.

Across all operating systems, PowerShell offers two distinct interfaces. The basic alternative is the PowerShell console, which provides a command-line for the user to input their commands. Beginners are advised to stick with the latter until they learn the fundamentals of PowerShell. In order to start PowerShell on Windows 10, you need to be an Administrator. Log in as an administrator, click Start , and scroll through your apps until you locate Windows PowerShell.

Right-click and select Run as Administrator. On Windows 8. So, in this case, you want to run PowerShell as Administrator on a computer that is identified by RemoteDomain. The Administrator account is active on that remote device and not on the local machine, so, when prompted, give the password for the Administrator account when prompted, not the password for the Administrator account on the local computer. In a nutshell, a cmdlet is a single-function command. You input cmdlets into the command line just as you would with a traditional command or utility.

Cmdlets are the main way to interact with the CLI. In PowerShell, most cmdlets are written in C and comprised of instructions designed to perform a function that returns a. NET object. Over cmdlets can be used in PowerShell. The main cmdlets are listed below:. For a full list of commands available to you, use the Get-Command cmdlet. In the command line you would enter the following:. It is important to note that Microsoft restricts users from using custom PowerShell cmdlets in its default settings.

Remote Signed will allow you to run your own scripts but will stop unsigned scripts from other users. In PowerShell, a script is essentially a text file with a ps1 extension in its filename. Looking to create your own PowerShell scripts? Much like Command Prompt, on PowerShell the cd command still changes directories, and dir still provides a list of files within the selected folder.

Taking this on board will help to decrease the learning curve you face when using PowerShell and decrease the number of new commands that you have to learn. Nonetheless, Command Prompt experience can definitely help new users to come to grips with PowerShell and hit the ground running.

The command-line interface can conduct full database backups, file backups, and transaction log backups. There are many ways to backup a database in PowerShell, but one of the simplest is to use the Backup-SqlDatabase command. For example:. The Get-Help command can be used to literally get help with any other PowerShell command. As touched on earlier in this guide, Microsoft has a restricted execution policy that prevents scripting on PowerShell unless you change it.

When setting the execution policy, you have four options to choose from:.