Everything old is new again

Just when it seems we’d left the old DOS prompt behind, Microsoft has reintroduced the command shell, with a vengeance. PowerShell, formerly Monad, is a command-line interface for Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. The idea is that most routine work done by engineers and admins can be boiled down to a series of repetitive commands. Instead of clicking boxes in a GUI, you run cmdlets – the PowerShell term for command sequences – and can automate a lot of your work.

While the PowerShell system has been around for nearly two years in one form or another; it was with the launch of Exchange 2007 that it got its first real-world function set applied to an application. Everything you can do in the Exchange Management Console can now be done in the PowerShell tool instead. As a matter of fact, all the EMC does is launch the appropriate cmdlet sets, even if you’re clicking on things. In addition, cmdlets let you do a lot of things you can’t accomplish in the GUI, such as Database Portability functions.

In some respects, the PowerShell system does make life easier. Typing get-StorageGroup into the command window and having the system spit back a list of all Storage Groups in the entire Exchange 2007 org is quite impressive, and much faster than navigating the GUI to get the same list. Likewise, get-mailbox spitting back not only all the mailboxes on a server, but also the storage groups they’re assigned to is quite convenient if you need to find info quickly.

The drawback is that there is a steep learning curve associated with PowerShell. As with any other command-line system there isn’t a set of contextual clues that hint at where information might be. While there is an extensive help system (invoked by typing “help [command]” where [command] is the cmdlet you’re having trouble with), you have to know what command you’re trying to figure out before you can get help on that command. There are, of course, many books and references available, both free and for a fee, so this isn’t an insurmountable problem, but it does pose a barrier to the novice.

PowerShell is a great step forward for Microsoft. It will lay the foundation for the Core Edition versions of Windows Server 2008, and allow for much more automation and flexibility for applications like Exchange. It’s also a great leap backward, since many of us have routinely used command-line systems since we got started in technology. Get past the learning curve, and you’ll find a useful and convenient tool at your service.