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

PowerShell is a powerful scripting language and command-line shell designed specifically for system administrators. It provides a robust set of tools for automating administrative tasks and managing systems effectively. In this article, we will explore some of the most commonly used PowerShell commands that are invaluable for system administration.

1. Get-Process

Get-Process provides information about all the currently running processes on a system. It can be used to identify processes by name, ID, or other attributes, enabling administrators to monitor and manage processes efficiently.

Get-Process

2. Get-Service

Get-Service retrieves the status of all services on a system. This command is essential for managing services by allowing administrators to determine if services are running, stopped, or paused.

Get-Service

3. Set-ExecutionPolicy

Before running scripts, you may need to change the execution policy. Set-ExecutionPolicy is used to allow or restrict script execution, enhancing system security while providing flexibility for tasks that require automation.

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

4. Get-EventLog

Get-EventLog is used to retrieve event log data from a local or remote computer. It helps administrators to investigate system activities, errors, and warnings directly from the event logs.

Get-EventLog -LogName System

5. Get-WmiObject

Get-WmiObject, also known as gwmi, provides a way to access management information from local and remote systems. This command is crucial for performing administrative tasks and retrieving system information.

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_OperatingSystem

For more information about executable path discovery using WMIC in PowerShell, visit Executable Path Discovery using WMIC in PowerShell.

6. Stop-Process

Stop-Process allows administrators to stop processes by specifying the process ID or name. It is useful for terminating unresponsive or unwanted applications quickly.

Stop-Process -Name notepad

7. Restart-Service

Restart-Service is used to restart a service, which can be crucial for applying changes or resolving issues with service stability.

Restart-Service -Name "Spooler"

8. Get-ChildItem

Get-ChildItem, abbreviated as gci, is used to list files and directories within a specified location. It is a versatile command for file system navigation and manipulation.

Get-ChildItem -Path C:\ -Recurse

9. ConvertTo-Json

ConvertTo-Json is used for converting PowerShell objects into JSON format, which is useful for data interchange and configuring automation workflows.

Get-Service | ConvertTo-Json

To learn about how to specify file formats while using the tee command in PowerShell, check out Specify File Format in PowerShell Tee.

10. Select-String

Select-String is a powerful search cmdlet used to find text patterns in files or strings, similar to grep in Unix-based systems.

Select-String -Path *.txt -Pattern "error"

For more information on searching for strings within arrays using PowerShell, visit PowerShell Array String Search.

Conclusion

PowerShell commands are essential tools for system administrators, offering unparalleled control over system management tasks. Whether you’re monitoring processes, managing services, or automating scripts, these commands equip you with the capabilities to streamline administration efforts effectively.

Want to learn how to convert text to numbers in PowerShell? Read Convert Text to Number in PowerShell.

If you need assistance in uninstalling a device using PowerShell, refer to Remove Device Using PowerShell.“`