Windows Server 2022 & Powershell All-in-One For Dummies

Chapter 5

PowerShell Desired State Configuration

IN THIS CHAPTER

Introducing PowerShell Desired State Configuration

Making your first PowerShell Desired State Configuration script

Using the PowerShell Desired State Configuration script

Implementing PowerShell Desired State Configuration at scale

PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) enables system administrators to configure systems and keep them in compliance with set organizational baselines. It’s sometimes referred to Configuration as Code.

You may be wondering when you would want to use something like this. In my own career, I’ve seen PowerShell DSC used to enforce security requirements like CIS Benchmarks or anti-malware software settings on servers. It allows system administrators to modernize server deployments with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) while also guaranteeing that build requirements are being met. If a user changes a security setting, PowerShell DSC can overwrite that setting back to the secure baseline that you’ve created. It truly is a powerful tool.

In this chapter, I introduce you to PowerShell DSC and ...