Active Directory Administration with Windows PowerShell

Microsoft Windows PowerShell is a command-line shell and scripting language that can help IT adminstrators perform system administration easily and efficiently.

The Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell in Windows Server 2008 R2 is a Windows PowerShell module (named ActiveDirectory) that consolidates a group of cmdlets.

IT administrators can use these AD cmdlets to manage numerous aspects of IT management related to Active Directory including account management, group management, OU management, password policy management and domain management.

The Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell in Windows Server 2008 R2 build 7100 (Release Candidate) includes 76 cmdlets.

It is available by default on Windows Server 2008 machines and can be installed on Windows 7 machines using the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) feature.

When you install the Active Directory module, Windows PowerShell and the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1 are installed by default.

To start it, simply click on Start, then select Administrative Tools, then click on Active Directory Powershell.

In additional posts, I will cover a variety of other aspects of the Windows PowerShell for Active Directory