PowerShell Training Roundup

If you haven't started learning Windows PowerShell yet - crawl out from under that rock! PowerShell isn't going anywhere; the longer you wait, the more you'll have to learn all at once. Trust me, it's easier to pick this stuff up in increments. With that in mind, here are some of the current and forthcoming options by which you may choose to learn this fabulous administrative tool.

By the way - don't forget that Windows IT Pro now offers a complete Windows PowerShell page containing not only this blog, but also a PowerShell FAQ and, in the near future, full-length feature articles. Drop by today and see what you think.

Instructor-Led Training

SAPIEN Technologies offers instructor-led training (www.scriptingtraining.com), using courseware that I wrote and designed, and which is suitable for classes of 2-5 days. They sell the courseware if you'd rather get the class from someone local, and they offer both public classes and private training. 

Microsoft's 10325A course will be available in Fall 2010, and covers PowerShell v2. I also designed and wrote most of this course, and the labs were written by some of my fellow Windows PowerShell MVPs. This should be available from any Microsoft CPLS, although you need to be a little picky about your instructor - this is a course that requires significant instructor prep and works best with a knowledgeable, enthusiastic instructor.

You'll also find PowerShell sessions at most of the major IT conferences, including Techmentor, Windows Connections, and TechEd - and you'll often find me teaching those. I'm also planning some 3-day "road show" classes later this year, in cooperation with Windows IT Pro.

Drop a comment if you're aware of any other instructor-led training options. I've deliberately not mentioned the existing Microsoft 3-day PowerShell v1 course because (a) I don't like it very much (it's very VBScript-ish in its approach), and (b) 10325A supersedes it.

Video Training

SAPIEN also offers video training at www.scriptingtraining.com. I did their v1 course, and they have a v2 "catch-up" video that should be available soon. That one is under 2 hours in length, which proves that if you invested in learning v1, you'll just have a small incremental investment for v2.

CBTNuggets.com offers a variety of PowerShell videos that I've done, including a v1 course that still serves as the core learning, a v2 catch-up title, and a title specific to managing Windows Server 2008 R2.

Other video training options are available from www.Winstructor.com. I'm not familiar with them myself, but have a look and see what you think. Again, if you know of other video training offerings, drop a link in the comments.

A quick note: If you're doing well with PowerShell but just want some "booster" material, hop over to ConcentratedTech.com/gogo.php. My USB "Go Pack" is still available in limited quantities, and it includes several hours' worth of PowerShell training, tips, "gotchas," and so forth, many of which are in HD. Just because, well, it's HD. 

Books

There are way too many books to mention. Hop on Amazon or whatever and punch in "PowerShell v2" and you'll see what I mean. I'm proud of "Windows PowerShell v2: TFM (3rd edition)," which fellow MVP Jeffery Hicks and I wrote, and I'm also a fan of the insider-info you get from Bruce Payette's "Windows PowerShell in Action." I haven't read Ed Wilson's "Windows PowerShell Step By Step," although that Scripting Guy has written other books I've liked. Bill Stanek's "Windows PowerShell 2.0 Administrator's Pocket Consultant" is a bestseller on Amazon, although I've never seen a pocket that it would fit into. And what's with Stanek writing ALL the "Pocket Consultants" these days? Nice contract, dude!!

If you're after something shorter, I wrote a free book (PDF format) for Realtime Publishers; I'm also looking at writing a v2 follow-up in the near future. There are also numerous free books on PowerShell already out there - some in languages other than English, too, which is nice. http://blogs.msdn.com/powershell is a good place to find out about them - and drop a comment if you know of one that you've found useful.

If you have a book title that was especially helpful, drop a comment - and I'd love some details on what, specifically, you liked about the title. Convince me to get a copy for myself.

What Else?

There are also, of course, numerous free webcasts, YouTube videos (I've posted a few on YouTube myself on behalf of Realtime Publishers), and more. There are really too many to mention, although again, if you've seen one you just love, drop a link in the comments for everyone else to enjoy!

Sound Off!

I know I'm not familiar with every excellent book, trainer, video, and class out there - so I'd really love to hear from you. What's worked best for you? What was horrible? Seriously - I get asked for recommendations a lot at conferences and so forth, so if you let me know about something good, I'll definitely check it out. Plus, you'll be helping everyone else to find out about it, too. Thanks for the input!