It’s hard to believe that April is almost here already. Last week we had record high temperatures reaching 31°C (that’s 87.8°F for those of you living south of the border), and the night before last it was -16°C (or 3.2°F). What wonderful consistency. Maybe that’s why I like PowerShell so much, because it provides great consistency that just isn’t apparent in so many other places in life (that’s a swell tagline: “Use PowerShell, because it’s more consistent than the weather” 
). Anyway, I digress…back to the topic at hand.
This April is “Learn More About PowerShell” month! Ok, so it’s not official (it’s not like I’m a mayor or anything), but with all of the opportunities to learn about Windows PowerShell in April, it seems like a fitting title, so I’m declaring it that anyway. Now, where to begin.
2012 Scripting Games
The first Monday in April (that’s April 2, Monday next week) marks the official opening of the 2012 Scripting Games! The Scripting Games are a great event, because they provide opportunities for beginner and advanced scripters alike to learn more about Windows PowerShell. There are beginner and advanced divisions, with 10 events in each division. You participate by visiting the official 2012 Scripting Games page starting on Monday April 2 to see the events that are published so far, and you have one week to submit a solution by publishing a script to the 2012 Scripting Games page on PoshCode for each event that you want to enter. Note that at the time of this writing, the 2012 Scripting Games page on PoshCode shows information related to the 2011 Scripting Games, so for now just put a reminder in your calendar to check these two links out on April 2.
Once you submit a solution, you can move on to the next event if it is available. All solutions will be judged by a great panel of expert judges, and once the events close there will be expert commentaries published so that you can learn how different community experts solve these problems with PowerShell scripts. Watch for my expert commentary to Beginner Event 3 once that event has closed for submissions.
The 2012 Scripting Games will run until April 13, 2012, although you’ll have 7 days from the day that each event is posted, so there will still be some time to compete and get your entries in. There are many prizes to be won, including grand prizes of full conference passes for TechEd North America 2012 (another great opportunity to learn more about PowerShell), software licenses for products like PowerWF, and more! Also, don’t delay in getting your entries in, because you’ll barely have time once you’re done to pack your bags for the 2012 Microsoft Management Summit in Las Vegas if you’re going to that conference!
2012 Microsoft Management Summit
In just 2½ weeks from now, the 2012 Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) will start, and it’s going to be an amazing conference this year. With the upcoming Microsoft System Center 2012 release, and with Windows 8 currently available as a Consumer Preview in the client and the server varieties (both of which include the pre-release version of PowerShell version 3), there are plenty of new opportunities to scale up your PowerShell prowess and scale out your scripting capabilities while learning how to get the most of these new products and platforms by leveraging PowerShell automation.
At the MMS 2012 conference, there are a total of 13 breakout sessions, 3 instructor led labs, and 5 self-paced labs where you can learn more about Windows PowerShell. There is also a PowerShell booth that will be staffed by members of the Windows PowerShell team and a few PowerShell MVPs. I’ll be working the PowerShell booth as will Aleksandar Nikolic, so please come see us and ask questions if you have any. There will also be other booths for products like the Microsoft System Center 2012 release, which comes with even more PowerShell capabilities than before. Additionally, there are many companies in the Expo hall that leverage PowerShell in their products and/or provide cmdlets to facilitate automation in their environments, such as NetApp, Veeam, Splunk and Devfarm Software (the company that I work for) to name but a few. I’ll be working the Devfarm booth when I’m not in the PowerShell booth, so if you look around a little you’ll have a good chance of finding me.
If you’re going to MMS 2012, and you want to learn more about PowerShell, make sure you take advantage of these resources while you’re there. The knowledge passed on to you through one breakout session, lab, or discussion with someone in the learning center or expo hall takes many, many hours to put together, and getting that knowledge first hand can be a huge timesaver for you in the long run!
PowerShell-related Content at MMS 2012
The following list identifies all of the PowerShell-related sessions and resources that have been announced so far for the MMS 2012 conference for your convenience. To get the most value out of your conference, make sure you add the sessions, labs, and other items of interest to your schedule so that you don’t miss out on these great learning opportunities. I have highlighted the sessions most interesting to me in bold in the list below.
| Type and Level | Title | Speaker(s) | Coordinates |
| Instructor-led Lab 300/Advanced |
SV-IL306 Introduction to Windows PowerShell Fundamentals | Dan Reger | Monday, April 16, 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM Venetian Ballroom A |
| Breakout Session 300/Advanced |
SV-B317 Top 10 Things Every Systems Admin Needs to Know about Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 | Dan Stolts | Monday, April 16, 3:00 PM to 4:15 PM Venetian Ballroom G |
| Instructor-led Lab 300/Advanced |
SV-IL307 What’s New in Windows PowerShell 3.0 | Lucio Silveira | Monday, April 16, 4:30 PM to 5:45 PM Venetian Ballroom A |
| Breakout Session 300/Advanced |
CD-B334 Understanding Console Extension for Configuration Manager 2007 and 2012 | Matthew Hudson | Tuesday, April 17, 10:15 AM to 11:30 AM Venetian Ballroom G |
| Breakout Session 400/Expert |
CD-B406 Configuration Manager 2012 and PowerShell: Better Together | Greg Ramsey | Tuesday, April 17, 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM Venetian Ballroom G |
| Instructor-led Lab 300/Advanced |
SV-IL304 Managing Windows Server “8” with Server Manager and PowerShell 3.0 | Michael Leworthy | Tuesday, April 17, 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM Venetian Ballroom A |
| Instructor-led Lab 300/Advanced |
SV-IL307 What’s New in Windows PowerShell 3.0 | Lucio Silveira | Tuesday, April 17, 2:15PM to 3:30PM Venetian Ballroom A |
| Breakout Session 300/Advanced |
SV-B319 Windows PowerShell for Beginners | Jeffrey Snover, Travis Jones |
Tuesday, April 17, 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM Murano 3301 |
| Breakout Session 200/Intermediate |
SV-B205 Overview of Server Management Technologies in Windows Server “8” | Erin Chapple, Jeffrey Snover |
Wednesday, April 18, 10:15 AM to 11:30 AM Murano 3301 |
| Breakout Session 200/Intermediate |
SV-B291 Manage Cisco UCS with System Center 2012 and PowerShell | Chakri Avala | Wednesday, April 18, 2:15 PM to 3:30 PM Titian 2203 |
| Instructor-led Lab 300/Advanced |
SV-IL306 Introduction to Windows PowerShell Fundamentals | Dan Reger | Wednesday, April 18, 2:15 PM to 3:30 PM Venetian Ballroom A |
| Breakout Session 300/Advanced |
SV-B313 Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V FAQs, Tips, and Tricks | Janssen Jones | Wednesday, April 18, 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM Murano 3301 |
| Instructor-led Lab 300/Advanced |
SV-IL304 Managing Windows Server “8” with Server Manager and PowerShell 3.0 | Michael Leworthy | Thursday, April 19, 8:30 AM to 9:45 AM Venetian Ballroom A |
| Breakout Session 400/Expert |
SV-B405 Advanced Automation Using Windows PowerShell 2.0 | Jeffrey Snover, Travis Jones |
Thursday, April 19, 10:15 AM to 11:30 AM Veronese 2401 |
| Breakout Session 300/Advanced |
AM-B315 SharePoint as a Workload in a Private Cloud | Adam Hall, Michael Frank |
Thursday, April 19, 10:15 AM to 11:30 AM Titian 2206 |
| Breakout Session 300/Advanced |
SV-B312 Don Jones’ Windows PowerShell Crash Course | Don Jones | Thursday, April 19, 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM Venetian Ballroom G |
| Breakout Session 300/Advanced |
SV-B315 Managing Group Policy Using PowerShell | Darren Mar-Elia | Thursday, April 19, 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM Murano 3301 |
| Breakout Session 300/Advanced |
FI-B322 Virtual Machine Manager 2012: PowerShell is your Friend, and Here’s Why | Hector Linares, Susan Hill |
Thursday, April 19, 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM Titian 2206 |
| Breakout Session 400/Expert |
SV-B406 PowerShell Remoting in Depth | Don Jones | Friday, April 20, 8:30 AM to 9:45 AM Bellini 2001 |
| Hands-on lab 300/Advanced |
SV-L302 Active Directory Deployment and Management Enhancements | N/A | Hands-on lab, available in the HOL area |
| Hands-on lab 300/Advanced |
SV-L304 Managing Windows Server “8” with Server Manager and Windows PowerShell 3.0 | N/A | Hands-on lab, available in the HOL area |
| Hands-on lab 300/Advanced |
SV-L305 Managing Network Infrastructure with Windows Server “8” | N/A | Hands-on lab, available in the HOL area |
| Hands-on lab 300/Advanced |
SV-L306 Introduction to Windows PowerShell Fundamentals | N/A | Hands-on lab, available in the HOL area |
| Hands-on lab 300/Advanced |
SV-L307 What’s New in Windows PowerShell 3.0 | N/A | Hands-on lab, available in the HOL area |
2012 North America PowerShell Deep Dive
As if all of these PowerShell learning opportunities weren’t already enough, there’s even more you can do in “Learn More About PowerShell” month. At the end of April, a week after MMS is finished, the 2nd annual North American 2012 PowerShell Deep Dive conference will start. This conference is second to none when it comes to learning more about PowerShell. The sessions are fantastic, and the conversations perhaps even more so. What makes this conference unique is the focus on shorter, 35-minute sessions that quickly drill into a specific topic and give you a ton of information on that topic. There are also short, 5-minute lightning rounds which give speakers an opportunity to quickly show off one of their favorite aspects of PowerShell. The 35-minute format, 5-minute lightning rounds, and the depth of the content in these sessions are unique to this conference, and you won’t get the same value for PowerShell content anywhere else. Add to that the evening script club-style events and it’s really an experience that is second to none. I highly recommend you consider attending if you’re already using PowerShell and want to take your skills to new heights. You can still register for this great event on the registration page for The Experts Conference (TEC).
This conference takes place in sunny San Diego from April 29th until May 2nd, and it gives you 3 days of 100% PowerShell content. I’m fortunate enough to be attending this conference as well, and I’ll be giving sessions about proxy functions and about WMI and PowerShell. If you do attend, please make a point to say hello and introduce yourself if I haven’t met you already.
Here’s a quick look at the content that is being presented at the PowerShell Deep Dive this year:
| Title | Speaker(s) | Date |
| FIM PowerShell Workshop | Craig Martin | Sunday, April 29, 2012 |
| Keynote | Jeffrey Snover | Monday, April 30, 2012 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM |
| When old API’s save the day (pinvoke and native windows dlls) | Tome Tanasovski | Monday, April 30, 2012 10:30 AM to 11:05 AM |
| Get Your Game On! Leveraging Proxy Functions in Windows PowerShell | Kirk “Poshoholic” Munro | Monday, April 30, 2012 11:10 AM to 11:45 AM |
| Using Splunk Reskit with PowerShell to revolutionize your script process | Brandon Shell | Monday, April 30, 2012 1:00 PM to 2:15 PM |
| Lightning Round | Determined at event | Monday, April 30, 2012 2:20 PM to 3:05 PM |
| Remoting Improvement in Windows PowerShell V3 | Krishna Vutukuri | Monday, April 30, 2012 3:10 PM to 3:45 PM |
| New Hyper-V PowerShell Module in Windows Server 8 | Adam Driscoll | Monday, April 30, 2012 4:15 PM to 5:30 PM |
| Formatting in Windows PowerShell | Jim Truher | Tuesday, May 1, 2012 8:00 AM to 8:35 AM |
| PowerShell and WMI: A Love Story | Kirk “Poshoholic” Munro | Tuesday, May 1, 2012 8:40 AM to 9:15 AM |
| PowerShell as a Web Language | James Brundage | Tuesday, May 1, 2012 9:45 AM to 11:00 AM |
| PowerShell V3 in Production | Steve Murawski | Tuesday, May 1, 2012 11:15 AM to 11:50 AM |
| Lightning Round | Determined at event | Tuesday, May 1, 2012 11:55 AM to 12:30 AM |
| How Microsoft Uses PowerShell for Testing Automation and Deployment of FIM | Kinnon McDonell | Tuesday, May 1, 2012 1:45 PM to 3:00 PM |
| Job Types in Windows PowerShell 3.0 | Travis Jones | Tuesday, May 1, 2012 3:15 PM to 3:50 PM |
| Creating a Corporate PowerShell Module | Tome Tanasovski | Tuesday, May 1, 2012 3:55 PM to 4:30 PM |
| Cmdlets over Objects (CDXML) | Richard Siddaway | Wednesday, May 2, 2012 8:00 AM to 8:35 AM |
| Build your own remoting endpoint with PowerShell V3 | Aleksandar Nikolic | Wednesday, May 2, 2012 8:40 AM to 9:15 AM |
| PowerShell Workflows and the Windows Workflow Foundation for the IT Pro | Steve Murawski | Wednesday, May 2, 2012 9:45 AM to 11:00 AM |
| Incorporating Microsoft Office into Windows PowerShell | Jeffery Hicks | Wednesday, May 2, 2012 11:15 AM to 11:50 AM |
| TBD | Bruce Payette | Wednesday, May 2, 2012 11:55 AM to 12:30 PM |
Wow, that’s a lot of PowerShell! With all of these opportunities, whether you’re trying to learn PowerShell without incurring a huge expense, or travelling to conferences to learn more about technologies there, there’s definitely something for everyone in what looks to be an awesome “Learn More About PowerShell” month.
Good luck, wherever your learning adventures take you!
Kirk out.
Poshoholic 