What this book covers

Chapter 1, Introducing PowerShell DSC, helps you identify PowerShell DSC and configuration management concepts, covers the features included in DSC, and provides an overview the different DSC versions.

Chapter 2, DSC Architecture, offers in-depth explanations of the three phases of DSC, the two different DSC deployment models, and the considerations when deploying a pull server or using push deployment.

Chapter 3, DSC Configuration Files, covers authoring DSC configuration scripts and configuration data files and explains how to use them together effectively.

Chapter 4, DSC Resources, covers the DSC resource syntax and file structure in both PowerShell V4 and V5. It shows how to find DSC resources both on the local system as well as using community and Microsoft-provided online resources.

Chapter 5, Pushing DSC Configurations, offers step-by-step instructions on how to push DSC configurations to remote target nodes. It covers the extra steps the user must take in order to make push deployments work as well as the pros and cons of using push deployments.

Chapter 6, Pulling DSC Configurations, offers step-by-step instructions on how to set up both a DSC pull server and your environment to best utilize a pull-based deployment. It covers the pros and cons of using pull deployments in comparison to push deployments.

Chapter 7, DSC Cross Platform Support, instructs you on setting up DSC on Linux platforms, including software installation and configuration. It explores the future of PowerShell by showing how to install PowerShell Core.

Chapter 8, Example Scenarios, covers how to use DSC in the real world and how to integrate DSC into not only new environments but also with legacy deployments. It walks you through the processes of handling the changing requests and the requirements of different software deployments using DSC.