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Don Jones

Don Jones has more than 15 years of IT experience, is the author of more than 35 books, and is a speaker at technology conferences such as Microsoft TechEd and Windows Connections. He's a multiple-year recipient of Microsoft's MVP award and is a technical guide for PowerShell for Windows IT Pro.

Email: powershell@concentratedtech.com

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Author Articles

What does PowerShell's [CmdletBinding()] Do?

By Don Jones, 02/08/2012

Folks are often confused about when to use this "decorator" in PowerShell scripts and functions. Let's clear up the confusion.

Tricks with Test-Connection

By Don Jones, 02/01/2012

Learning to use Test-Connection properly opens up a whole new world of capabilities in your PowerShell scripts

Guest Post: FacebookPSModule -- Managing Facebook in PowerShell

By Jon Newman, 02/01/2012

For many companies and organizations today, Facebook is as important as email or websites as a tool for reaching their customers. However, tools for managing Facebook as part of ...

Why PowerShell is Like Algebra

By Don Jones, 01/25/2012

With all its punctuation and (parentheses), PowerShell can sometimes seem more like a math exercise than a command-line shell. Here's how to make sense of at least one common ...

Listing WMI Namespaces

By Don Jones, 01/17/2012

Quickly list WMI namespaces available on any computer

Learn PowerShell. Tell the World. Get a Free Book.

By Don Jones, 01/16/2012

Always wanted to learn PowerShell but haven't had the motivation? If you're willing to give me an hour a day, I'll help you out - if you'll share the experience!

Making PowerShell Params

By Don Jones, 01/10/2012

There's a ton of confused folks out there when it comes to PowerShell parameters, but I understand why. Let's clear things up.

Need Some Help with That PowerShell Project?

By Don Jones, 01/03/2012

Companies are starting to recognize the value of PowerShell-based automation in their environments - but when their team's skills aren't up to snuff, what do they do?

PowerShell Editor Roundup

By Don Jones, 12/31/2011

This was a major undertaking for us, involving three focus groups, some lengthy surveys and statistical analysis, and a lot of follow-up with product vendors, technical reviewers, ...

PowerShell -contains -like

By Don Jones, 12/20/2011

Don't get confused: -Contains and -Like are drastically different. Here's what they do.

New Year's Resolution: How to Learn PowerShell in 2012

By Don Jones, 12/19/2011

If you're not already learning PowerShell - and I mean LEARNING, not just stumbling through, here are some reasons and resources to do it right now.

Verbose and Debug Output in PowerShell

By Don Jones, 12/15/2011

Try to stay away from Write-Host - consider these alternatives to producing debug and verbose output!

PowerShell Proxy Functions

By Don Jones, 12/13/2011

Quickly create customized versions of PowerShell cmdlets using proxy functions, a new trick introduced in PowerShell v2.

Dealing with Cmdlet Name Conflicts

By Don Jones, 12/08/2011

Cmdlet name conflicts in PowerShell can seem confusing - but there's a method to the madness!

[UPDATED] Figuring Out Pipeline Input Binding Using Trace-Command

By Don Jones, 12/06/2011

Look under the hood to see what PowerShell is doing when piping data from one command to another

Making Reports in PowerShell (Part 3 of 3)

By Don Jones, 11/16/2011

In the final part of this series, I'll show you the way I like my reports to be created.

Making Reports in PowerShell (Part 2 of 3): Simple Text Reports

By Don Jones, 11/15/2011

In Part 1, you saw what NOT to do - the approach that most folks take when they're starting out. Let's see a better way to make textual reports.

Creating Reports in PowerShell (Part 1 of 3)

By Don Jones, 11/14/2011

Creating inventory reports is a common task in PowerShell, but if you're self-taught - or carrying some VBScript habits - then you may be approaching it in entirely the wrong way.

What's the $($this.that) PowerShell syntax mean?

By Don Jones, 11/11/2011

In response to a reader question, I explain what this sometimes-confusing PowerShell syntax is all about.

Have a PowerShell Question? Ask Me!

By Don Jones, 11/06/2011

For a while now, I maintained an under-the-radar forum for past class students to ask me questions... it's time to take it big-league. Got a question? Ask!



White Papers

Get your Windows 7 deployment off to the right start by implementing PC lockdown. A locked-down environment is easier and cheaper to support since users are less likely to make unnecessary changes to the core system configuration - read more here!

Essential Guides

Is your iSCSI "lossy"? The reality is that most off-the-shelf Ethernet hardware deployed for iSCSI can lose packets, resulting in slow performance or application downtime. Learn how to assess your current iSCSI infrastructure and engineer an advanced iSCSI SAN infrastructure.

Web Seminars

What's the best way to keep your network safe from malware? In this web seminar, security expert Greg Shields suggests an alternative method to the traditional blacklisting approach that is common with anti-virus and anti-malware solutions.

eLearning Series

We bring the experts direct to you to share their real-world perspective and expertise. During each event, three sessions stream in real time, so you can learn, ask questions, and get solutions.
Upcoming event: Getting the Most with Exchange 2010 with Paul Robichaux

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