Base resource

Description

Service

The Service DSC resource performs operations against Windows services. It can start or stop a service or configure the account it runs under and the startup type of the service. This resource cannot install services; it operates only on services that are already present. Look at the xService resource for additional functionality.

Script

The Script resource is a versatile generic resource. It allows you to specify an arbitrary block of code to be executed on the target host. There are some restrictions such as variable expansion and access to some system resources. Generally, this should be used for short term or one-off situations that are not handled by an existing DSC resource, as error handling and proper idempotency is difficult to achieve in the limited space you have.

User

The User DSC resource performs operations on local users on the target system. It allows the creation or deletion of users and setting passwords and password policies as well as basic attributes of the user.

WindowsProcess

The WindowsProcess DSC resource performs operations on processes on the target system. This is commonly used to execute arbitrary executables with specific parameters that are not handled by an existing DSC resource.

WindowsFeature

The WindowsFeature DSC resource adds or removes features of the Windows operating system. This uses the built-in Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) infrastructure of the Windows Server platform; some features are not operable using this resource on a client OS.

Registry

The Registry DSC resource adds, removes, or modifies registry entries in the target system. Support for the full range of registry keys and values is present.

Environment

The Environment DSC resource adds, removes, or modifies environment variables on the target system.

Archive

The Archive DSC resource performs operations on compressed files.

Group

The Group DSC resource performs operations on local groups on the target system. It can add, remove, or modify membership on local groups.

Package

The Package DSC resource installs software bundled in MSI or EXE formats. In the case of MSI, it can also remove software if all the necessary options are provided to the MSI command line. Refer to the MSI documentation for more information on this.

Log

The Log DSC resource writes messages to the DSC operational log. This is useful for troubleshooting or diagnostic purposes.

Cmdlet

Description

Get-DSCConfiguration

This cmdlet returns the current DSC configuration status of the node if the configuration exists. If it does not, this will throw an error. This can also be run on remote systems.

Get-DSCLocalConfigurationManager

This returns the current settings, or meta-configuration, of the LCM on the system if the settings exist. This can be run on remote systems and is useful for troubleshooting DSC deployments that use DSC pull servers.

Get-DSCResoure

This cmdlet returns a list of all DSC resources on the system. This is vital in troubleshooting and authoring DSC resources, as it helps show what resources are present on the system. If the resource you are authoring is not present, then DSC cannot read the resource.

New-DSCCheckSum

This cmdlet returns a hash from the DSC configuration MOF file. This is used to deploy MOF files to pull servers.

Remove-DSCConfigurationDocument

This cmdlet removes the compiled MOF from the target node, along with additional cleanup tasks.

This cmdlet is available only as part of the November 2014 update rollup for Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2: http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3000850, from the Microsoft support library. Before you use this cmdlet, review the information in What's New in Windows PowerShell: http://technet.microsoft.com/library/hh857339.aspx in the TechNet library.

Restore-DSCConfiguration

This cmdlet restores the previous configuration for the target node if a previous successful configuration exists on the target node.

Stop-DSCConfiguration

This cmdlet stops a currently running configuration on a target node. This is useful in aborting interactive configuration runs initiated using Start-DSCConfiguration.

This cmdlet is available only as part of the November 2014 update rollup for Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2: http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3000850 from the Microsoft Support library. Before you use this cmdlet, review the information in What's New With PowerShell: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/What-s-New-With-PowerShell?view=powershell-6 in the TechNet library.

Test-DSCConfiguration

This cmdlet runs the specified configuration against a target node but does not execute it. It compares the current state of the system to the expected configuration and reports back if they match. No changes are made to the system using this cmdlet.

Set-DSCLocalConfigurationManager

This cmdlet is used to change the settings, or meta-configuration, on the LCM on the target computer. This is most often used in pull server scenarios.

Start-DSCConfiguration

This cmdlet executes the specified MOF file against the target computer. This is by far the cmdlet you will use the most, as it's helpful in both authoring and troubleshooting DSC configurations and DSC resources.

Import-DSCResource

This cmdlet is really a dynamic function that is only available at runtime. It specifies which DSC resources need to be loaded to parse and compile the DSC configuration script.