While there are many aspects to DSC that are beneficial, it is useful to pause here and list some quick wins that DSC brings us to inspire us to keep reading:
- DSC configuration and supporting files are all written in the PowerShell syntax. Investments in knowledge about PowerShell are improved upon and expanded in using DSC.
- DSC is designed to support continuous deployment, so it will react and adjust as your environment changes.
- When DSC applies a configuration to a target node, DSC resources only change that which does not match the expected state (we will cover the terminology for this and how important this is in Chapter 2, DSC Architecture), ensuring a quick deployment.
- DSC separates configuration logic from configuration data, reducing the rate of change in your configuration scripts and the variation in your deployments.
- DSC operates on more platforms than just Windows. DSC has a set of DSC resources that know how to install, configure, and manage Linux target nodes and some network switches. In a heterogeneous environment, having one tool that can address many different platforms is a huge time and cost saver.