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TOPIC
about_PSSnapins
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Describes Windows PowerShell snap-ins and shows how to use and manage them.
LONG DESCRIPTION
A Windows PowerShell snap-in is a Microsoft .NET Framework assembly that
contains Windows PowerShell providers and/or cmdlets. Windows PowerShell
includes a set of basic snap-ins, but you can extend the power and value
of Windows PowerShell by adding snap-ins that contain providers and cmdlets
that you create or get from others.
When you add a snap-in, the cmdlets and providers that it contains are
immediately available for use in the current session, but the change
affects only the current session.
To add the snap-in to all future sessions, save it in your Windows
PowerShell profile. You can also use the Export-Console cmdlet to save
the snap-in names to a console file and then use it in future sessions.
You can even save multiple console files, each with a different set of
snap-ins.
BUILT-IN SNAP-INS
Windows PowerShell includes a set of Windows PowerShell snap-ins that
contain the built-in providers and cmdlets.
Microsoft.PowerShell.Core
Contains providers and cmdlets used to manage the basic features of
Windows PowerShell. It includes the FileSystem, Registry, Alias,
Environment, Function, and Variable providers and basic cmdlets like
Get-Help, Get-Command, and Get-History.
Microsoft.PowerShell.Host
Contains cmdlets used by the Windows PowerShell host, such as
Start-Transcript and Stop-Transcript.
Microsoft.PowerShell.Management
Contains cmdlets such as Get-Service and Get-ChildItem that are used to
manage Windows-based features.
Microsoft.PowerShell.Security
Contains cmdlets used to manage Windows PowerShell security, such as
Get-Acl, Get-AuthenticodeSignature, and ConvertTo-SecureString.
Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility
Contains cmdlets used to manipulate objects and data, such as
Get-Member, Write-Host, and Format-List.
FINDING SNAP-INS
To get a list of the Windows PowerShell snap-ins on your computer, type:
get-pssnapin
To get the snap-in for each Windows PowerShell provider, type:
get-psprovider | format-list name, pssnapin
To get a list of the cmdlets in a Windows PowerShell snap-in, type:
get-command -module <snap-in_name>
INSTALLING A SNAP-IN
The built-in snap-ins are registered in the system and added to the
default session when you start Windows PowerShell. However, you have to
register snap-ins that you create or obtain from others and then add the
snap-ins to your session.
REGISTERING A SNAP-IN
A Windows PowerShell snap-in is a program written in a .NET Framework
language that is compiled into a .dll file. To use the providers and
cmdlets in a snap-in, you must first register the snap-in (add it to the
registry).
Most snap-ins include an installation program (an .exe or .msi file)
that registers the .dll file for you. However, if you receive a snap-in as
a .dll file, you can register it on your system. For more information, see
"How to Register Cmdlets, Providers, and Host Applications" in the MSDN
(Microsoft Developer Network) library at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=143619.
To get all the registered snap-ins on your system or to verify that a
snap-in is registered, type:
get-pssnapin -registered
ADDING THE SNAP-IN TO THE CURRENT SESSION
To add a registered snap-in to the current session, use the Add-PsSnapin
cmdlet. For example, to add the Microsoft SQL Server snap-in to the
session, type:
add-pssnapin sql
After the command is completed, the providers and cmdlets in the snap-in
are available in the session. However, they are available only in the
current session unless you save them.
SAVING THE SNAP-INS
To use a snap-in in future Windows PowerShell sessions, add the
Add-PsSnapin command to your Windows PowerShell profile. Or, export
the snap-in names to a console file.
If you add the Add-PSSnapin command to your profile, it is available
in all future Windows PowerShell sessions. If you export the names of
the snap-ins in your session, you can use the export file only when you
need the snap-ins.
To add the Add-PsSnapin command to your Windows PowerShell profile,
open your profile, paste or type the command, and then save the profile.
For more information, see about_Profiles.
To save the snap-ins from a session in console file (.psc1), use
the Export-Console cmdlet. For example, to save the snap-ins in
the current session configuration to the NewConsole.psc1 file in the
current directory, type:
export-console NewConsole
For more information, see Export-Console.
OPENING WINDOWS POWERSHELL WITH A CONSOLE FILE
To use a console file that includes the snap-in, start Windows PowerShell
(Powershell.exe) from the command prompt in Cmd.exe or in another
Windows PowerShell session. Use the PsConsoleFile parameter to specify
the console file that includes the snap-in. For example, the following
command starts Windows PowerShell with the NewConsole.psc1 console file:
powershell.exe -psconsolefile NewConsole.psc1
The providers and cmdlets in the snapin are now available for use in
the session.
REMOVING A SNAP-IN
To remove a Windows PowerShell snap-in from the current session, use the
Remove-PsSnapin cmdlet. For example, to remove the SQL Server
snap-in from the current session, type:
remove-pssnapin sql
This cmdlet removes the snap-in from the session. The snap-in is still
loaded, but the providers and cmdlets that it supports are no longer
available.
SEE ALSO
Add-PsSnapin
Get-PsSnapin
Remove-PsSnapin
Export-Console
Get-Command
about_Profiles