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 Windows PowerShell. It Environment, Function, Get-Help, Get-Command, cmdlets used to manage the basic features of includes the FileSystem, Registry, Alias, and Variable providers and basic cmdlets like 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