Windows PowerShell walkthrough !!

Windows Powershell is the new command line utility targeted for system administrators and developers. Its can be used with Windows 2003 Server , XP SP2 , Vista and the Windows 2008 Server.

The implementation of the powershell is really unique , unlike other shells, which accept and return text. Powershell is built on top of the .NET (CLR) accepting and returning .NET objects.This fundamental implementation brings about new methods to the management and configuration of Windows.

The early implementations of shells like cmd.exe , KSH , CSH and BASH Unix shells , operated using a command utility in a new process and returned results in the form of text. The Powershell uses .NET objects ( cmdlets) pronounced as "command-lets". So , it doesnt process text , but processes objects based on the .NET platform.

Powershell incorporates functionalities like accessing data stores like the registry , file system , certificate signatures etc.
It allows loads of other dimensions like managing profiles , using Windows programs , customizing powershell , support for scripting , managing errors etc.

Now we shall look at a few "common user functions" that the powershell offers rather than looking at how we interact with the .NET objects.

Essentially it has a few commands similar to the UNIX shell like the "clear" , "man" for clearing the screen and accessing manual pages respectively.

Lets have a look at some basic functions :

This is how the powershell will look on running powershell.exe


1. To obtain the current system date type PS C:\get-date

PS C:\man get-date ( allows to view format for using cmdlet)



2. PS C:\ get-process ( allows to view currently running processes )


3. PS C:\ get-service (allows to view status of windows services)

Now lets interact on "aspnet_state" service circled above. This service is currently STOPPED.
To make sure this is running we can "start" this service using the command
PS C:\ start-service aspnet_state
PS C:\ get-service


We shall now try stopping the "aspnet_state" again


4. PS C:\ man ( lists all the alias , cmdlets , help files , providers etc )




These were a few examples of what the Powershell offers to an "advanced" user who has the credentials of configuring and managing the Operating System.

The powershell is an easy to use and powerful mechanism of managing the operating system , following an easy syntax and has loads to offer in terms of management and development.

So , download the powershell & manuals and be powered to manage your OS.

We will see more functionalities in the upcoming posts , thank you :)

References : Powershell manual , MSDN

Installing lex and yacc on Ubuntu 6.10 !

An easy tutorial on installing lex and yacc tools on Ubuntu 6.10.

This is targeting an audience who would like to install the above compiler tools without having the aid of an ubuntu cd-rom , and for those who have not installed all the packages during installation.

The lex and yacc are compiler construction tools and are referred to as "flex" and "bison" packages respectively for Ubuntu.

First and foremost to check if lex and yacc are already present on your Ubuntu , click on the terminal and type the following

galacticosfan@galacticosfan:~$ which lex
galacticosfan@galacticosfan:~$ which yacc

If lex and yacc are already present , you will be notified by a message
" /usr/bin/lex" and " /usr/bin/yacc".

If such messages are not received , it would indicate that the tools are absent.

Simple guidelines to install "flex" and "bison" for Ubuntu :

1. Go to System---->Administration----> Synaptic Package Manager
Search for the "flex" package.


Apply mark for installation and click on "Apply" on the toolbar in the Synaptic Package Manager.

Similarly search for "bison" and mark for installation as shown



On applying changes you would come across the following screen

On applying changes the Operating system sets up flex and bison.

Now to confirm that flex and bison have been setup , go to the
terminal and type "which lex" and "which yacc"



The /usr/bin/lex shows that the flex tool has been setup,showing the same for yacc as well.

Alternatively u can install the above tools by issue the following commands

galacticosfan@galacticosfan:~$ sudo apt-get install flex
galacticosfan@galacticosfan:~$ sudo apt-get install bison

The tools will be installed automatically .

Google gears !!

Google gears is an open source browser extension that allows developers to build web applications which can work offline.

It is a cross platform plugin helping developers to build content that can work offline as well as online. It primarily uses JavaScript API's .

A light weight 700k installer which binds 3 API's together.

1.Local server - to cache the data , images , javascript locally

2.A database based on SQLite - a relational database to search data

3.Asynchronous Javascript - to handle synchronisation between the offline and online content and preventing the browser from overburdening itself.


The currently google geared enabled product is the "Google Reader"and there are a few more to come .

Works on Windows , MAC , Linux and requires Internet explorer 6 > and Firefox 1.5 >

Looks like a stiff competition to MS Silverlight and co. Lets see what happens ....

A technical know how to google gears : Googlegears Slide

Microsoft Silverlight : Getting Started

Well yet another "FAT " platform by Microsoft :) . Well , this one is called the "$ilverlight " . I'll try making this short and sweet just like the previous posts.

Bang !! Silverlight is a Cross platform , cross browser application(plugin) to deliver Rich Internet Applications and rich media which enhances UX ( user experience ).

You can find most of the information on www.silverlight.net.

The following slide gives a short introduction on Silverlight and its implementation.



Requirements to develop Silverlight applications :

1. Runtimes - Silverlight Alpha / Beta
2. Developer environment - MS Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 , Silverlight Add-ons
3. Designer environments - Expression Design , Expression Blend , Media Encoder

Installing IIS in Vista

The installation of the IIS on Windows Vista isnt the same like the one on Win XP or Win 2000.

At first the user may think the service isnt provided but the components are kind of hidden.


To install IIS and other services on Vista follow the steps :

1. Start menu ---> Control Panel

2. Click on Programs




3. Programs and Features







4.Click on "Turn Windows features on or off"

A new Windows features window will open and you can then select the particular component that needs to be installed :)






The user doesnt need to insert any cd while installing the component as was the case in Win XP(add / remove new components )

A killer experience ......!! barcamppune3

Well hi again....the barcampune3 was held on the 7th of july at PSPL Pune and turned out to be a really responsive show. The crowd turned up in large numbers again, making the barcamp a very successful event in the making.

Im a great fan of the barcamp and this was the third time i was attending. But this one was a completely different experience altogether , since i took the opportunity to actually speak at the event. I had been attending all this while and so i decided to take a chance and speak this time around in front of the tech savy public that usually turns up at this event. It was quite a challenge for an undergrad student like me who is quite inexperienced at public speaking.

Speaking about technology wasn't a problem , but speaking in front of a large audience was like a thing never done before. Hehe , i was pretty much tensed about this whole issue but ultimately decided to take charge.

My seminar was lined up at the second spot , and i could feel the nerves ....i never gave a demo presentation to anybody , not even myself ....was quite a deal ...i said to myself that whatever i would do would be at run-time ... so was quite a challenge .

I was going to speak on this new technology "Silverlight" a Microsoft runtime which dealt with delivering rich media....so the concept was pretty cool and the audience was enthusiastic to know about it. The TV guide thingie by Codewalla got over and I lined myself up to take charge . Took a deep breath , installed my laptop, connected the projector , loaded my content and kicked off the presentation.

Started the work of art by introducing myself and took the audience for a quick little tour of "Microsoft Silverlight " . The slide show went really well , providing a comprehensive overview of the technology and "how to get started " with it .

I always knew the Q & Ans session would be the most challenging and as expected turned out to be an on slaught on me ...i was bombarded by different kinds of questions coming from all different people portraying their perspective towards the technology ...i tackled most of them with ease and the audience looked happy with the entire presentation.

They gave me a real good round of applause , something i dint achieve for a long time , so to say I felt very satisfied at the end of it :) It was a challenge for me to talk in front of experienced techies , corporates , students and all turned REAL SWEET !

People congratulated me , shared views , requested me to share the slides with them ...so was really cool .. All this jazz was immediately followed by a sumptous meal and dessert ..Ameya and Siddharth my colleagues accompanied me for the next rounds.

We met some really nice ppl , networked with them , exchanged views making this barcamp a memorable one.

All in all , one hell of an experience and looking forward to the next clubhacks and barcamps ;)

Feel the touch....!! Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Surface

Welcome to the new but not new world of surface computing.Microsoft's Research teams brain brainstorming and hardwork over the years has yeilded great dividends and yet again it looks like the hardwork is going to pay off this winter 07' at the launch of the new product "Microsoft Surface".

Lets get to the point...Microsoft Surface is a 30 inch table top computer mounted in a table which allows users to interact with the digital content using gestures,touch ...hell yeah i.e now nobody needs to use a mouse or a keyboard \m/

People can interact with data using natural gestures , touch , fingers , brushes,day to day objects.The digital content can be grabbed with your hands and you can move this information between objects with sheer ease.

Key features

- Table/surface computing
- Slick, translucent surface
- 30 inch diagonal display
- Touch interface
- Multiuser facility
- Inbuilt cameras to see if anything is sitting on the surface
- Future of computing ( photo manipulation,creating spreadsheets,websites..)
- Synchronisation with personal electronic devices( PDAs/cameras/music players..)
- Interacts with devices that are tagged using barcode/RFID tags
- Used for commercial/ household purposes ( gaming,music management...)

Imagine placing your music player or camera on the Surface and transferring data (music , videos , photos ) using your hands by simply dragging them...kickass man.

Surface has fundamentally altered the way we interact with the digital content and is indeed a new bridge connecting to the digital world.Rock on MS... !!

Related Stuff

Appx Price : 10,000 $ US

Launch : Winter 2007

The power of WMI

WMI ---Windows Management Instrumentation

WMI is Microsoft's implementation of the WBEM (Web based Enterprise Mgmt) which is an industry standard used for managing computers and devices across a network(locally or remotely).

Since WMI is a very deep rooted concept , its impossible to throw light on each and every aspect , and so i'd like to concentrate more on what the technology is all about and how it is powerful in managing thousands of "POTENTIALLY MANAGEABLE" entities .

To start of with WMI is a small piece of code / software that resides in Windows.

Typically all of us(scripters, users, admins) make use of WMI without actually knowing were using it :)

WMI is an interface provided by Windows which instruments (automates) the potentially managable objects to the outside world.By instrumentation i mean , it helps in exposing data which can be consumed.

Windows consists of managed objects. Each object can be referred to as a BOX.For example u may have a box of services , processes , registry , file system , chocolates :P etc

The entire concept is layered into 3 parts ...1) the front end which is the user / administrator
2) the middleware (WMI broker)
3) the backend (Managed objects)

The above block diagram illustrates the WMI architecture , showing 3 layers as mentioned above.

The WMI consumer is the user who wants to fetch information and consume it.

Second layer of abstraction is the WMI broker which acts as a bridge between the consumer and the managed objects (Boxes). Providers consists of classes which are implemented as dlls used to fetch information from the managed objects.The classes provides access to the properties and calling methods .

The managed objects are the third layer in the architecture which are the potentially manageable boxes/entities.

Information is fetched from the managed objects and instrumented to the outside world which may be consumed further.

WMI is platform agnostic i.e. a user can fetch information by firing vbscript() queries , C++ (com) code , WQL (WMI query language ) , or using the .NET framework ( C# , VB.NET, J#)

Any WMI compatible windows object can be monitored and managed effectively using scripts or WMI tools . All Operating systems after WindowsNT to the currently running Vista / Windows CE , servers like IIS , SQL , ISA , Exchange can be managed with ease.

Misunderstood concept of WMI

Users expect that information retrival using WMI should be magical. Thats not the case if a user is attempting to retrieve 10,000 files or 3000 instances of startup options. Common sense should prevail since it takes more than a few seconds to fetch data and display the same.

Other expectations include display of "out of the band " data. The information will be fetched only if the particular provider is present.

Microsoft is trying to include as many providers they can to solve day to day problems of the people. With the current version of Windows Vista 100 odd providers are included and there are more to come.

I end the article here. Hope you have enjoyed the concept of WMI and now you are ready to manage your computers and other's your own way ;)