DSC Resource Kit Update

We’ve just updated the DSC Resource Kit for April! Since our last update in February, there have been 107 merged pull requests with 49 closed issues. Thanks to our wonderful community, the DSC Resource Kit now consists of 279 resources!

We have updated 21 DSC modules which include 6 new resources.

The updated modules are:

• xActiveDirectory
• xAzurePack
• xComputerManagement
• xCredSSP
• xDnsServer
• xDscDiagnostics
• xDSCResourceDesigner
• xFailOverCluster
• xFirefox
• xHyper-V
• xMySql
• xNetworking
• xPendingReboot
• xPSDesiredStateConfiguration
• xRemoteDesktopSessionHost
• xSCSMA
• xSharePoint
• xSQLServer
• xStorage
• xWebAdministration
• xWindowsUpdate

For a detailed list of what resources and fixes have been implemented, see the “What Has Recently Been Released?” section below.

We strongly encourage you to update to the newest version of all modules using the PowerShell Gallery, and don’t forget to give us your feedback in the comments below, on GitHub, or on Twitter (@PowerShell_Team)!

Where Can I Find All Released DSC Modules?

To see a list of all released DSC Resource Kit modules, go to the PowerShell Gallery and display all modules tagged as DSCResourceKit. You can also enter a module’s name in the search box in the upper right corner of the PowerShell Gallery to find a specific module.

Another way to find a specific module is to go directly to its URL on GitHub: http://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/< Module_Name > For example: http://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/xWebAdministration

Of course, you can also always use PowerShellGet (available in WMF 5.0) to find modules with DSC Resources:

# To list all modules that are part of the DSC Resource Kit
Find-Module -Tag DSCResourceKit 
# To list all DSC resources from all sources 
Find-DscResource

How Can I Install DSC Resources From the PowerShell Gallery?

We recommend that you use PowerShellGet to install DSC resource modules:

Install-Module -Name <Module_Name>

For example:

Install-Module -Name xWebAdministration

If you have previous versions of modules installed, you can update them all by opening an elevated PowerShell prompt and using this command:

Update-Module

After installing the modules, you can discover all of the resources available to your local system by running:

Get-DscResource

As with the previous Resource Kits, all the resources are experimental. The “x” prefix in the names stands for experimental – which means these resources are provided AS IS and are not supported through any Microsoft support program or service.

If there is an issue for a module you are particularly concerned about, watch the version number of the module in the PowerShell Gallery for updates. You can also file an issue against the module on GitHub to request a fix.

How Can I Find DSC Modules on GitHub?

We’ve open-sourced the development of DSC resources on GitHub. You can see the most recent state of all resources by going to their GitHub pages at: https://github.com/PowerShell/< Module_Name > For example, for the xCertificate module, go to: https://github.com/PowerShell/xCertificate.

All DSC modules are also listed as submodules of the DscResources repository in the xDscResources folder so that you can see them in one place.

How Can I Contribute?

You are more than welcome to contribute to the development of DSC resource modules. There are several different ways you can help. You can create new DSC resources or modules, add test automation, improve documentation, fix existing issues, or open new ones. Most of the information you need to get started can be found in our contributing guide.

If you would like to help, please take a look at the list of open issues for the DscResources repository. You can also check issues opened for specific modules by going to: https://github.com/PowerShell/< Module_Name >/issues For example: https://github.com/PowerShell/xPSDesiredStateConfiguration/issues

Your help in developing DSC is much appreciated!

What Has Been Recently Released?

You can see a detailed summary of all recent changes in the table below. If you want to see a change log for previous versions, go to the GitHub repository page for a given module (see the “How Can I Find DSC Modules on GitHub?” section above for details).

Questions, comments?

If you’re looking into using PowerShell DSC, have questions or issues with a current resource, or would like a new resource, let us know in the comments below, on Twitter (@PowerShell_Team), or by creating an issue on GitHub.

Katie Keim Software Engineer PowerShell Team