Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
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Scripts
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WQL query configuration items
You can configure remediation to be performed, either by creating a value if it is not pres-
ent, altering a value if it exists but is not compliant (for example, changing a registry value),
or by running a remediation script. The remediation script will need to alter the setting to the
desired state.
Desired State Configuration (DSC) is a feature new to Windows PowerShell 4.0 that allows
you to manage the configuration of computers, accomplishing many of the objectives with
Windows PowerShell that you could otherwise accomplish using compliance settings with
Configuration Manager. You can use DSC to perform the following tasks:
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Ensuring that server roles and features are either enabled or disabled
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Managing registry settings
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Managing files and directories
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Managing service and the state of processes
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Managing user and group accounts
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Software deployment
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Managing environment variables
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Assessing configuration state
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Remediating configuration drift
When using DSC, you define a Windows PowerShell script block using the configuration
keyword. This script block allows you to specify the desired configuration for each computer
(termed nodes in DSC). Within the script block, you can define resource blocks as a way of
configuring specific resources. When you invoke the configuration, a MOF file is created in a
new directory that is a child of the current directory with the same name as the configuration
block. The newly created MOF file stores configuration information about the target comput-
ers. You can enforce the configuration by running the Start-DscConfiguration cmdlet.
MORE INFO
DESIRED STATE CONFIGURATION
You can learn more about Desired State Configuration at
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-
System Center Advisor is a cloud-based service that collects data from computers and gener-
ates alerts based on that data. For example, System Center Advisor can generate alerts about
missing security updates, or where the configuration of a computer deviates substantially
