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Learning Powershell DSC
Learning Powershell DSC

Learning Powershell DSC: Get started with the fundamentals of PowerShell DSC and utilize its power to automate deployment and configuration of your servers

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Learning Powershell DSC

Chapter 2. DSC Architecture

 

"As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past for a future which is essentially unknown."

 
 --Herman Foster

In the last chapter, we covered what PowerShell DSC is and how it fits into a continuous delivery and DevOps process. DSC uses PowerShell language extensions to define configuration files that express the expected state of a target node. We know that DSC uses DSC Resources to determine whether or not the current state of the target node matches the expected state and that these resources know how to change the current state to the expected state.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • Push and pull management
  • General workflow
  • Local Configuration Manager
  • DSC Pull Server
  • Deployment considerations

Overview

We are in a precarious position in writing about DSC. In order to explain any one concept, we tend to have to explain a couple more before we get to it. We are going to start out here with some terms and examples of configuration files, DSC settings, and workflow models, but for the most part, the words and actions used will not be clear at first. They are explained in the chapters ahead in greater detail. Remember the previous chapter? Don't panic! If you find yourself getting confused about why something is important, it may become clear as we move from the explanation to putting it into practice. So, for now, look at them and get a feel for the flow of operations, and then come back to them as we touch each step in the operations process in later chapters.

DSC enables you to ensure that the components of your server environment have the correct state and configuration. It enables declarative, autonomous, and idempotent deployment, as well as configuration and conformance...

Push and pull modes

First and foremost, you must understand how DSC gets the information needed to configure a target node from the place it's currently stored to the target node. This may sound counterintuitive; you may be thinking that we should be covering syntax or the different file formats in use first. Before we get to where we're going, we have to know how we are getting there.

The more established CM products available on the market have coalesced into two approaches: push and pull. Push and pull refer to the directions and methods used to move information from the place where it is stored to the target nodes. It also describes the direction commands being sent to, or received by, the target nodes.

Most CM products primarily use the pull method, which means that they rely on agents to schedule, distribute, and rectify configurations on target nodes, but have a central server that holds configuration information and data. The server maintains the current state of all the...

The general workflow

In Chapter 1, Introduction to PowerShell DSC, we covered a high-level overview of DSC and introduced the three phases of DSC use. We also covered the MOF file and its importance in the grand scheme of DSC usage. Since we have already established the why of these concepts, we will now dive into the details of each phase.

What follows won't be a step-by-step process; that will be handled in Chapter 3, DSC Configuration Files. Instead, what we discuss here will be more explanatory and might jump around a bit. Concepts that are introduced may not be fully explained until later, when supporting concepts are fleshed out. DSC is a very modular product, each module a separate entity that is also interdependent on other entities. This makes explaining some concepts a chicken and egg scenario, so we will try our best to reference other sections as they apply.

The following diagram shows the authoring, staging, and execution phases of the DSC workflow. You will notice that...

The example workflow

At this point, a simple example of the workflow you will use will be helpful to explain what we just covered. We will first create an example DSC configuration file. Then, we will compile it to a MOF file and show an example execution using the push deployment model.

A short note about composing configuration files: if you use the built-in PowerShell Integrated Script Environment (ISE), then you will have intellisense provided as you type. This is useful as you start learning; the popup information can help you as you type things without you having to look back at the documentation. The PowerShell ISE also provides on-demand syntax checking, and will look for errors as you type.

The following text would be saved as a TestExample.ps1 file. You will notice this is a standalone file and contains no configuration data. Let's look at the following code snippet, which is a complete example of a DSC configuration file:

# First we declare the configuration
Configuration TestExample...

Configuration data

Now that we have covered both how deployments work (push and pull) in DSC and the workflow (authoring, staging, and execution) for using DSC, we will pause here for a moment to discuss the differences between configuration files and configuration data.

It is important to understand the concept of the separation of the what from the where that we covered in Chapter 1, Introduction to PowerShell DSC, when considering how to deploy servers, applications, and environments using DSC.

The DSC configuration blocks contain the entirety of the expected state of the target node. The DSL syntax used to describe the state is expressed in one configuration file in a near list format. It expresses all configuration points of the target system and is able to express dependencies between configuration points.

DSC configuration data is separated from DSC configuration files to reduce variance and duplication. Some points that are considered data are software version numbers, file path locations...

Overview


We are in a precarious position in writing about DSC. In order to explain any one concept, we tend to have to explain a couple more before we get to it. We are going to start out here with some terms and examples of configuration files, DSC settings, and workflow models, but for the most part, the words and actions used will not be clear at first. They are explained in the chapters ahead in greater detail. Remember the previous chapter? Don't panic! If you find yourself getting confused about why something is important, it may become clear as we move from the explanation to putting it into practice. So, for now, look at them and get a feel for the flow of operations, and then come back to them as we touch each step in the operations process in later chapters.

DSC enables you to ensure that the components of your server environment have the correct state and configuration. It enables declarative, autonomous, and idempotent deployment, as well as configuration and conformance of standards...

Push and pull modes


First and foremost, you must understand how DSC gets the information needed to configure a target node from the place it's currently stored to the target node. This may sound counterintuitive; you may be thinking that we should be covering syntax or the different file formats in use first. Before we get to where we're going, we have to know how we are getting there.

The more established CM products available on the market have coalesced into two approaches: push and pull. Push and pull refer to the directions and methods used to move information from the place where it is stored to the target nodes. It also describes the direction commands being sent to, or received by, the target nodes.

Most CM products primarily use the pull method, which means that they rely on agents to schedule, distribute, and rectify configurations on target nodes, but have a central server that holds configuration information and data. The server maintains the current state of all the target nodes...

The general workflow


In Chapter 1, Introduction to PowerShell DSC, we covered a high-level overview of DSC and introduced the three phases of DSC use. We also covered the MOF file and its importance in the grand scheme of DSC usage. Since we have already established the why of these concepts, we will now dive into the details of each phase.

What follows won't be a step-by-step process; that will be handled in Chapter 3, DSC Configuration Files. Instead, what we discuss here will be more explanatory and might jump around a bit. Concepts that are introduced may not be fully explained until later, when supporting concepts are fleshed out. DSC is a very modular product, each module a separate entity that is also interdependent on other entities. This makes explaining some concepts a chicken and egg scenario, so we will try our best to reference other sections as they apply.

The following diagram shows the authoring, staging, and execution phases of the DSC workflow. You will notice that it does...

The example workflow


At this point, a simple example of the workflow you will use will be helpful to explain what we just covered. We will first create an example DSC configuration file. Then, we will compile it to a MOF file and show an example execution using the push deployment model.

A short note about composing configuration files: if you use the built-in PowerShell Integrated Script Environment (ISE), then you will have intellisense provided as you type. This is useful as you start learning; the popup information can help you as you type things without you having to look back at the documentation. The PowerShell ISE also provides on-demand syntax checking, and will look for errors as you type.

The following text would be saved as a TestExample.ps1 file. You will notice this is a standalone file and contains no configuration data. Let's look at the following code snippet, which is a complete example of a DSC configuration file:

# First we declare the configuration
Configuration TestExample...
Left arrow icon Right arrow icon

Description

Windows PowerShell is a task-based command-line shell and scripting language designed especially for system administration. PowerShell DSC is a new management platform that enables you to deploy and manage configuration data for software services and manage the environment in which these services run. This book begins with an overview of the basics of PowerShell DSC by covering the architecture and components of the Desired Sate Configuration. It will then familiarize you with the set of PowerShell language extensions and new PowerShell commands. It will help you understand and create DSC configurations with the help of practical examples, and to create DSC custom resources for your custom applications. Finally, you will learn to deploy a real world application using PowerShell DSC. By the end of the book, you will have better knowledge about the powerful Desired State Configuration platform, which helps you to achieve continuous delivery, and efficient management and easy deployment of data for systems.

Who is this book for?

This book is intended for system administrators, developers, or engineers who are responsible for configuration management and automation and wish to learn PowerShell Desired State Configuration for efficient management, configuration and deployment of systems and applications.

What you will learn

  • Understand configuration management and why you need it
  • Craft flexible, reusable, and maintainable configuration scripts for thousands of servers
  • Create custom DSC resources to manage any application or server setting
  • Apply configuration data to deploy applications to different environments
  • Utilize DSC push deployments to test your configuration scripts and custom DSC resources
  • Install, configure and use DSC pull servers
  • Run a Windows MSI package
  • Deploy a website
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Publication date : Oct 21, 2015
Length: 268 pages
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783980703
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Publication date : Oct 21, 2015
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783980703
Vendor :
Microsoft
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Table of Contents

8 Chapters
1. Introduction to PowerShell DSC Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. DSC Architecture Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. DSC Configuration Files Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. DSC Resources Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Pushing DSC Configurations Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Pulling DSC Configurations Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Example Scenarios Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

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5 star 87.5%
4 star 12.5%
3 star 0%
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JimM Dec 22, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Great book and welcome reference.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
VenuG Dec 01, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
very good book to start and work with DSC
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Ron Davis Aug 23, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This guy does a great job. I would buy the other one also as it gives a slightly different perspective.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
John Matlock Oct 01, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book does an excellent job of getting you all or most of the information you need to hit the ground running with DSC. The author does an excellent job of breaking each topic down and then stringing all of the information together in a clear and understandable way. Kudos.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Lindsay Castillo Nov 12, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Perfect Intro to Proficient book. I've seen training videos and followed along but this book was the home run. Not only did I learn about all the moving parts in a logical manner, I also enjoyed the nuggets of what a experiences DSC IT pro is thinking as he goes through the process of learning DSC.The author was very keen on making sure that he was aware of the tripping points that a new comer would have in taking up DSC and pointed out all of the potential stumbling blocks along the way.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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