It is a best practice to add the folder(s) that
contain the custom cmdlets and scripts to the system path. This enables
the administrator to run any one of the cmdlets from anywhere in the EMS
console.
Cmdlets with the .ps1 extension cannot be run directly from the Cmd.exe console; they must be run within the PowerShell or Exchange Management Shell.
The cmdlets that ship
with Exchange Server 2010 and EMS cannot be modified. They have been
optimized and compiled for maximum performance. These native cmdlets are
contained in the DLL files in the %SystemDrive%\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\bin folder.
It is a best practice to create a folder to contain the custom .ps1 files and add that folder to the system path. This facilitates the use of the .ps1 files within the EMS command line.
Developing a Common Naming Scheme
When developing custom
scripts, it is important to use functional names that denote the use of
the script. It is a best practice to use the same verb-noun naming that
is common in PowerShell and EMS. This provides consistency in the
management environment.
A script to send SMTP email from the EMS command line might be called send-email.ps1, for example.
Distributing Cmdlets
Cmdlets can be distributed in a number of ways, similar to VBScripts or batch files.
The Microsoft distributed
file system (DFS) offers another way to distribute cmdlets. By creating
replicas in remote sites, the organization’s cmdlet library can be fault
tolerant and available locally to all administrators.
Another option for
distributing cmdlets is via SharePoint. SharePoint’s document management
features enable administrators to check in and check out cmdlets as .ps1 files. This makes managing .ps1
files simple and provides full-text search capabilities. It also
provides security so that only the appropriate administrators have
access to certain cmdlets.
Note
Because
.ps1 files are executable code, they cannot be sent using Outlook due
to the Outlook security restrictions. Cmdlets can be zipped into
compressed folders and emailed as attachments, or their contents can be
pasted into the body of a message.
