Making a Actual-World Module: Creating Capabilities

Managing methods can really feel like juggling too many balls without delay. One minute, you’re troubleshooting a storage problem; the subsequent, you’re looking down processor specs or checking reminiscence capability. Doing so manually shouldn’t be solely tedious however liable to errors. For those who’re caught on this cycle, it’s time to cease the insanity. Automation is your reply!

On this information, you’ll discover ways to construct PowerShell features so you’ll be able to streamline your workflows and deal with what actually issues.

Take pleasure in a set of highly effective scripts in your toolkit, saving you time and serving to you use like a professional!

Constructing Capabilities for Extracting Info

As we construct on the module, we’ll populate the Data property with {hardware} info utilizing the Get-CimInstance cmdlet. This method permits us to standardize and reuse code successfully.

The next features collect reminiscence, storage, and processor info from a distant session:

perform Get-MemoryInfo {
    [CmdletBinding()]
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
        [System.Management.Automation.Runspaces.PSSession]$Session
    )

    $outObject = @{
        'ComputerName'      = $Session.ComputerName
        'HardwareCategory'  = 'Reminiscence'
        'Data'              = $null
    }

    $scriptBlock = {
        Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemory
    }
    $end result = Invoke-Command -Session $Session -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock

    $outObject['Info'] = $end result
    [pscustomobject]$outObject
}

perform Get-StorageInfo {
    [CmdletBinding()]
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
        [System.Management.Automation.Runspaces.PSSession]$Session
    )

    $outObject = @{
        'ComputerName'      = $Session.ComputerName
        'HardwareCategory'  = 'Storage'
        'Data'              = $null
    }

    $scriptBlock = {
        Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_LogicalDisk
    }
    $end result = Invoke-Command -Session $Session -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock

    $outObject['Info'] = $end result
    [pscustomobject]$outObject
}

perform Get-ProcessorInfo {
    [CmdletBinding()]
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
        [System.Management.Automation.Runspaces.PSSession]$Session
    )

    $outObject = @{
        'ComputerName'      = $Session.ComputerName
        'HardwareCategory'  = 'Processor'
        'Data'              = $null
    }

    $scriptBlock = {
        Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_LogicalDisk
    }
    $end result = Invoke-Command -Session $Session -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock

    $outObject['Info'] = $end result
    [pscustomobject]$outObject
}

Remodeling Output

The uncooked information retrieved from system queries usually contains extra particulars than crucial, making it cumbersome to interpret. This case can result in inefficiencies when specializing in particular, actionable attributes.

To standardize the information, you’ll be able to rework the output from Get-CimInstance right into a customized object.

Right here’s an up to date model:

perform Get-MemoryInfo {
    [CmdletBinding()]
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
        [System.Management.Automation.Runspaces.PSSession]$Session
    )

    $outObject = @{
        'ComputerName'      = $Session.ComputerName
        'HardwareCategory'  = 'Reminiscence'
        'Data'              = $null
    }

    $scriptBlock = {
        Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemory
    }
    $end result = Invoke-Command -Session $Session -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock

    $data = $end result | ForEach-Object {
        [pscustomobject]@{
            'LocatorId' = $_.DeviceLocator
            'Capability'  = $_.Capability
        }
    }

    $outObject['Info'] = $data
    [pscustomobject]$outObject
}

perform Get-StorageInfo {
    [CmdletBinding()]
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
        [System.Management.Automation.Runspaces.PSSession]$Session
    )

    $outObject = @{
        'ComputerName'      = $Session.ComputerName
        'HardwareCategory'  = 'Storage'
        'Data'              = $null
    }

    $scriptBlock = {
        Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_LogicalDisk
    }
    $end result = Invoke-Command -Session $Session -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock

    $data = $end result | ForEach-Object {
        [pscustomobject]@{
            'VolumeName'      = $_.VolumeName
            'VolumeLetter'    = $_.DeviceId
            'VolumeCapacity'  = $_.Dimension
            'VolumeFreeSpace' = $_.FreeSpace
        }
    }

    $outObject['Info'] = $data
    [pscustomobject]$outObject
}

Dealing with Byte Values

{Hardware} info usually contains numerical values like reminiscence or storage capability in bytes. Whereas technically correct, these values might be extra sensible for fast interpretation. Changing them to gigabytes gives a extra intuitive understanding of {hardware} metrics.

For higher readability, the helper perform ConvertTo-Gb makes this course of environment friendly:

perform ConvertTo-Gb {
    [CmdletBinding()]
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
        [string]$Bytes
    )

    $numberGb = $Bytes / 1GB
    [math]::Spherical($numberGb, 2)
}

perform Get-MemoryInfo {
    [CmdletBinding()]
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory)]
        [System.Management.Automation.Runspaces.PSSession]$Session
    )

    $outObject = @{
        'ComputerName'      = $Session.ComputerName
        'HardwareCategory'  = 'Reminiscence'
        'Data'              = $null
    }

    $scriptBlock = {
        Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemory
    }
    $end result = Invoke-Command -Session $Session -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock

    $data = $end result | ForEach-Object {
        [pscustomobject]@{
            'LocatorId' = $_.DeviceLocator
            'Capability'  = (ConvertTo-Gb -Bytes $_.Capability)
        }
    }

    $outObject['Info'] = $data
    [pscustomobject]$outObject
}

This method improves the performance and readability of the information returned by these features. Future updates or adjustments grow to be extra manageable by centralizing repetitive logic into helper features like ConvertTo-Gb.

Conclusion

You’ve discovered methods to create PowerShell features utilizing the steps outlined on this information. Be it gathering {hardware} info from distant methods, remodeling uncooked outputs into structured customized objects, or making information extra readable.

Now that you simply’ve mastered these strategies, take into account how one can develop on this basis. As an illustration, you may add extra {hardware} classes to your module, comparable to community adapters or GPU info. You may also combine these features into bigger automation workflows, like system well being monitoring or stock administration.

The probabilities are limitless, and also you’re nicely in your solution to constructing a sturdy toolset for confidently managing your methods.