Welcome to the basics! In this chapter, we will start things off at the ground level. Basic PowerShell tasks will be covered so that you learn some basic concepts before going into more complex tasks. Before attempting any exercises covered in this book, you should first complete the ones covered in this chapter.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Installing Azure PowerShell
• Deploying a virtual machine (VM)
• Resizing a VM with PowerShell 
• VM power states
• Basic management tasks

At the end of this chapter, you will have the opportunity to practice what you've learned by completing a hands-on exercise that covers many of the basic tasks covered in this chapter.