What Is the SharePoint 2013 Management Shell?

The SharePoint 2013 Management Shell is a variation of PowerShell geared toward the administration and management of SharePoint. After SharePoint is installed on the server, the management console is available from the Start menu, as shown in Figure 1.3.

Figure 1.3. SharePoint 2013 Management Shell on the Start menu.

Selecting the SharePoint 2013 Management Shell launches the management console, as shown in Figure 1.4.

Figure 1.4. SharePoint 2013 Management Shell console window.

The management console window knows about SharePoint commands, as well as general PowerShell commands, and is used to execute command lines or scripts. Chapter 2, “PowerShell Basics,” describes the fundamental components of PowerShell.