Using PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) for System Consistency

What is the purpose of PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC)?

a. Manages VM snapshots

b. Ensures a consistent state of systems

c. Captures Azure resources

d. Automates VM creation

Answer:

The correct answer is b. Ensures a consistent state of systems.

PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) is a platform that ensures a consistent state of systems by defining and enforcing the desired state through configuration as code. It automates management tasks, such as ensuring specific services or packages are present, and maintains system consistency.

PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) is a management platform in PowerShell that enables you to manage your IT and development infrastructure with configuration as code. It does this by ensuring a consistent state of systems, which means it helps maintain and enforce the configuration of a given environment to ensure it stays in the state you specify. DSC configurations are idempotent, which means that no matter how many times you apply a configuration, the system will end up in the same state.

Using DSC, you can ensure that the services you need are running, that required software packages are installed, that user accounts exist, and much more. To achieve this, DSC uses a declarative syntax in which the desired state of the system is specified, rather than the steps to get it there. This allows for automatic remediation if the system drifts from the desired state, thus automating management tasks that were traditionally performed by scripts or manual processes. DSC is a powerful tool, particularly when managing large numbers of servers, whether they are physical, virtual, or in the cloud.