TOPIC
	about_PSSnapins

SHORT DESCRIPTION
	Describes Windows PowerShell snap-ins and shows how to use and manage them.

LONG DESCRIPTION
	A Windows PowerShell snap-in is a Microsoft .NET Framework assembly that 
	contains Windows PowerShell providers and/or cmdlets. Windows PowerShell 
	includes a set of basic snap-ins, but you can extend the power and value 
	of Windows PowerShell by adding snap-ins that contain providers and cmdlets
	that you create or get from others. 

	When you add a snap-in, the cmdlets and providers that it contains are
	immediately available for use in the current session, but the change
	affects only the current session. 

	To add the snap-in to all future sessions, save it in your Windows
	PowerShell profile. You can also use the Export-Console cmdlet to save
	the snap-in names to a console file and then use it in future sessions.
	You can even save multiple console files, each with a different set of
	snap-ins.


 BUILT-IN SNAP-INS
	Windows PowerShell includes a set of Windows PowerShell snap-ins that 
	contain the built-in providers and cmdlets.

	Microsoft.PowerShell.Core
		Contains providers and cmdlets used to manage the basic features of 
		Windows PowerShell. It includes the FileSystem, Registry, Alias, 
		Environment, Function, and Variable providers and basic cmdlets like
		Get-Help, Get-Command, and Get-History.

	Microsoft.PowerShell.Host
	 Contains cmdlets used by the Windows PowerShell host, such as 
	 Start-Transcript and Stop-Transcript.

	Microsoft.PowerShell.Management
		Contains cmdlets such as Get-Service and Get-ChildItem that are used to
		manage Windows-based features.

	Microsoft.PowerShell.Security
		Contains cmdlets used to manage Windows PowerShell security, such as 
		Get-Acl, Get-AuthenticodeSignature, and ConvertTo-SecureString.

	Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility
		Contains cmdlets used to manipulate objects and data, such as 
		Get-Member, Write-Host, and Format-List.


 FINDING SNAP-INS
	To get a list of the Windows PowerShell snap-ins on your computer, type:

		get-pssnapin

	To get the snap-in for each Windows PowerShell provider, type: 

		get-psprovider | format-list name, pssnapin

	To get a list of the cmdlets in a Windows PowerShell snap-in, type:

		get-command -module <snap-in_name>


 INSTALLING A SNAP-IN
	The built-in snap-ins are registered in the system and added to the
	default session when you start Windows PowerShell. However, you have to 
	register snap-ins that you create or obtain from others and then add the
	snap-ins to your session.


 REGISTERING A SNAP-IN
	A Windows PowerShell snap-in is a program written in a .NET Framework 
	language that is compiled into a .dll file. To use the providers and 
	cmdlets in a snap-in, you must first register the snap-in (add it to the
	registry). 

	Most snap-ins include an installation program (an .exe or .msi file)
	that registers the .dll file for you. However, if you receive a snap-in as
	a .dll file, you can register it on your system. For more information, see
	"How to Register Cmdlets, Providers, and Host Applications" in the MSDN 
	(Microsoft Developer Network) library at 
	http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=143619.

	To get all the registered snap-ins on your system or to verify that a
	snap-in is registered, type:

		get-pssnapin -registered


 ADDING THE SNAP-IN TO THE CURRENT SESSION
	To add a registered snap-in to the current session, use the Add-PsSnapin
	cmdlet. For example, to add the Microsoft SQL Server snap-in to the 
	session, type:

		add-pssnapin sql

	After the command is completed, the providers and cmdlets in the snap-in
	are available in the session. However, they are available only in the
	current session unless you save them.


 SAVING THE SNAP-INS
	To use a snap-in in future Windows PowerShell sessions, add the 
	Add-PsSnapin command to your Windows PowerShell profile. Or, export
	the snap-in names to a console file. 

	If you add the Add-PSSnapin command to your profile, it is available
	in all future Windows PowerShell sessions. If you export the names of
	the snap-ins in your session, you can use the export file only when you
	need the snap-ins.

	To add the Add-PsSnapin command to your Windows PowerShell profile,
	open your profile, paste or type the command, and then save the profile.
	For more information, see about_Profiles.

	To save the snap-ins from a session in console file (.psc1), use
	the Export-Console cmdlet. For example, to save the snap-ins in 
	the current session configuration to the NewConsole.psc1 file in the
	current directory, type:

		export-console NewConsole

	For more information, see Export-Console.


 OPENING WINDOWS POWERSHELL WITH A CONSOLE FILE
	To use a console file that includes the snap-in, start Windows PowerShell
	(Powershell.exe) from the command prompt in Cmd.exe or in another
	Windows PowerShell session. Use the PsConsoleFile parameter to specify
	the console file that includes the snap-in. For example, the following
	command starts Windows PowerShell with the NewConsole.psc1 console file:

		powershell.exe -psconsolefile NewConsole.psc1

	The providers and cmdlets in the snapin are now available for use in 
	the session.


 REMOVING A SNAP-IN
	To remove a Windows PowerShell snap-in from the current session, use the
	Remove-PsSnapin cmdlet. For example, to remove the SQL Server
	snap-in from the current session, type:

		remove-pssnapin sql

	This cmdlet removes the snap-in from the session. The snap-in is still
	loaded, but the providers and cmdlets that it supports are no longer
	available. 


SEE ALSO
	Add-PsSnapin
	Get-PsSnapin   
	Remove-PsSnapin
	Export-Console
	Get-Command
	about_Profiles