Engineer Desired State Configuration as a complete delivery system rather than a collection of configuration documents.
The course connects module and resource quality, hierarchical data, automated testing, dependency resolution, artifacts, releases, and deployment.
Who this course is for
This advanced course is for teams already using DSC and improving Infrastructure-as-Code delivery for complex production environments.
The recommended starting point is PowerShell skill level 4, together with practical DSC experience.
What participants will learn
- Assess DSC components and levels of delivery maturity
- Develop high-quality modules and resources efficiently
- Create custom and composite resources
- Compose configurations from reusable building blocks
- Separate and manage hierarchical configuration data
- Resolve dependencies and test automatically
- Create versioned configuration artifacts
- Build a repeatable release and deployment pipeline
- Manage the lifecycle of a configuration change
Practical learning
Participants work through the structure of a complete DSC delivery pipeline, using public DscWorkshop patterns to connect authoring, testing, building, releasing, and deployment.
Training programme
Day 1: DSC foundations and module quality
- Review resources, idempotence, modules, and configuration composition
- Apply a configuration to a node
- Author a simple resource
- Evaluate community modules and engineering practices
Day 2: Configuration documents and pipeline foundations
- Author configuration documents
- Structure YAML configuration data
- Establish an initial configuration pipeline
- Evaluate current DSC versions and practical migration considerations
Day 3: Release-pipeline engineering
- Apply DevOps and Infrastructure-as-Code practices to DSC
- Understand the DSC release-pipeline model
- Use Sampler build workflows
- Build and test configuration artifacts
Day 4: Hierarchical data and deployment architecture
- Design advanced configuration data with Datum
- Extend configuration hierarchies
- Evaluate pull architecture and node onboarding
- Manage secrets and data handlers
Day 5: Operating DSC at scale
- Apply security and operational practices
- Troubleshoot configurations and pipelines
- Review the end-to-end change lifecycle
- Consolidate learning through practical validation and discussion
Delivery
This is five days of private company training delivered in English or French, remotely or in person subject to availability.
The course is practical engineering training and does not provide official DSC accreditation.