With PowerShell, each “PackageManagement Provider” manages one or multiple package sources (repositories) where specific software packages are stored.
For example: NanoServer packages, Windows Container packages, Windows Server App (WSA) packages, …
These 5 basic steps are how to use package providers:
1. Discover package provider, using Find-PackageProvider
2. Install package provider, using Install-PackageProvider
3. Inventory package provider, using Get-PackageProvider
4. Load package provider, using Import-PackageProvider
5. Discover package using package provider, using Find-Package
Step 1 – Discovering Package Providers
The Find-PackageProvider cmdlet finds matching PackageManagement providers that are available in package sources registered with PowerShellGet.
These are package providers available for installation with the Install-PackageProvider cmdlet.
By default, this includes modules available in the PowerShell Gallery with the ‘PackageManagement’ and ‘Provider’ Tags.
Here’s a list of the current available package providers from the PS Gallery:
| Package Provider | Description |
|
nuget |
NuGet provider for the OneGet meta-package manager. |
|
chocolatey |
ChocolateyPrototype provider for the OneGet meta-package manager. |
|
ContainerProvider |
ContainerProvider is a Windows PowerShell module to find, save or install Windows Server Container images. |
|
ContainerImage |
This is a PackageManagement provider module which helps in discovering, downloading and installing Windows Container OS images. |
|
GistProvider |
Gist-as-a-Package – PackageManagement PowerShell Provider to interop with Github Gists. |
|
GitHubProvider
|
GitHub-as-a-Package – PackageManagement PowerShell Provider to interop with Github. |
|
TSDProvider |
PowerShell PackageManager provider to search & install TypeScript definition files from the community DefinitelyTyped repo. |
|
NanoServerPackage |
A PackageManagement provider to discover, save and install Nano Server optional packages (features and roles) on-demand. For more details and examples refer to our project site at https://github.com/OneGet/NanoServerPackage. |
|
MyAlbum |
MyAlbum provider discovers the photos in your remote file repository and installs them to your local folder. |
|
OfficeProvider |
OfficeProvider allows users to install Microsoft Office365 ProPlus from Powershell. |
|
GitLabProvider |
GitLab PackageManagement provider. |
|
WSAProvider |
Provider to Discover, Install and Inventory Windows Server Apps (WSA). |
Step 2 – Installing Package Providers
The cmdlet Install-PackageProvider installs one or more Package Management package providers.
Once the module is downloaded, it is installed on your system in the default path “C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules”.
A package provider actually consists of a PowerShell module.
Step 3 – Inventorying Package Providers
Package providers that are loaded and ready to be used on the local machine can be inventoried by using the cmdlet Get-PackageProvider.
By default, only currently loaded package providers show up.
# Get all currently loaded package providers
Get-PackageProvider
To view all package providers, including the those installed using the Install-PackageProvider use the parameter -ListAvailable.
# Following cmdlet will show all package providers available on the machine (including those that are not loaded)
Get-PackageProvider –ListAvailable
Loaded versus Available package providers.
Step 4 – Loading Package Providers
The cmdlet Import-PackageProvider adds/loads package providers to the current session.
Import-PackageProvider –Name <PackageProvider>
Some package providers will bring additional cmdlets to simplify the discovery and installation process, for example NanoServer and Windows Containers.
NanoServer Package Provider brings additional cmdlets.
Windows Container Package Provider brings additional cmdlets.
Step 5 – Discovering package using a Package Provider
#1 Find-Package using PackageProvider with parameter –ProviderName (from the PackageManagement module).
Find-Package –ProviderName <PackageProvider>
#2 Using the helper cmdlets from the Package Provider module (for example: Windows Container provider brings Find-ContainerImage)
Find-ContainerImage
Hope this all makes sense…
Hope this helps…
