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DSC resource operations

DSC defines a set of operations that resources can implement. DSC invokes the operations to use resources for different tasks. Not every resource implements every operation.

The general operations for managing system state are Get, Test, and Set.

The rest of this document describes the available resource operations.

Get operation

The Get operation returns the actual state of a specific resource instance on the system.

This operation is only available for resources that have the get capability.

DSC invokes the Get operation when you use the following commands:

  • dsc resource get to return the actual state for a resource instance.
  • dsc config get to return the actual state for every instance in a configuration document.

Test operation

The Test operation compares the actual state of a specific resource instance on the system to a specified desired state. The result indicates not only whether the instance is in the desired state but also how the actual state differs from the desired state.

If a resource doesn't have the test capability, DSC synthetically tests the resource.

DSC invokes the Test operation when you use the following commands:

  • dsc resource test to test the desired state of a specific resource instance.
  • dsc config test to test the desired state of every instance in a configuration document.

Set operation

The Set operation enforces the desired state of a resource instance on a system. The result indicates how the resource modified the system.

This operation is only available for resources with the set capability.

DSC invokes the Set operation when you use the following commands:

  • dsc resource set to enforce the desired state of a specific resource instance.
  • dsc config get to enforce the desired state defined by a configuration document.

Delete operation

The Delete operation removes a resource instance from a system. The operation returns no output.

This operation is only available for resources with the delete capability.

DSC invokes the Delete operation when you use the following commands:

  • dsc resource delete to remove a specific resource instance.

Export operation

The Export operation retrieves the actual state for every instance of the resource on a system. The result is a configuration document that includes the exported instances.

This operation is only available for resources with the export capability.

DSC invokes the Export operation when you use the following commands:

  • dsc resource export to return a configuration document that enumerates the actual state for every instance of a specific resource.
  • dsc config export to return a configuration document that enumerates the actual state for every instance in a configuration document.
  • dsc resource get with the --all option to return the actual state for every instance of a specific resource as an array of Get operation results.

List operation

The List operation retrieves the available adapted resources for a specific DSC adapter resource.

This operation is only available for adapter resources.

Validate operation

The Validate operation indicates whether an instance of the resource is validly defined. Command resources use their resource instance schema for validation. Adapter resources implement the Validate operation to enable DSC to validate adapted resources, which might not have a defined JSON Schema.

DSC invokes the Validate operation on adapter resources when validating adapted resource instances in a configuration document or when you use the dsc resource commands to directly invoke an adapted resource.

Resolve operation

The Resolve operation processes an importer resource instance to return a configuration document.

This operation is only available for resources with the resolve capability. This operation is primarily useful for importer resources.

See also