Refreshed article as of pwsh 7.4.2 on linux and macos (#11102)

Co-authored-by: Mike F. Robbins <[email protected]>

Author: mikefrobbins

reference/docs-conceptual/whats-new/unix-support.md

@@ -1,65 +1,65 @@
 ---
 description: This article summarizes the differences between PowerShell on Windows and PowerShell on non-Windows platforms.
-ms.date: 11/01/2022
+ms.date: 05/13/2024
 title: PowerShell differences on non-Windows platforms
 ---
 # PowerShell differences on non-Windows platforms
 
-PowerShell strives to provide feature parity across all supported platforms. But, due to differences
-in .NET Core and platform-specific differences, some features behave differently or aren't
-available. Additional changes have been made to improve interoperability of PowerShell on
-non-Windows platforms.
+PowerShell strives to provide feature parity across all supported platforms. However, some features
+behave differently or aren't available due to differences in .NET Core and platform-specific
+differences. Other changes were made to improve the interoperability of PowerShell on non-Windows
+platforms.
 
 ## .NET Framework vs .NET Core
 
-PowerShell on Linux and macOS uses .NET Core, which is a subset of the full .NET Framework on
-Microsoft Windows. As a result, scripts that run on Windows may not run on non-Windows platforms
-because of the differences in the frameworks.
+PowerShell on Linux and macOS uses .NET Core, a subset of the full .NET Framework on Microsoft
+Windows. As a result, scripts that run on Windows might not run on non-Windows platforms because of
+the differences in the frameworks.
 
 For more information about changes in .NET Core, see
 [Breaking changes for migration from .NET Framework to .NET Core][01].
 
 ## General Unix interoperability changes
 
-- Added support for native command globbing on Unix platforms. This means you can
-  use wildcards with native commands like `ls *.txt`.
+- Added support for native command globbing on Unix platforms. This means you can use wildcards with
+  native commands like `ls *.txt`.
 - The `more` functionality respects the Linux `$PAGER` and defaults to `less`.
 - Trailing backslash is automatically escaped when dealing with native command arguments.
 - Fixed ConsoleHost to honor `NoEcho` on Unix platforms.
-- don't add `PATHEXT` environment variable on Unix
-- A `powershell` man-page is included in the package
+- Don't add `PATHEXT` environment variable on Unix.
+- A `powershell` man-page is included in the package.
 
 ## Execution policy
 
-The `-ExecutionPolicy` parameter is ignored when running PowerShell on non-Windows platforms.
-`Get-ExecutionPolicy` returns **Unrestricted** on Linux and macOS. `Set-ExecutionPolicy` does
-nothing on Linux and macOS.
+PowerShell ignores execution policies when running on non-Windows platforms. `Get-ExecutionPolicy`
+returns **Unrestricted** on Linux and macOS. `Set-ExecutionPolicy` does nothing on Linux and macOS.
 
 ## Case-sensitivity in PowerShell
 
 Historically, PowerShell has been uniformly case-insensitive, with few exceptions. On UNIX-like
-operating systems, the file system is predominantly case-sensitive and PowerShell adheres to the
+operating systems, the file system is predominantly case-sensitive, and PowerShell adheres to the
 standard of the file system.
 
-- When specifying a file in PowerShell, the correct case must be used.
+- You must use the correct case when a filename in specified in PowerShell.
 - If a script tries to load a module and the module name isn't cased correctly, then the module load
-  fails. This may cause a problem with existing scripts if the name by which the module is
-  referenced doesn't match the proper case of the actual filename.
+  fails. This behavior might cause a problem with existing scripts if the name referenced by the
+  module doesn't match the proper case of the actual filename.
 - While names in the filesystem are case-sensitive, tab-completion of filenames isn't
   case-sensitive. Tab-completion cycles through the list of names using case-insensitive matching.
 - `Get-Help` supports case-insensitive pattern matching on Unix platforms.
-- `Import-Module` is case insensitive when it's using a filename to determine the module's name.
+- `Import-Module` is case insensitive when used with a filename to determine the module name.
 
 ## Filesystem support for Linux and macOS
 
-- Paths given to cmdlets are now slash-agnostic (both / and \ work as directory separator)
+- Paths given to cmdlets are now slash-agnostic (both `/` and `\` work as directory separators)
 - XDG Base Directory Specification is now respected and used by default:
   - The Linux/macOS profile path is located at `~/.config/powershell/profile.ps1`
   - The history save path is located at `~/.local/share/powershell/PSReadline/ConsoleHost_history.txt`
   - The user module path is located at `~/.local/share/powershell/Modules`
 - Support for file and folder names containing the colon character on Unix.
 - Support for script names or full paths that have commas.
-- Detect when `-LiteralPath` is used to suppress wildcard expansion for navigation cmdlets.
+- Detect when the **LiteralPath** parameter is used to suppress wildcard expansion for navigation
+  cmdlets.
 - Updated `Get-ChildItem` to work more like the *nix `ls -R` and the Windows `DIR /S` native
   commands. `Get-ChildItem` now returns the symbolic links encountered during a recursive search and
   doesn't search the directories that those links target.
@@ -68,16 +68,16 @@ standard of the file system.
 
 PowerShell scripts must end in `.ps1` for the interpreter to understand how to load and run them in
 the current process. Running scripts in the current process is the expected usual behavior for
-PowerShell. The `#!` magic number may be added to a script that doesn't have a `.ps1` extension, but
-this causes the script to be run in a new PowerShell instance preventing the script from working
-properly when interchanging objects. This may be the desirable behavior when executing a PowerShell
-script from `bash` or another shell.
+PowerShell. You can add the `#!` magic number to a script that doesn't have a `.ps1` extension, but
+this causes the script to be run in a new PowerShell instance, preventing the script from working
+correctly when interchanging objects. This behavior might be desirable when executing a PowerShell
+script from Bash or another shell.
 
 ## Convenience aliases removed
 
-On Windows, PowerShell provides a set of aliases that map to Linux command names for user
+PowerShell provides a set of aliases on Windows that map to Linux command names for user
 convenience. On Linux and macOS, the "convenience aliases" for the basic commands `ls`, `cp`, `mv`,
-`rm`, `cat`, `man`, `mount`, `ps` have been removed to allow the native executable to run without
+`rm`, `cat`, `man`, `mount`, and `ps` were removed to allow the native executable to run without
 specifying a path.
 
 ## Logging
@@ -87,43 +87,55 @@ On Linux, PowerShell uses [Syslog][09], a ubiquitous logging solution.
 
 ## Job Control
 
-There is no Unix-style job-control support in PowerShell on Linux or macOS. The `fg` and `bg`
-commands aren't available. You can use [PowerShell jobs][02] that do work across all platforms.
+There's no Unix-style job-control support in PowerShell on Linux or macOS. The `fg` and `bg`
+commands aren't available. However, you can use [PowerShell jobs][02] that work on all platforms.
 
 Putting `&` at the end of a pipeline causes the pipeline to be run as a PowerShell job. When a
 pipeline is backgrounded, a job object is returned. Once the pipeline is running as a job, all
 `*-Job` cmdlets can be used to manage the job. Variables (ignoring process-specific variables) used
 in the pipeline are automatically copied to the job so `Copy-Item $foo $bar &` just works. The job
-is also run in the current directory instead of the user's home directory.
+runs in the current directory instead of the user's home directory.
 
 ## Remoting Support
 
 PowerShell Remoting (PSRP) using WinRM on Unix platforms requires NTLM/Negotiate or Basic Auth over
 HTTPS. PSRP on macOS only supports Basic Auth over HTTPS. Kerberos-based authentication isn't
 supported.
 
-PowerShell supports PowerShell Remoting (PSRP) over SSH on all platforms (Windows, macOS, and
-Linux). For more information, see [SSH remoting in PowerShell][04].
+PowerShell supports PowerShell Remoting (PSRP) over SSH on all platforms (Windows, Linux, and
+macOS). For more information, see [SSH remoting in PowerShell][04].
 
 ## Just-Enough-Administration (JEA) Support
 
-The ability to create constrained administration (JEA) remoting endpoints isn't available in
-PowerShell on Linux or macOS.
+PowerShell on Linux or macOS doesn't allow you to create constrained administration (JEA) remoting
+endpoints.
 
 ## `sudo`, `exec`, and PowerShell
 
-Because PowerShell runs most commands in memory (like Python or Ruby), you can't use sudo directly
-with PowerShell built-ins. You can run `pwsh` from sudo. If it's necessary to run a PowerShell
-cmdlet from within PowerShell with sudo, for example, `sudo Set-Date 8/18/2016`, then you would do
-`sudo pwsh Set-Date 8/18/2016`.
+Because PowerShell runs most commands in memory (like Python or Ruby), you can't use `sudo` directly
+with PowerShell built-ins. You can run `pwsh` from `sudo`. If it's necessary to run a PowerShell
+cmdlet from within PowerShell with `sudo`, for example, `sudo Set-Date 8/18/2016`, then you would
+use `sudo pwsh Set-Date 8/18/2016`.
 
-## Missing Cmdlets
+## Modules included on non-Windows platforms
 
-A large number of the commands (cmdlets) normally available in PowerShell aren't available on Linux
-or macOS. In many cases, these commands make no sense on these platforms (e.g. Windows-specific
-features like the registry). Other commands like the service control commands are present, but not
-functional. Future releases may correct these problems by fixing the broken cmdlets and adding new
-ones over time.
+For non-Windows platforms, PowerShell includes the following modules:
+
+- Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive
+- Microsoft.PowerShell.Core
+- Microsoft.PowerShell.Host
+- Microsoft.PowerShell.Management
+- Microsoft.PowerShell.Security
+- Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility
+- PackageManagement
+- PowerShellGet
+- PSReadLine
+- ThreadJob
+
+A large number of the commands (cmdlets) commonly available in PowerShell aren't available on Linux
+or macOS. Often, these commands don't apply to these platforms. For example, commands for
+Windows-specific features like the registry or services aren't available. Other commands, like
+`Set-ExecutionPolicy`, are present but not functional.
 
 For a comprehensive list of modules and cmdlets and the platforms they support, see
 [Release history of modules and cmdlets][05].
@@ -149,27 +161,31 @@ The following Windows-specific modules aren't included in PowerShell for Linux o
 
 ## Cmdlets not available on non-Windows platforms
 
-For non-Windows platforms, PowerShell includes the following modules:
-
-- Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive
-- Microsoft.PowerShell.Core
-- Microsoft.PowerShell.Host
-- Microsoft.PowerShell.Management
-- Microsoft.PowerShell.Security
-- Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility
-- PackageManagement
-- PowerShellGet
-- PSDesiredStateConfiguration
-- PSReadLine
-- ThreadJob
-
-However, some cmdlets have been removed from PowerShell, and others aren't available or may work
-differently on non-Windows platforms. For a comprehensive list of cmdlets removed from PowerShell,
-see [Cmdlets removed from PowerShell][06].
+Some cmdlets were removed from PowerShell. Others aren't available or might work differently on
+non-Windows platforms. For a comprehensive list of cmdlets removed from PowerShell, see
+[Cmdlets removed from PowerShell][06].
 
 ### Microsoft.PowerShell.Core
 
-The **ShowWindow** parameter of `Get-Help` isn't available for non-Windows platforms.
+The following cmdlets aren't available on Linux or macOS:
+
+- `Disable-PSRemoting`
+- `Enable-PSRemoting`
+- `Connect-PSSession`
+- `Disconnect-PSSession`
+- `Receive-PSSession`
+- `Get-PSSessionCapability`
+- `Disable-PSSessionConfiguration`
+- `Enable-PSSessionConfiguration`
+- `Get-PSSessionConfiguration`
+- `Register-PSSessionConfiguration`
+- `Set-PSSessionConfiguration`
+- `Unregister-PSSessionConfiguration`
+- `Test-PSSessionConfigurationFile`
+
+The **ShowWindow** parameter of `Get-Help` isn't available for non-Windows platforms. PowerShell 7.3
+added the `Switch-Process` cmdlet and the `exec` function for Linux and macOS. These commands aren't
+available on Windows.
 
 ### Microsoft.PowerShell.Security cmdlets
 
@@ -192,8 +208,20 @@ These cmdlets are only available beginning in PowerShell 7.1.
 
 The following cmdlets aren't available on Linux and macOS:
 
-- `Clear-RecycleBin`
+- `Rename-Computer`
+- `Get-ComputerInfo`
 - `Get-HotFix`
+- `Clear-RecycleBin`
+- `Get-Service`
+- `New-Service`
+- `Remove-Service`
+- `Restart-Service`
+- `Resume-Service`
+- `Set-Service`
+- `Start-Service`
+- `Stop-Service`
+- `Suspend-Service`
+- `Set-TimeZone`
 
 The following cmdlets are available with limitations:
 
@@ -208,59 +236,49 @@ The following cmdlets aren't available on Linux and macOS:
 
 - `Convert-String`
 - `ConvertFrom-String`
+- `ConvertFrom-SddlString`
 - `Out-GridView`
 - `Out-Printer`
 - `Show-Command`
 
 ## Aliases not available on Linux or macOS
 
 The following table lists the aliases available for Windows that aren't available on non-Windows
-platforms. These aliases aren't available because the target cmdlet isn't available or the alias
-conflicts with a native command on those platforms.
+platforms. These aliases aren't available because the alias conflicts with a native command on those
+platforms.
 
 |   Alias   |         Cmdlet         |
 | --------- | ---------------------- |
 | `ac`      | `Add-Content`          |
 | `cat`     | `Get-Content`          |
 | `clear`   | `Clear-Host`           |
-| `cnsn`    | `Connect-PSSession`    |
 | `compare` | `Compare-Object`       |
 | `cp`      | `Copy-Item`            |
 | `cpp`     | `Copy-ItemProperty`    |
 | `diff`    | `Compare-Object`       |
-| `dnsn`    | `Disconnect-PSSession` |
-| `gsv`     | `Get-Service`          |
 | `kill`    | `Stop-Process`         |
 | `ls`      | `Get-ChildItem`        |
 | `man`     | `help`                 |
 | `mount`   | `New-PSDrive`          |
 | `mv`      | `Move-Item`            |
-| `ogv`     | `Out-GridView`         |
 | `ps`      | `Get-Process`          |
 | `rm`      | `Remove-Item`          |
 | `rmdir`   | `Remove-Item`          |
-| `sasv`    | `Start-Service`        |
-| `shcm`    | `Show-Command`         |
 | `sleep`   | `Start-Sleep`          |
 | `sort`    | `Sort-Object`          |
-| `spsv`    | `Stop-Service`         |
 | `start`   | `Start-Process`        |
 | `tee`     | `Tee-Object`           |
 | `write`   | `Write-Output`         |
 
-## PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC)
-
-Many cmdlets were removed from the PSDesiredStateConfiguration module beginning in PowerShell 6.0.
-Support for DSC on non-Windows platforms is limited and mostly experimental. The
-`Invoke-DscResource` cmdlet was restored as an experimental feature in PowerShell 7.0.
+The table doesn't include aliases unavailable for cmdlets that don't exist on non-Windows platforms.
 
-DSC isn't supported on macOS.
-
-For more information about using DSC on Linux, see [Get started with DSC for Linux][03].
+## PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC)
 
-Beginning with PowerShell 7.2, the **PSDesiredStateConfiguration** module has been removed from
-PowerShell and is published to the PowerShell Gallery. For more information, see the
-[announcement][07] in the PowerShell Team blog.
+Beginning with PowerShell 7.2, the **PSDesiredStateConfiguration** module was removed from
+PowerShell and is published in the PowerShell Gallery. For more information, see the
+[announcement][07] on the PowerShell Team blog. For more information about using DSC on Linux, see
+[Get started with DSC for Linux][03]. DSC v1.1 and v2.x aren't supported on macOS. DSC v3 is
+supported on Windows, Linux, and macOS, but it's still in early development.
 
 <!-- link references -->
 [01]: /dotnet/core/compatibility/fx-core