Using PowerShell to Export Your .WSP Packages

During your upgrade from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint Server 2013, we will need to make sure that we have all of the appropriate versions of our deployed WSP files.  If you have ever been a guest (consultant) on another farm, and your client has not been able to maintain a valid history of deployments, you could really run into a big upgrade problem.  Luckily for us, Shane Young, with help from Todd Klindt, wrote up a nice blog post on how to export and import your farm solutions using PowerShell called Using PowerShell to export all solutions from your SharePoint 2010 farm and other fun

I am only really worried about the extract portion of the blog, and have modified the script a bit to fit how I run my scripts.

#Get Backup Path
$bkdir = read-host("Enter Folder Location") # Get Backup Path!

# Set Backup Path if you want to hard code your path
#$bkdir = "\\serverName\Shared\Temp" (optional "C:\Temp")

# Verify folder exists
if ((test-path $bkdir) -eq $false ) # Verify folder else create it...
  {
     [IO.Directory]::CreateDirectory($bkdir) 
  }

# Add Snapin
Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell -EA 0 

(Get-SPFarm).Solutions | ForEach-Object{$var = $bkdir + "\" + $_.Name; $_.SolutionFile.SaveAs($var)}

Thanks Shane for making life less stressful!

Deploy and Retract .wsp Files using STSADM or PowerShell

As recommended in previous posts on using STSADM; I suggest creating a .cmd file to run the scripts, and save the scripts in a folder.  I am also assuming that you have STSADM added to your variable path.  Don't forget to right click, and run as Administrator!

Deploy with STSADM:

stsadm -o addsolution -filename path\solutionName.wsp
stsadm -o deploysolution -name solutionName.wsp -immediate -allowgacdeployment -force -allcontenturls
stsadm -o execadmsvcjobs
pause
iisreset /noforce

Retract with STSADM:

stsadm -o retractsolution -name solutionName.wsp -immediate -allcontenturls
stsadm -o execadmsvcjobs
pause
stsadm -o deletesolution -name solutionName.wsp -override
pause
iisreset /noforce

Remember, to run the following commands you must have SPShellAdmin permissions (see Add-SPShellAdmin)

Add, Install, Enable, Update, Disable, Uninstall, and Remove Farm or User Solutions (SPUserSolution) with PowerShell:
1) Update lines 1-4 (and line 6 if working with sandboxed solutions).
2) Remove the pound(#) symbol of the command you want to run.

$fileLocation = "C:\Projects\Event Receiver\bin\Debug"
$wspFileName = "Event_Receiver.wsp"
$featureIdentity = "Event Receiver_Feature1"
$url = "http://pc2010.local/"
# Sandboxed Solution Upgrade Name
$toSolutionName = "Event_Receiver_v2.wsp"

Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell -EA 0
$literalPath = $fileLocation + "\" + $wspFileName
Write-Host("Using WSP from: " + $literalPath)

<#
    *****************************
    *       Farm Solutions      *
    *****************************
#>

# Add WSP Solution (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607552.aspx)
# Write-Host("Adding solution to Farm..."); Add-SPSolution -literalpath $literalPath

# Update Existing WSP Solution (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607724.aspx)
# Write-Host("Updating solution in Farm..."); Update-SPSolution -identity $wspFileName -literalpath $literalPath -gacdeployment

# Deploy WSP solution to the Farm (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607534.aspx)
# Write-Host("Deploying solution to the Farm..."); Install-SPSolution -identity $wspFileName -allwebapplications -gacdeployment -force

# Enable an installed feature at the given scope (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607803.aspx)
# If the feature is a farm feature, no URL is needed
# Write-Host("Enabling Feature..."); Enable-SPFeature -identity $featureIdentity -url $url

# Disable a feature at the given scope (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607879.aspx)
# If the feature is a farm feature, comment out -URL Parameter
# Write-Host("Disabling Feature..."); Disable-SPFeature -identity $featureIdentity -force -confirm:$false -url $url

# Retract WSP solution from the farm (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607873.aspx)
# Write-Host("Retracting Solution from Farm..."); Uninstall-SPSolution -identity $wspFileName -confirm:$false

# Delete WSP solution from the farm (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607748.aspx)
# Write-Host("Deleting solution from Farm..."); Remove-SPSolution -identity $wspFileName -force -confirm:$false

<#
    *****************************
    *       User Solutions      *
    *****************************
#>

# Add sandboxed solution to solution gallery (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607715.aspx)
# Write-Host("Adding user solution to solution gallery..."); Add-SPUserSolution -LiteralPath $literalPath -Site $url

# Activate the sandboxed solution in a site collection (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607653.aspx)
# Write-Host("Enabeling sandboxed solution..."); Install-SPUserSolution -identity $wspFileName -Site $url

# Upgrade EXISTING activated sandboxed solution (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607902.aspx)
# Write-Host("Updating sandboxed solution..."); Update-SPUserSolution -identity $wspFileName -Site $url -ToSolution $toSolutionName

# Deactivate a sandboxed solution from site collection (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607582.aspx)
# Write-Host("Retracting sandboxed solution..."); Uninstall-SPUserSolution -identity $wspFileName -Site $url -confirm:$false

# Delete a sandboxed solution from site collection (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff607709.aspx)
# Write-Host("Deleting sandboxed solution..."); Remove-SPUserSolution -identity $wspFileName -Site $url -confirm:$false

Update (11/2/2014)
Finally added the ability to Add, Enable, Update, Deactivate, and Remove Sandboxed Solutions (SPUserSolutions).
Added write-host output so that you know what you did...
Update (01/26/2015)
Added a closing parenthesis ")" for installing solution, and fixed some spelling errors