All posts by Adam

Get-Variable

February 26, 2014 Adam

SYNOPSIS
Gets the Variables in the current console.

SYNTAX
Get-Variable [[-Name] <string[]>] [-Exclude <string[]>] [-Include <string[]>] [-Scope <string>] [-ValueOnly] [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION
The Get-Variable cmdlet gets the Windows PowerShell Variables in the current console. You can retrieve just the values of the Variables by specifying the ValueOnly parameter, and you can filter the Variables returned by name.

PARAMETERS
-Exclude <string[]>
Omits the specified items. Wildcards are permitted.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-Include <string[]>
Specifies only the items upon which the cmdlet will act, excluding all others. Wildcards are permitted.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-Name <string[]>
Specifies the name of the Variable.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    1
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     true (ByValue, ByPropertyName)
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-Scope <string>
Gets only the Variables in the specified scope. Valid values are “Global”, “Local”, or “Script”, or a number relative to the current scope (0 through the number of scopes, where 0 is the current scope and 1 is its parent). “Local” is the default. For more information, see about_scopes.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-ValueOnly [<SwitchParameter>]
Gets only the value of the Variable.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

    <CommonParameters>
        This cmdlet supports the common parameters: Verbose, Debug,
        ErrorAction, ErrorVariable, WarningAction, WarningVariable,
        OutBuffer and OutVariable. For more information, type,
        “Get-Help about_CommonParameters“.

INPUTS
System.String
You can pipe a string that contains the Variable name to Get-Variable.

OUTPUTS
Variable object
Get-Variable returns a System.Management.Automation Variable object for each Variable that it gets. The object type depends on the Variable.

NOTES

This cmdlet does not manage Environment Variables. To manage Environment Variables, you can use the Environment Variable provider.

————————– EXAMPLE 1 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Variable m*

    Description
    ———–
    This command displays Variables with names that begin with the letter “m”. The value of the Variables is also displayed.

————————– EXAMPLE 2 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Variable m* -ValueOnly

    Description
    ———–
    This command displays only the values of the Variables with names that begin with the letter “m”.

————————– EXAMPLE 3 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Variable -Include M*,P* | Sort-Object name

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets information about the Variables that begin with either the letter “M” or the letter “P”. The results are piped to the Sort-Object cmdlet, sorted by name, and displayed.

————————– EXAMPLE 4 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Variable -Scope 0

C:\PS> Compare-Object (Get-Variable -Scope 0) (Get-Variable -Scope 1)

    Description
    ———–
    The first command gets only the Variables that are defined in the local scope. It is equivalent to “Get-Variable -Scope local” and can be abbreviated as “gv -s 0”.

The second command uses the Compare-Object cmdlet to find the Variables that are defined in the parent scope (Scope 1) but are visible only in the local scope (Scope 0).

RELATED LINKS
    Online version: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113336
    Set-Variable
    New-Variable
    Clear-Variable
    Remove-Variable

cmdlet, Get, Unique

Get-Unique

February 26, 2014 Adam

NAME
Get-Unique

SYNOPSIS
Returns the unique items from a sorted list.

SYNTAX
Get-Unique [-AsString] [-InputObject <psobject>] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-Unique [-OnType] [-InputObject <psobject>] [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION
The Get-Unique cmdlet compares each item in a sorted list to the next item, eliminates duplicates, and returns only one instance of each item. The list must be sorted for the cmdlet to work properly.

PARAMETERS
-AsString [<SwitchParameter>]
Treats the data as a string. Without this parameter, data is treated as an object, so when you submit a collection of objects of the same type to Get-Unique, such as a collection of files, it returns just one (the first). You can use this parameter to find the unique values of object properties, such as the file names.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-InputObject <psobject>
Accepts input for Get-Unique. Enter a Variable that contains the objects or type a command or expression that gets the objects.

Get-Unique treats the input submitted by using InputObject as a collection; it does not enumerate individual items in the collection. Because the collection is a single item, input submitted by using InputObject is always returned unchanged.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     true (ByValue)
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-OnType [<SwitchParameter>]
Returns only one object of each type.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

INPUTS
System.Management.Automation.PSObject
You can pipe any type of object to Get-Unique.

OUTPUTS
System.Management.Automation.PSObject
The type of object that Get-Unique returns is determined by the input.

NOTES

You can also refer to Get-Unique by its built-in Alias, “gu”. For more information, see about_aliases.

To sort a list, use Sort-Object. You can also use the Unique parameter of Sort-Object to find the unique items in a list.

————————– EXAMPLE 1 ————————–

C:\PS>$a = $(foreach ($line in Get-Content C:\Test1\File1.txt) {$line.tolower().split(” “)}) | sort | Get-Unique

C:\PS> $a.count

    Description
    ———–
    These commands find the number of unique words in a text file.

The first command gets the content of the File.txt file. It converts each line of text to lowercase letters and then splits each word onto a separate line at the space (” “). Then, it sorts the resulting list alphabetically (the default) and uses the Get-Unique cmdlet to eliminate any duplicate words. The results are stored in the $a Variable.

The second command uses the Count property of the collection of strings in $a to determine how many items are in $a.

————————– EXAMPLE 2 ————————–

C:\PS>1,1,1,1,12,23,4,5,4643,5,3,3,3,3,3,3,3 | Sort-Object | Get-Unique

    Description
    ———–
    This command finds the unique members of the set of integers. The first command takes an array of integers typed at the command line, pipes them to the Sort-Object cmdlet to be sorted, and then pipes them to Get-Unique, which eliminates duplicate entries.

————————– EXAMPLE 3 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-ChildItem | Sort-Object {$_.GetType()} | unique -OnType

    Description
    ———–
    This command uses the Get-ChildItem cmdlet to retrieve the contents of the local directory, which includes files and directories. The pipeline operator (|) sends the results to the Sort-Object cmdlet. The “$_.GetType()” statement applies the GetType method to each file or directory. Then, Sort-Object sorts the items by type. Another pipeline operator sends the results to Get-Unique. The OnType parameter directs Get-Unique to return only one object of each type.

————————– EXAMPLE 4 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Process | Sort-Object | select processname | Get-Unique -AsString

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets the names of processes running on the computer with duplicates eliminated.

The Get-Process command gets all of the processes on the computer. The pipeline operator (|) passes the result to Sort-Object, which, by default, sorts the processes alphabetically by ProcessName. The results are piped to the Select-Object cmdlet, which selects only the values of the ProcessName property of each object. The results are then piped to Get-Unique to eliminate duplicates.

The AsString parameter tells Get-Unique to treat the ProcessName values as strings. Without this parameter, Get-Unique treats the ProcessName values as objects and returns only one instance of the object, that is, the first process name in the list.

RELATED LINKS
    Online version: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113335
    Select-Object
    Sort-Object

cmdlet, Get, UICulture

Get-UICulture

February 26, 2014 Adam

NAME
Get-UICulture

SYNOPSIS
Gets the current user interface (UI) culture settings in the operating system.

SYNTAX
Get-UICulture [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION
The Get-UICulture cmdlet gets information about the current UI culture settings for Windows. The UI culture determines which text strings are used for user interface elements, such as menus and messages.

You can also use the Get-Culture cmdlet, which gets the current culture on the system. The culture determines the display format of items such as numbers, currency, and dates.

PARAMETERS
    <CommonParameters>
        This cmdlet supports the common parameters: Verbose, Debug,
        ErrorAction, ErrorVariable, WarningAction, WarningVariable,
        OutBuffer and OutVariable. For more information, type,
        “Get-Help about_CommonParameters“.

INPUTS
None
You cannot pipe input to this cmdlet.

OUTPUTS
System.Globalization.CultureInfo
Get-UICulture returns an object that represents the current UI culture.

NOTES

You can also use the $PsCulture and $PsUICulture Variables. The $PsCulture Variable stores the name of the current culture, and the $PsUICulture Variable stores the name of the current UI culture.

————————– EXAMPLE 1 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-UICulture

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets the current UI culture information.

————————– EXAMPLE 2 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-UICulture | Format-List *

    Description
    ———–
    This command displays the values of all of the properties of the current UI culture in a list.

————————– EXAMPLE 3 ————————–

C:\PS>(Get-UICulture).calendar

    Description
    ———–
    This command displays the current values for the Calendar property of the current UI culture. Calendar is just one property of UI culture. To see all of the properties, type “Get-UICulture | Get-Member“.

————————– EXAMPLE 4 ————————–

C:\PS>(Get-UICulture).datetimeformat.shortdatepattern

    Description
    ———–
    This command displays the short date pattern for the current UI culture. To see all of the subproperties of the DateTimeFormat property of the UI culture, type “(Get-UICulture).datetimeformat | gm”.

RELATED LINKS
Online version: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113334

cmdlet, Get, Transaction

Get-Transaction

February 26, 2014 Adam

NAME
Get-Transaction

SYNOPSIS
Gets the current (active) transaction.

SYNTAX
Get-Transaction [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION
The Get-Transaction cmdlet gets an object that represents the current transaction in the session.

This cmdlet never returns more than one object, because only one transaction is active at a time. If you start one or more independent transactions (by using the Independent parameter of Start-Transaction), the most recently started transaction is active, and that is the transaction that Get-Transaction returns.

When all active transactions have either been rolled back or committed, Get-Transaction shows the transaction that was most recently active in the session.

The Get-Transaction cmdlet is one of a set of cmdlets that support the transactions feature in Windows PowerShell. For more information, see about_transactions.

INPUTS
None
You cannot pipe objects to this cmdlet.

OUTPUTS
System.Management.Automation.PSTransaction
Get-Transaction returns an object that represents the current transaction.

NOTES

————————– EXAMPLE 1 ————————–

C:\PS>Start-Transaction

C:\PS> Get-Transaction

    RollbackPreference SubscriberCount Status
    —————— ————— ——
    Error                1                 Active

    Description
    ———–
    This command uses the Get-Transaction cmdlet to get the current transaction.

————————– EXAMPLE 2 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Transaction | Get-Member

    Name             MemberType Definition
    —-             ———- ———-
    Dispose            Method     System.Void Dispose(), System.Void Dispose(Boolean disposing)
    Equals             Method     System.Boolean Equals(Object obj)
    GetHashCode        Method     System.Int32 GetHashCode()
    GetType            Method     System.Type GetType()
    ToString         Method     System.String ToString()
    IsCommitted        Property System.Boolean IsCommitted {get;}
    IsRolledBack     Property System.Boolean IsRolledBack {get;}
    RollbackPreference Property System.Management.Automation.RollbackSeverity RollbackPreference {get;}
    SubscriberCount    Property System.Int32 SubscriberCount {get;set;}

    Description
    ———–
    This command uses the Get-Member cmdlet to show the properties and methods of the transaction object.

————————– EXAMPLE 3 ————————–

    C:\PS>cd hklm:\software
    HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Start-Transaction
    HKLM:\SOFTWARE> New-Item MyCompany -UseTransaction
    HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Undo-Transaction
    HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Get-Transaction

    RollbackPreference SubscriberCount Status
    —————— ————— ———-
    Error                0                 RolledBack

    Description
    ———–
    This command shows the property values of a transaction object for a transaction that has been rolled back.

————————– EXAMPLE 4 ————————–

    C:\PS>cd hklm:\software
    HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Start-Transaction
    HKLM:\SOFTWARE> New-Item MyCompany -UseTransaction
    HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Complete-Transaction
    HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Get-Transaction

    RollbackPreference SubscriberCount Status
    —————— ————— ———
    Error                1                 Committed

    Description
    ———–
    This command shows the property values of a transaction object for a transaction that has been committed.

————————– EXAMPLE 5 ————————–

    C:\PS>cd hklm:\software
    HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Start-Transaction
    HKLM:\SOFTWARE> New-Item MyCompany -UseTransaction

HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Start-Transaction
HKLM:\SOFTWARE> New-Item MyCompany2 -UseTransaction

HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Get-Transaction

    RollbackPreference SubscriberCount Status
    —————— ————— ——
    Error                2                 Active

HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Complete-Transaction
HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Get-Transaction

    RollbackPreference SubscriberCount Status
    —————— ————— ——
    Error                1                 Active

HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Complete-Transaction
HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Get-Transaction

    RollbackPreference SubscriberCount Status
    —————— ————— ———
    Error                1                 Committed

    Description
    ———–
    This example shows the effect on the transaction object of starting a transaction while another transaction is in progress. Typically, this happens when a script that runs a transaction includes a Function or calls a script that contains another complete transaction.

Unless the second Start-Transaction command includes the Independent parameter, Start-Transaction does not create a new transaction. Instead, it adds a second subscriber to the original transaction.

The first Start-Transaction command starts the transaction. A New-Item command with the UseTransaction parameter is part of the transaction.

A second Start-Transaction command adds a subscriber to the transaction. The next New-Item command is also part of the transaction.

The first Get-Transaction command shows the multi-subscriber transaction. Notice that the subscriber count is 2.

The first Complete-Transaction command does not commit the transaction, but it reduces the subscriber count to 1.

The second Complete-Transaction command commits the transaction.

————————– EXAMPLE 6 ————————–

C:\PS>HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Start-Transaction

HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Get-Transaction

    RollbackPreference SubscriberCount IsRolledBack IsCommitted
    —————— ————— ———— ———–
    Error                1                 False         False

HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Start-Transaction -Independent
HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Get-Transaction

    RollbackPreference SubscriberCount IsRolledBack IsCommitted
    —————— ————— ———— ———–
    Error                1                 False         False

HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Complete-Transaction
HKLM:\SOFTWARE> Get-Transaction

    Description
    ———–
    This example shows the effect on the transaction object of starting an independent transaction while another transaction is in progress.

The first Start-Transaction command starts the transaction. A New-Item command with the UseTransaction parameter is part of the transaction.

A second Start-Transaction command adds a subscriber to the transaction. The next New-Item command is also part of the transaction.

The first Get-Transaction command shows the multi-subscriber transaction. Note that the subscriber count is 2.

The Complete-Transaction command reduces the subscriber count to 1, but it does not commit the transaction.

The second Complete-Transaction command commits the transaction.

RELATED LINKS
    Online version: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=135220
    about_transactions
    about_providers
    Start-Transaction
    Complete-Transaction
    Undo-Transaction
    Use-Transaction

cmdlet, Get, TraceSource

Get-TraceSource

February 26, 2014 Adam

NAME
Get-TraceSource

SYNOPSIS
Gets the Windows PowerShell components that are instrumented for tracing.

SYNTAX
Get-TraceSource [[-Name] <string[]>] [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION
The Get-TraceSource cmdlet gets the trace sources for Windows PowerShell components that are currently in use. You can use the data to determine which Windows PowerShell components you can trace. When tracing, the component generates detailed messages about each step in its internal processing. Developers use the trace data to monitor data flow, program execution, and errors. The tracing cmdlets were designed for Windows PowerShell developers, but they are available to all users.

PARAMETERS
-Name <string[]>
Gets only the specified trace sources. Wildcards are permitted. The parameter name (“Name”) is optional.

INPUTS
System.String
You can pipe a string that contains the name of a trace source to Get-TraceSource.

OUTPUTS
System.Management.Automation.PSTraceSource
Get-TraceSource returns objects that represent the trace sources.

NOTES

————————– EXAMPLE 1 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-TraceSource *provider*

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets all of the trace sources that have names that include “provider”.

————————– EXAMPLE 2 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-TraceSource

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets all of the Windows PowerShell components that can be traced.

RELATED LINKS
    Online version: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113333
    Set-TraceSource
    Trace-Command

cmdlet, Get, Service

Get-Service

February 26, 2014 Adam

NAME
Get-Service

SYNOPSIS
Gets the services on a local or remote computer.

SYNTAX
Get-Service [[-Name] <string[]>] [-ComputerName <string[]>] [-DependentServices] [-Exclude <string[]>] [-Include <string[]>] [-RequiredServices] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-Service -DisplayName <string[]> [-ComputerName <string[]>] [-DependentServices] [-Exclude <string[]>] [-Include <string[]>] [-RequiredServices] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-Service [-InputObject <ServiceController[]>] [-ComputerName <string[]>] [-DependentServices] [-Exclude <string[]>] [-Include <string[]>] [-RequiredServices] [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION
The Get-Service cmdlet gets objects that represent the services on a local computer or on a remote computer, including running and stopped services.

You can direct Get-Service to get only particular services by specifying the service name or display name of the services, or you can pipe service objects to Get-Service.

PARAMETERS
-ComputerName <string[]>
Gets the services running on the specified computers. The default is the local computer.

Type the NetBIOS name, an IP address, or a fully qualified domain name of a remote computer. To specify the local computer, type the computer name, a dot (.), or “localhost”.

This parameter does not rely on Windows PowerShell remoting. You can use the ComputerName parameter of Get-Service even if your computer is not configured to run remote commands.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value                Localhost
        Accept pipeline input?     true (ByPropertyName)
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-DependentServices [<SwitchParameter>]
Gets only the services that depend upon the specified service.

By default, Get-Service gets all services.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value                False
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-DisplayName <string[]>
Specifies the display names of services to be retrieved. Wildcards are permitted. By default, Get-Service gets all services on the computer.

        Required?                    true
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-Exclude <string[]>
Omits the specified services. The value of this parameter qualifies the Name parameter. Enter a name element or pattern, such as “s*”. Wildcards are permitted.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-Include <string[]>
Retrieves only the specified services. The value of this parameter qualifies the Name parameter. Enter a name element or pattern, such as “s*”. Wildcards are permitted.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-InputObject <ServiceController[]>
Specifies ServiceController objects representing the services to be retrieved. Enter a Variable that contains the objects, or type a command or expression that gets the objects. You can also pipe a service object to Get-Service.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     true (ByValue)
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-Name <string[]>
Specifies the service names of services to be retrieved. Wildcards are permitted. By default, Get-Service gets all of the services on the computer.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    1
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     true (ByValue, ByPropertyName)
        Accept wildcard characters? true

-RequiredServices [<SwitchParameter>]
Gets only the services that this service requires.

This parameter gets the value of the ServicesDependedOn property of the service. By default, Get-Service gets all services.

INPUTS
System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController, System.String
You can pipe a service object or a service name to Get-Service.

OUTPUTS
System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController
Get-Service returns objects that represent the services on the computer.

NOTES

You can also refer to Get-Service by its built-in Alias, “gsv”. For more information, see about_aliases.

Get-Service can display services only when the current user has permission to see them. If Get-Service does not display services, you might not have permission to see them.

To find the service name and display name of each service on your system, type “Get-Service“. The service names appear in the Name column, and the display names appear in the DisplayName column.

When you sort in ascending order by status value, “Stopped” services appear before “Running” services. The Status property of a service is an enumerated value in which the names of the statuses represent integer values. The sort is based on the integer value, not the name. “Running” appears before “Stopped” because “Stopped” has a value of “1”, and “Running” has a value of “4”.

————————– EXAMPLE 1 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Service

    Description
    ———–
    This command retrieves all of the services on the system. It behaves as though you typed “Get-Service *”. The default display shows the status, service name, and display name of each service.

————————– EXAMPLE 2 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Service wmi*

    Description
    ———–
    This command retrieves services with service names that begin with “WMI” (the acronym for Windows Management Instrumentation).

————————– EXAMPLE 3 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Service -displayname *network*

    Description
    ———–
    This command displays services with a display name that includes the word
    “network”. Searching the display name finds network-related services even when the service name does not include “Net”, such as xmlprov, the Network Provisioning Service.

————————– EXAMPLE 4 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Service -Name win* -Exclude winrm

    Description
    ———–
    These commands get only the services with service names that begin with “win”, except for the WinRM service.

————————– EXAMPLE 5 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq “Running”}

    Description
    ———–
    This command displays only the services that are currently running. It uses the Get-Service cmdlet to get all of the services on the computer. The pipeline operator (|) passes the results to the Where-Object cmdlet, which selects only the services with a Status property that equals “Running”.

Status is only one property of service objects. To see all of the properties, type “Get-Service | Get-Member“.

————————– EXAMPLE 6 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Service -ComputerName Server02

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets the services on the Server02 remote computer.

Because the ComputerName parameter of Get-Service does not use Windows PowerShell remoting, you can use this parameter even if the computer is not configured for remoting in Windows PowerShell.

————————– EXAMPLE 7 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.DependentServices} | Format-List -property Name, DependentServices, @{Label=”NoOfDependentS
ervices”; Expression={$_.dependentservices.count}}

    Name                 : AudioEndpointBuilder
    DependentServices     : {AudioSrv}
    NoOfDependentServices : 1

    Name                 : Dhcp
    DependentServices     : {WinHttpAutoProxySvc}
    NoOfDependentServices : 1
    …

    Description
    ———–
    These commands list the services on the computer that have dependent services.

The first command uses the Get-Service cmdlet to get the services on the computer. A pipeline operator (|) sends the services to the Where-Object cmdlet, which selects the services whose DependentServices property is not null.

Another pipeline operator sends the results to the Format-List cmdlet. The command uses its Property parameter to display the name of the service, the name of the dependent services, and a calculated property that displays the number of dependent services that each service has.

————————– EXAMPLE 8 ————————–

C:\PS>C:\PS> Get-Service s* | Sort-Object status

    Status Name             DisplayName
    —— —-             ———–
    Stopped stisvc             Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
    Stopped SwPrv             MS Software Shadow Copy Provider
    Stopped SysmonLog         Performance Logs and Alerts
    Running Spooler            Print Spooler
    Running srservice         System Restore Service
    Running SSDPSRV            SSDP Discovery Service
    Running ShellHWDetection Shell Hardware Detection
    Running Schedule         Task Scheduler
    Running SCardSvr         Smart Card
    Running SamSs             Security Accounts Manager
    Running SharedAccess     Windows Firewall/Internet Connectio…
    Running SENS             System Event Notification
    Running seclogon         Secondary Logon

C:\PS> Get-Service s* | Sort-Object status -descending

    Status Name             DisplayName
    —— —-             ———–
    Running ShellHWDetection Shell Hardware Detection
    Running SharedAccess     Windows Firewall/Internet Connectio…
    Running Spooler            Print Spooler
    Running SSDPSRV            SSDP Discovery Service
    Running srservice         System Restore Service
    Running SCardSvr         Smart Card
    Running SamSs             Security Accounts Manager
    Running Schedule         Task Scheduler
    Running SENS             System Event Notification
    Running seclogon         Secondary Logon
    Stopped SysmonLog         Performance Logs and Alerts
    Stopped SwPrv             MS Software Shadow Copy Provider
    Stopped stisvc             Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)

    Description
    ———–
    This command shows that when you sort services in ascending order by the value of their Status property, stopped services appear before running services. This happens because the value of Status is an enumeration, in which “Stopped” has a value of “1”, and “Running” has a value of 4.

To list running services first, use the Descending parameter of the Sort-Object cmdlet.

————————– EXAMPLE 9 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Service -Name winrm -ComputerName localhost, Server01, Server02 | Format-Table -property MachineName, Status, Name, DisplayName -auto

    MachineName    Status Name DisplayName
    ———— —— —- ———–
    localhost     Running WinRM Windows Remote Management (WS-Management)
    Server01     Running WinRM Windows Remote Management (WS-Management)
    Server02     Running WinRM Windows Remote Management (WS-Management)

    Description
    ———–
    This command uses the Get-Service cmdlet to run a “Get-Service Winrm” command on two remote computers and the local computer (“localhost”).

The Get-Service command runs on the remote computers, and the results are returned to the local computer. A pipeline operator (|) sends the results to the Format-Table cmdlet, which formats the services as a table. The Format-Table command uses the Property parameter to specify the properties displayed in the table, including the MachineName property.

————————– EXAMPLE 10 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Service winrm -RequiredServices

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets the services that the WinRM service requires.

The command returns the value of the ServicesDependedOn property of the service.

————————– EXAMPLE 11 ————————–

C:\PS>”winrm” | Get-Service

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets the WinRM service on the local computer. This example shows that you can pipe a service name string (enclosed in quotation marks) to Get-Service.

RELATED LINKS
    Online version: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113332
    Start-Service
    Stop-Service
    Restart-Service
    Resume-Service
    Suspend-Service
    Set-Service
    New-Service

cmdlet, Get, Random

Get-Random

February 26, 2014 Adam

NAME
Get-Random

SYNOPSIS
Gets a random number, or selects objects randomly from a collection.

SYNTAX
Get-Random [-InputObject] <Object[]> [-Count <int>] [-SetSeed <int>] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-Random [[-Maximum] <Object>] [-Minimum <Object>] [-SetSeed <int>] [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION
The Get-Random cmdlet gets a randomly selected number. If you submit a collection of objects to Get-Random, it gets one or more randomly selected objects from the collection.

Without parameters or input, a Get-Random command returns a randomly selected 32-bit unsigned integer between 0 (zero) and Int32.MaxValue (0x7FFFFFFF, 2,147,483,647).

You can use the parameters of Get-Random to specify a seed number, minimum and maximum values, and the number of objects returned from a submitted collection.

PARAMETERS
-Count <int>
Determines how many objects are returned. The default is 1. If the value of Count exceeds the number of objects in the collection, Get-Random returns all of the objects in random order.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value                1
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-InputObject <Object[]>
Specifies a collection of objects. Get-Random gets randomly selected objects in random order from the collection. Enter the objects, a Variable that contains the objects, or a command or expression that gets the objects. You can also pipe a collection of objects to Get-Random.

        Required?                    true
        Position?                    1
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     true (ByValue)
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-Maximum <Object>
Specifies a maximum value for the random number. Get-Random returns a value that is less than the maximum (not equal). Enter a 32-bit integer or a double-precision floating-point number, or an object that can be converted to an integer or double, such as a numeric string (“100”). The value of Maximum must be greater than (not equal to) the value of Minimum.

If the value of Maximum or Minimum is a floating-point number, Get-Random returns a randomly selected floating-point number.

If the value of Minimum is a double (a floating-point number), the default value of Maximum is Double.MaxValue. Otherwise, the default value is Int32.MaxValue (2,147,483,647 or 0x7FFFFFFF).

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    1
        Default value                Int32.MaxValue
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-Minimum <Object>
Specifies a minimum value for the random number. Enter a 32-bit integer or a double-precision floating-point number, or an object that can be converted to an integer or double, such as a numeric string (“100”). The default value is 0 (zero).

The value of Minimum must be less than (not equal to) the value of Maximum. If the value of Maximum or Minimum is a floating-point number, Get-Random returns a randomly selected floating-point number.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value                0
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-SetSeed <int>
Specifies a seed value for the random number generator. This seed value is used for the current command and for all subsequent Get-Random commands in the current session until you use SetSeed again or close the session. You cannot reset the seed to its default, clock-based value.

The SetSeed parameter is not required. By default, Get-Random uses the system clock to generate a seed value. Because SetSeed results in non-random behavior, it is typically used only when trying to reproduce behavior, such as when debugging or analyzing a script that includes Get-Random commands.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value                System clock
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

INPUTS
System.Object
You can pipe one or more objects to Get-Random. Get-Random selects values randomly from the piped objects.

OUTPUTS
System.Object
Get-Random returns an integer or floating-point number, or an object selected randomly from a submitted collection.

NOTES

Get-Random sets a default seed for each session based on the system time clock when the session starts.

————————– EXAMPLE 1 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Random

3951433

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets a random integer between 0 (zero) and Int32.MaxValue.

————————– EXAMPLE 2 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Random -Maximum 100

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets a random integer between 0 (zero) and 99.

————————– EXAMPLE 3 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Random -Minimum -100 -Maximum 100

-56

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets a random integer between -100 and 99.

————————– EXAMPLE 4 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Random -min 10.7 -max 20.93

18.08467273887

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets a random floating-point number greater than or equal to 10.7 and less than 20.92.

————————– EXAMPLE 5 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Random -input 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets a randomly selected number from the specified array.

————————– EXAMPLE 6 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Random -input 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 -count 3

    3
    1
    13

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets three randomly selected numbers in random order from the array.

————————– EXAMPLE 7 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Random -input 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 -count ([int]::MaxValue)

    2
    3
    5
    1
    8
    13

    Description
    ———–
    This command returns the entire collection in random order. The value of the Count parameter is the MaxValue static property of integers.

To return an entire collection in random order, enter any number that is greater than or equal to the number of objects in the collection.

————————– EXAMPLE 8 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Random -input “red”, “yellow”, “blue”

yellow

    Description
    ———–
    This command returns a random value from a non-numeric collection.

————————– EXAMPLE 9 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Process | Get-Random

    Handles NPM(K)    PM(K)     WS(K) VM(M) CPU(s)     Id ProcessName
    ——- ——    —–     —– —– ——     — ———–
        144     4     2080        488    36     0.48 3164 wmiprvse

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets a randomly selected process from the collection of processes on the computer.

————————– EXAMPLE 10 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Content servers.txt | Get-Random -count (Get-Content servers.txt).count | foreach {Invoke-Expression -computer $_ -command ‘Get-Process powershell’}

    Description
    ———–
    This command runs a command on a series of remote computers in random order.

————————– EXAMPLE 11 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Random -max 100 -SetSeed 23

    # Commands with the default seed are pseudorandom
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100
    59
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100
    65
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100
    21

    # Commands with the same seed are not random
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100 -SetSeed 23
    74
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100 -SetSeed 23
    74
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100 -SetSeed 23
    74

    # SetSeed results in a repeatable series
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100 -SetSeed 23
    74
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100
    56
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100
    84
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100
    46
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100 -SetSeed 23
    74
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100
    56
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100
    84
    PS C:\ps-test> Get-Random -max 100
    46

    Description
    ———–
    This example shows the effect of using the SetSeed parameter. Because SetSeed produces non-random behavior, it is typically used only to reproduce results, such as when debugging or analyzing a script.

————————– EXAMPLE 12 ————————–

C:\PS>$files = dir -path c:\* -recurse

C:\PS> $sample = $files | Get-Random -count 50

    Description
    ———–
    These commands get a randomly selected sample of 50 files from the C: drive of the local computer.

————————– EXAMPLE 13 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-Random 10001

7600

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets a random integer less than 10001. Because the Maximum parameter has position 1, you can omit the parameter name when the value is the first or only unnamed parameter in the command.

RELATED LINKS
Online version: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113446

cmdlet, Get, PSSnapin

Get-PSSnapin

February 26, 2014 Adam

NAME
Get-PSSnapin

SYNOPSIS
Gets the Windows PowerShell snap-ins on the computer.

SYNTAX
Get-PSSnapin [[-Name] <string[]>] [-Registered] [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION
The Get-PSSnapin cmdlet gets the Windows PowerShell snap-ins that have been added to the current session or that have been registered on the system. The snap-ins are listed in the order in which they are detected.

Get-PSSnapin gets only registered snap-ins. To register a Windows PowerShell snap-in, use the InstallUtil tool included with the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. For more information, see “How to Register Cmdlets, Providers, and Host Applications” in the MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) library at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=143619.

PARAMETERS
-Name <string[]>
Gets only the specified Windows PowerShell snap-ins. Enter the names of one or more Windows PowerShell snap-ins. Wildcards are permitted.

The parameter name (“Name”) is optional.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    1
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-Registered [<SwitchParameter>]
Gets the Windows PowerShell snap-ins that have been registered on the system (even if they have not yet been added to the session).

The snap-ins that are installed with Windows PowerShell do not appear in this list.

Without this parameter, Get-PSSnapin gets the Windows PowerShell snap-ins that have been added to the session.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? false

INPUTS
None
You cannot pipe input to Get-PSSnapin.

OUTPUTS
System.Management.Automation.PSSnapInInfo
Get-PSSnapin returns an object for each snap-in that it gets.

NOTES

You can refer to Get-PSSnapin by its built-in Alias, “psnp”. For more information, see about_aliases.

————————– EXAMPLE 1 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-PSSnapin

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets the Windows PowerShell snap-ins that are currently loaded in the session. This includes the snap-ins that are installed with Windows PowerShell and those that have been added to the session.

————————– EXAMPLE 2 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-PSSnapin -Registered

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets the Windows PowerShell snap-ins that have been registered on the computer, including those that have already been added to the session. The output does not include snap-ins that are installed with Windows PowerShell or Windows PowerShell snap-in dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) that have not yet been registered on the system.

————————– EXAMPLE 3 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-PSSnapin smp*

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets the Windows PowerShell snap-ins in the current session that have names that begin with “smp”.

RELATED LINKS
    Online version: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113330
    Add-PSSnapin
    Remove-PSSnapin

cmdlet, Get, PSSessionConfiguration

Get-PSSessionConfiguration

February 26, 2014 Adam

NAME
Get-PSSessionConfiguration

SYNOPSIS
Gets the registered session configurations on the computer.

SYNTAX
Get-PSSessionConfiguration [[-Name] <string[]>] [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION
The Get-PSSessionConfiguration cmdlet gets the session configurations that have been registered on the local computer. This is an advanced cmdlet that is designed to be used by system administrators to manage customized session configurations for their users.

To create and register a session configuration, use the Register-PSSessionConfiguration cmdlet.

PARAMETERS
-Name <string[]>
Gets only the session configurations with the specified name or name pattern. Enter one or more session configuration names. Wildcards are permitted.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    1
        Default value                All session configurations on the local computer
        Accept pipeline input?     false
        Accept wildcard characters? true

INPUTS
None
You cannot pipe input to this cmdlet.

OUTPUTS
Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.PSSessionConfigurationCommands#PSSessionConfiguration

NOTES

To run this cmdlet on Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and later versions of Windows, you must open Windows PowerShell with the “Run as administrator” option.

To view the session configurations on the computer, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the computer.

To run a Get-PSSessionConfiguration command on a remote computer, Credential Security Service Provider (CredSSP) authentication must be enabled in the client settings on the local computer (by using the Enable-WSManCredSSP cmdlet) and in the service settings on the remote computer, and you must use the CredSSP value of the Authentication parameter when establishing the remote session. Otherwise, access is denied.

————————– EXAMPLE 1 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-PSSessionConfiguration

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets the session configurations on the computer.

————————– EXAMPLE 2 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-PSSessionConfiguration -Name Microsoft*

    Name                     PSVersion StartupScript        Permission
    —-                     ——— ————-        ———-
    microsoft.powershell     2.0                             BUILTIN\Administrators AccessAll…
    microsoft.powershell32    2.0                             BUILTIN\Administrators AccessAll…

    Description
    ———–
    This command uses the Name parameter of Get-PSSessionConfiguration to get only the session configurations with names that begin with “Microsoft”.

This command gets the two default session configurations that come with Windows PowerShell.

————————– EXAMPLE 3 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-PSSessionConfiguration -Name microsoft.powershell | Get-Member

TypeName: Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.PSSessionConfigurationCommands#PSSessionConfiguration

    Name                 MemberType     Definition
    —-                 ———-     ———-
    Equals                 Method         bool Equals(System.Object obj)
    GetHashCode            Method         int GetHashCode()
    GetType                Method         type GetType()
    ToString             Method         string ToString()
    Capability             NoteProperty System.Object[] Capability=System.Object[]
    ExactMatch             NoteProperty System.String ExactMatch=False
    Filename             NoteProperty System.String Filename=%windir%\system32\pwrshplugin.dll
    lang                 NoteProperty System.String lang=en-US
    Name                 NoteProperty System.String Name=microsoft.powershell
    PSVersion             NoteProperty System.String PSVersion=2.0
    ResourceUri            NoteProperty System.String ResourceUri=http://schemas.microsoft.com/powershell/microsoft.powershell
    SDKVersion             NoteProperty System.String SDKVersion=1
    SecurityDescriptorSddl NoteProperty System.String SecurityDescriptorSddl=O:NSG:BAD:P(A;;GA;;;BA)S:P(AU;FA;GA;;;WD)(AU;SA;GXGW;;;WD)
    SupportsOptions        NoteProperty System.String SupportsOptions=true
    Uri                    NoteProperty System.String Uri=http://schemas.microsoft.com/powershell/microsoft.powershell
    xmlns                 NoteProperty System.String xmlns=http://schemas.microsoft.com/wbem/wsman/1/config/PluginConfiguration
    XmlRenderingType     NoteProperty System.String XmlRenderingType=text
    Permission             ScriptProperty System.Object Permission {get=trap { continue; }…

C:\PS> Get-PSSessionConfiguration -Name microsoft.powershell | Format-List -property *

    Name                 : microsoft.powershell
    Filename             : %windir%\system32\pwrshplugin.dll
    SDKVersion             : 1
    XmlRenderingType     : text
    lang                 : en-US
    PSVersion             : 2.0
    ResourceUri            : http://schemas.microsoft.com/powershell/microsoft.powershell
    SupportsOptions        : true
    Capability             : {Shell}
    Uri                    : http://schemas.microsoft.com/powershell/microsoft.powershell
    SecurityDescriptorSddl : O:NSG:BAD:P(A;;GA;;;BA)S:P(AU;FA;GA;;;WD)(AU;SA;GXGW;;;WD)
    ExactMatch             : False
    xmlns                 : http://schemas.microsoft.com/wbem/wsman/1/config/PluginConfiguration
    Permission             : BUILTIN\Administrators AccessAllowed

    Description
    ———–
    These commands examine the PSSessionConfiguration object that Get-PSSessionConfiguration returns.

The first command uses the Get-PSSessionConfiguration cmdlet to get the Microsoft.PowerShell default configuration.

The second command uses a pipeline operator (|) to send the object that Get-PSSessionConfiguration returns to the Get-Member cmdlet. The output shows the properties and methods of the object.

The third command sends the same object to the Format-List cmdlet. The Property parameter with a value of * (all) directs Format-List to display all of the properties and property values of the object in a list.

The output of this command has very useful information, including the location of the .dll that implements the configuration type, the resource Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for the endpoint that is created, and the Security Descriptor Definition Language (SDDL) for the configuration.

————————– EXAMPLE 4 ————————–

C:\PS>dir WSMan:\localhost\plugin

WSManConfig: Microsoft.WSMan.Management\WSMan::localhost\Plugin

    Name                     Type                 Keys
    —-                     —-                 —-
    Event Forwarding Plugin Container            {Name=Event Forwarding Plugin}
    MaintenanceShell         Container            {Name=MaintenanceShell}
    microsoft.powershell     Container            {Name=microsoft.powershell}
    microsoft.powershell32    Container            {Name=microsoft.powershell32}
    WMI Provider             Container            {Name=WMI Provider}

    Description
    ———–
    This command uses the Get-ChildItem cmdlet (alias = dir) in the WSMan: provider drive to look at the content of the Plugin node.

This is another way to look at the session configurations on the computer.

The PlugIn node contains ContainerElement objects (Microsoft.WSMan.Management.WSManConfigContainerElement) that represent the registered Windows PowerShell session configurations, along with other plug-ins for WS-Management.

————————– EXAMPLE 5 ————————–

C:\PS>Enable-WSManCredSSP -delegate server02

C:\PS> Connect-WSMan server02

C:\PS> Set-Item WSMan:\server02*\service\auth\credSSP -value $true

C:\PS> Invoke-Command -scriptblock {Get-PSSessionConfiguration} -computername Server02 -authentication CredSSP -credential Domain01\Admin01

    Name                     PSVersion StartupScript        Permission                         PSComputerName
    —-                     ——— ————-        ———-                         ————–
    microsoft.powershell     2.0                             BUILTIN\Administrators AccessAll… server02.corp.fabrikam.com
    microsoft.powershell32    2.0                             BUILTIN\Administrators AccessAll… server02.corp.fabrikam.com
    MyX86Shell                2.0        c:\test\x86Shell.ps1 BUILTIN\Administrators AccessAll… server02.corp.fabrikam.com

    Description
    ———–
    This example shows how to run a Get-PSSessionConfiguration command on a remote computer. The command requires that CredSSP delegation be enabled in the client settings on the local computer and in the service settings on the remote computer. To run the commands in this example, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer and the remote computer.

The first command uses the Enable-WSManCredSSP cmdlet to enable CredSSP delegation from the Server01 local computer to the Server02 remote computer. This configures the CredSSP client setting on the local computer.

The second command uses the Connect-WSMan cmdlet to connect to the Server02 computer. This action adds a node for the Server02 computer to the WSMan: drive on the local computer, allowing you to view and change the WS-Management settings on the Server02 computer.

The third command uses the Set-Item cmdlet to change the value of the CredSSP item in the Service node of the Server02 computer to True. This configures the service settings on the remote computer.

The fourth command uses the Invoke-Command cmdlet to run a Get-PSSessionConfiguration command on the Server02 computer. The command uses the Credential parameter, and it uses the Authentication parameter with a value of CredSSP.

————————– EXAMPLE 6 ————————–

C:\PS>(Get-PSSessionConfiguration -Name CustomShell).resourceURI

http://schemas.microsoft.com/powershell/microsoft.CustomShell

    Description
    ———–
    This command uses the Get-PSSessionConfiguration cmdlet to get the resource URI of a session configuration.

This command is useful when setting the value of the $PSSessionConfigurationName preference Variable, which takes a resource URI.

The $PSSessionConfiguationName Variable specifies the default configuration that is used when you create a session. This Variable is set on the local computer, but it specifies a configuration on the remote computer. For more information about the $PSSessionConfiguration Variable, see about_preference_variables.

RELATED LINKS
    Online version: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=144304
    about_Session_Configurations
    Disable-PSSessionConfiguration
    Enable-PSSessionConfiguration
    Register-PSSessionConfiguration
    Set-PSSessionConfiguration
    Unregister-PSSessionConfiguration
    WS-Management Provider

cmdlet, Get, PSSession

Get-PSSession

February 26, 2014 Adam

NAME
Get-PSSession

SYNOPSIS
Gets the Windows PowerShell sessions (PSSessions) in the current session.

SYNTAX
Get-PSSession [[-ComputerName] <string[]>] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-PSSession [-Id] <Int32[]> [<CommonParameters>]

Get-PSSession [-InstanceId <Guid[]>] [<CommonParameters>]

Get-PSSession [-Name <string[]>] [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION
The Get-PSSession cmdlet gets the Windows PowerShell sessions (PSSessions) that were created in the current session.

Without parameters, Get-PSSession gets all of the PSSessions created in the current session. You can use the parameters of Get-PSSession to get the sessions that are connected to particular computers, or you can identify sessions by their names, IDs, or instance IDs.

For more information about Windows PowerShell sessions, see about_pssessions.

PARAMETERS
-ComputerName <string[]>
Gets only the PSSessions that are connected to the specified computers. Wildcards are permitted.

Type the NetBIOS name, an IP address, or a fully-qualified domain name of one or more computers. To specify the local computer, type the computer name, “localhost”, or a dot (.).

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    1
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     true (ByPropertyName)
        Accept wildcard characters? true

-Id <Int32[]>
Gets only the PSSessions with the specified IDs. Type one or more IDs (separated by commas), or use the range operator (..) to specify a range of IDs.

An ID is an integer that uniquely identifies the PSSession in the current session. It is easier to remember and type than the InstanceId, but it is unique only within the current session. To find the ID of a PSSession, use Get-PSSession without parameters.

        Required?                    true
        Position?                    1
        Default value                All sessions in the shell
        Accept pipeline input?     true (ByPropertyName)
        Accept wildcard characters? false

-InstanceId <Guid[]>
Gets only the PSSessions with the specified instance IDs.

The instance ID is a GUID that uniquely identifies a PSSession on a local or remote computer. The InstanceID is unique, even when you have multiple sessions running in Windows PowerShell.

The InstanceID is stored in the InstanceID property of the object that represents a PSSession. To find the InstanceID of the PSSessions in the current session, type “Get-PSSession | Format-Table Name, ComputerName, InstanceId”.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     true (ByPropertyName)
        Accept wildcard characters? true

-Name <string[]>
Gets only the PSSessions with the specified friendly names. Wildcards are permitted.

To find the names of the PSSessions in the current session, type “Get-PSSession” without parameters.

        Required?                    false
        Position?                    named
        Default value
        Accept pipeline input?     true (ByPropertyName)
        Accept wildcard characters? true

INPUTS
None
You cannot pipe input to this cmdlet.

OUTPUTS
System.Management.Automation.Runspaces.PSSession
Get-PSSession returns a PSSession object for each PSSession that it gets.

NOTES

Get-PSSession gets the PSSessions that were created in the current session. It does not get the session that is created when you open Windows PowerShell, and it does not get PSSessions that were created in other sessions or on other computers, even if they connect to the local computer.

————————– EXAMPLE 1 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-PSSession

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets all of the PSSessions that were created in the current session.

It does not get PSSessions that were created in other sessions or on other computers, even if they connect to this computer.

————————– EXAMPLE 2 ————————–

C:\PS>$s = Get-PSSession -ComputerName Server02

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets the PSSessions that are connected to the Server02 computer and saves them in the $p Variable.

————————– EXAMPLE 3 ————————–

C:\PS>New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01, Server02, Server03

C:\PS> $s1, $s2, $s3 = Get-PSSession

    Description
    ———–
    This example shows how to save the results of a Get-PSSession command in multiple Variables.

The first command uses the New-PSSession cmdlet to create PSSessions on three remote computers.

The second command uses a Get-PSSession cmdlet to get the three PSSessions. It then saves each of the PSSessions in a separate Variable.

When Windows PowerShell assigns an array of objects to an array of Variables, it assigns the first object to the first Variable, the second object to the second Variable, and so on. If there are more objects than Variables, it assigns all remaining objects to the last Variable in the array. If there are more Variables than objects, the extra Variables are not used.

————————– EXAMPLE 4 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-PSSession | Format-Table -property computername, InstanceID

C:\PS> $s = Get-PSSession -InstanceID a786be29-a6bb-40da-80fb-782c67f7db0f

C:\PS> Remove-PSSession -session $s

    Description
    ———–
    This example shows how to get a PSSession by using its instance ID, and then to delete the PSSession.

The first command gets all of the PSSessions on the local computer. It sends the PSSessions to the Format-Table cmdlet, which displays the ComputerName and InstanceID properties of each PSSession.

The second command uses the Get-PSSession cmdlet to get a particular PSSession and to save it in the $s Variable. The command uses the InstanceID parameter to identify the PSSession.

The third command uses the Remove-PSSession cmdlet to delete the PSSession in the $s Variable.

————————– EXAMPLE 5 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-PSSession -ComputerName Serv*

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets all the PSSessions that connect to computers that have computer names that begin with “Serv”.

————————– EXAMPLE 6 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-PSSession -name Test*, Ux*

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets PSSessions that have names that begin with “Test” or “Ux”.

————————– EXAMPLE 7 ————————–

C:\PS>Get-PSSession 2

    Description
    ———–
    This command gets the PSSession with ID 2.

RELATED LINKS
    Online version: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=135219
    about_pssessions
    about_remote
    New-PSSession
    Remove-PSSession
    Enter-PSSession
    Exit-PSSession
    Invoke-Command