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New-PSSession

  • Reference
Module:
Microsoft.PowerShell.Core

Creates a persistent connection to a local or remote computer.

Syntax

New-PSSession
   [[-ComputerName] <String[]>]
   [-Credential <PSCredential>]
   [-Name <String[]>]
   [-EnableNetworkAccess]
   [-ConfigurationName <String>]
   [-Port <Int32>]
   [-UseSSL]
   [-ApplicationName <String>]
   [-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
   [-SessionOption <PSSessionOption>]
   [-Authentication <AuthenticationMechanism>]
   [-CertificateThumbprint <String>]
   [<CommonParameters>]
New-PSSession
   [-Credential <PSCredential>]
   [-Name <String[]>]
   [-EnableNetworkAccess]
   [-ConfigurationName <String>]
   [-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
   [-ConnectionUri] <Uri[]>
   [-AllowRedirection]
   [-SessionOption <PSSessionOption>]
   [-Authentication <AuthenticationMechanism>]
   [-CertificateThumbprint <String>]
   [<CommonParameters>]
New-PSSession
   -Credential <PSCredential>
   [-Name <String[]>]
   [-ConfigurationName <String>]
   [-VMId] <Guid[]>
   [-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
   [<CommonParameters>]
New-PSSession
   -Credential <PSCredential>
   [-Name <String[]>]
   [-ConfigurationName <String>]
   -VMName <String[]>
   [-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
   [<CommonParameters>]
New-PSSession
   [[-Session] <PSSession[]>]
   [-Name <String[]>]
   [-EnableNetworkAccess]
   [-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
   [<CommonParameters>]
New-PSSession
   [-Name <String[]>]
   [-ConfigurationName <String>]
   -ContainerId <String[]>
   [-RunAsAdministrator]
   [-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
   [<CommonParameters>]
New-PSSession
   -UseWindowsPowerShell
   [-Name <string[]>]
   [<CommonParameters>]
New-PSSession
   [-Name <String[]>]
   [-Port <Int32>]
   [-HostName] <String[]>
   [-UserName <String>]
   [-KeyFilePath <String>]
   [-SSHTransport]
   [-Subsystem <String>]
   [-ConnectingTimeout <int>]
   [<CommonParameters>]
New-PSSession
   [-Name <String[]>]
   -SSHConnection <Hashtable[]>
   [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The New-PSSession cmdlet creates a PowerShell session (PSSession) on a local or remote computer. When you create a PSSession, PowerShell establishes a persistent connection to the remote computer.

Use a PSSession to run multiple commands that share data, such as a function or the value of a variable. To run commands in a PSSession, use the Invoke-Command cmdlet. To use the PSSession to interact directly with a remote computer, use the Enter-PSSession cmdlet. For more information, see about_PSSessions.

You can run commands on a remote computer without creating a PSSession with the ComputerName parameters of Enter-PSSession or Invoke-Command. When you use the ComputerName parameter, PowerShell creates a temporary connection that is used for the command and is then closed.

Starting with PowerShell 6.0 you can use Secure Shell (SSH) to establish a connection to and create a session on a remote computer, if SSH is available on the local computer and the remote computer is configured with a PowerShell SSH endpoint. The benefit of an SSH based PowerShell remote session is that it can work across multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS). For SSH based sessions you use the HostName or SSHConnection parameter set to specify the remote computer and relevant connection information. For more information about how to set up PowerShell SSH remoting, see PowerShell Remoting Over SSH.

Note

When using WSMan remoting from a Linux or macOS client with a HTTPS endpoint where the server certificate is not trusted (e.g., a self-signed certificate). You must provide a PSSessionOption that includes the SkipCACheck and SkipCNCheck values set to $true to successfully establish the connection. Only do this if you are in an environment where you can be certain of the server certificate and the network connection to the target system.

Examples

Example 1: Create a session on the local computer

$s = New-PSSession

This command creates a new PSSession on the local computer and saves the PSSession in the $s variable.

You can now use this PSSession to run commands on the local computer.

Example 2: Create a session on a remote computer

$Server01 = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01

This command creates a new PSSession on the Server01 computer and saves it in the $Server01 variable.

When creating multiple PSSession objects, assign them to variables with useful names. This will help you manage the PSSession objects in subsequent commands.

Example 3: Create sessions on multiple computers

$s1, $s2, $s3 = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01,Server02,Server03

This command creates three PSSession objects, one on each of the computers specified by the ComputerName parameter.

The command uses the assignment operator (=) to assign the new PSSession objects to variables: $s1, $s2, $s3. It assigns the Server01 PSSession to $s1, the Server02 PSSession to $s2, and the Server03 PSSession to $s3.

When you assign multiple objects to a series of variables, PowerShell assigns each object to a variable in the series respectively. If there are more objects than variables, all remaining objects are assigned to the last variable. If there are more variables than objects, the remaining variables are empty ($null).

Example 4: Create a session with a specified port

New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 -Port 8081 -UseSSL -ConfigurationName E12

This command creates a new PSSession on the Server01 computer that connects to server port 8081 and uses the SSL protocol. The new PSSession uses an alternative session configuration called E12.

Before setting the port, you must configure the WinRM listener on the remote computer to listen on port 8081. For more information, see the description of the Port parameter.

Example 5: Create a session based on an existing session

New-PSSession -Session $s -Credential Domain01\User01

This command creates a PSSession with the same properties as an existing PSSession. You can use this command format when the resources of an existing PSSession are exhausted and a new PSSession is needed to offload some of the demand.

The command uses the Session parameter of New-PSSession to specify the PSSession saved in the $s variable. It uses the credentials of the Domain1\Admin01 user to complete the command.

Example 6: Create a session with a global scope in a different domain

$global:s = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server1.Domain44.Corpnet.Fabrikam.com -Credential Domain01\Admin01

This example shows how to create a PSSession with a global scope on a computer in a different domain.

By default, PSSession objects created at the command line are created with local scope and PSSession objects created in a script have script scope.

To create a PSSession with global scope, create a new PSSession and then store the PSSession in a variable that is cast to a global scope. In this case, the $s variable is cast to a global scope.

The command uses the ComputerName parameter to specify the remote computer. Because the computer is in a different domain than the user account, the full name of the computer is specified together with the credentials of the user.

Example 7: Create sessions for many computers

$rs = Get-Content C:\Test\Servers.txt | New-PSSession -ThrottleLimit 50

This command creates a PSSession on each of the 200 computers listed in the Servers.txt file and it stores the resulting PSSession in the $rs variable. The PSSession objects have a throttle limit of 50.

You can use this command format when the names of computers are stored in a database, spreadsheet, text file, or other text-convertible format.

Example 8: Create a session by using a URI

$s = New-PSSession -URI http://Server01:91/NewSession -Credential Domain01\User01

This command creates a PSSession on the Server01 computer and stores it in the $s variable. It uses the URI parameter to specify the transport protocol, the remote computer, the port, and an alternate session configuration. It also uses the Credential parameter to specify a user account that has permission to create a session on the remote computer.

Example 9: Run a background job in a set of sessions

$s = New-PSSession -ComputerName (Get-Content Servers.txt) -Credential Domain01\Admin01 -ThrottleLimit 16
Invoke-Command -Session $s -ScriptBlock {Get-Process PowerShell} -AsJob

These commands create a set of PSSession objects and then run a background job in each of the PSSession objects.

The first command creates a new PSSession on each of the computers listed in the Servers.txt file. It uses the New-PSSession cmdlet to create the PSSession. The value of the ComputerName parameter is a command that uses the Get-Content cmdlet to get the list of computer names the Servers.txt file.

The command uses the Credential parameter to create the PSSession objects that have the permission of a domain administrator, and it uses the ThrottleLimit parameter to limit the command to 16 concurrent connections. The command saves the PSSession objects in the $s variable.

The second command uses the AsJob parameter of the Invoke-Command cmdlet to start a background job that runs a Get-Process PowerShell command in each of the PSSession objects in $s.

For more information about PowerShell background jobs, see about_Jobs and about_Remote_Jobs.

Example 10: Create a session for a computer by using its URI

New-PSSession -ConnectionURI https://management.exchangelabs.com/Management

This command creates a PSSession objects that connects to a computer that is specified by a URI instead of a computer name.

Example 11: Create a session option

$so = New-PSSessionOption -SkipCACheck
New-PSSession -ConnectionUri https://management.exchangelabs.com/Management -SessionOption $so -Credential Server01\Admin01

This example shows how to create a session option object and use the SessionOption parameter.

The first command uses the New-PSSessionOption cmdlet to create a session option. It saves the resulting SessionOption object in the $so variable.

The second command uses the option in a new session. The command uses the New-PSSession cmdlet to create a new session. The value of the SessionOption parameter is the SessionOption object in the $so variable.

Example 12: Create a session using SSH

New-PSSession -HostName UserA@LinuxServer01

This example shows how to create a new PSSession using Secure Shell (SSH). If SSH is configured on the remote computer to prompt for passwords then you will get a password prompt. Otherwise you will have to use SSH key based user authentication.

Example 13: Create a session using SSH and specify the port and user authentication key

New-PSSession -HostName UserA@LinuxServer01:22 -KeyFilePath c:\<path>\userAKey_rsa

This example shows how to create a PSSession using Secure Shell (SSH). It uses the Port parameter to specify the port to use and the KeyFilePath parameter to specify an RSA key used to identify and authenticate the user on the remote computer.

Example 14: Create multiple sessions using SSH

$sshConnections = @(
    @{
          HostName    = 'WinServer1'
          UserName    = 'domain\userA'
          KeyFilePath = 'c:\users\UserA\id_rsa'
    }
    @{
        HostName    = 'UserB@LinuxServer5'
        KeyFilePath = 'c:\UserB\<path>\id_rsa'
    }
)
New-PSSession -SSHConnection $sshConnections

This example shows how to create multiple sessions using Secure Shell (SSH) and the SSHConnection parameter set. The SSHConnection parameter takes an array of hash tables that contain connection information for each session. Note that this example requires that the target remote computers have SSH configured to support key-based user authentication.

Parameters

-AllowRedirection

Indicates that this cmdlet allows redirection of this connection to an alternate Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).

When you use the ConnectionURI parameter, the remote destination can return an instruction to redirect to a different URI. By default, PowerShell does not redirect connections, but you can use this parameter to enable it to redirect the connection.

You can also limit the number of times the connection is redirected by changing the MaximumConnectionRedirectionCount session option value. Use the MaximumRedirection parameter of the New-PSSessionOption cmdlet or set the MaximumConnectionRedirectionCount property of the $PSSessionOption preference variable. The default value is 5.

Type:SwitchParameter
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-ApplicationName

Specifies the application name segment of the connection URI. Use this parameter to specify the application name when you are not using the ConnectionURI parameter in the command.

The default value is the value of the $PSSessionApplicationName preference variable on the local computer. If this preference variable is not defined, the default value is WSMAN. This value is appropriate for most uses. For more information, see about_Preference_Variables.

The WinRM service uses the application name to select a listener to service the connection request. The value of this parameter should match the value of the URLPrefix property of a listener on the remote computer.

Type:String
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Authentication

Specifies the mechanism that is used to authenticate the user's credentials. The acceptable values for this parameter are:

  • Default
  • Basic
  • Credssp
  • Digest
  • Kerberos
  • Negotiate
  • NegotiateWithImplicitCredential

The default value is Default.

For more information about the values of this parameter, see AuthenticationMechanism Enumeration.

Caution

Credential Security Support Provider (CredSSP) authentication, in which the user credentials are passed to a remote computer to be authenticated, is designed for commands that require authentication on more than one resource, such as accessing a remote network share. This mechanism increases the security risk of the remote operation. If the remote computer is compromised, the credentials that are passed to it can be used to control the network session.

Type:AuthenticationMechanism
Accepted values:Default, Basic, Negotiate, NegotiateWithImplicitCredential, Credssp, Digest, Kerberos
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-CertificateThumbprint

Specifies the digital public key certificate (X509) of a user account that has permission to perform this action. Enter the certificate thumbprint of the certificate.

Certificates are used in client certificate-based authentication. They can be mapped only to local user accounts; they do not work with domain accounts.

To get a certificate, use the Get-Item or Get-ChildItem command in the PowerShell Cert: drive.

Type:String
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-ComputerName

Specifies an array of names of computers. This cmdlet creates a persistent connection (PSSession) to the specified computer. If you enter multiple computer names, New-PSSession creates multiple PSSession objects, one for each computer. The default is the local computer.

Type the NetBIOS name, an IP address, or a fully qualified domain name of one or more remote computers. To specify the local computer, type the computer name, localhost, or a dot (.). When the computer is in a different domain than the user, the fully qualified domain name is required. You can also pipe a computer name, in quotation marks, to New-PSSession.

To use an IP address in the value of the ComputerName parameter, the command must include the Credential parameter. Also, the computer must be configured for HTTPS transport or the IP address of the remote computer must be included in the WinRM TrustedHosts list on the local computer. For instructions for adding a computer name to the TrustedHosts list, see "How to Add a Computer to the Trusted Host List" in about_Remote_Troubleshooting.

To include the local computer in the value of the ComputerName parameter, start Windows PowerShell by using the Run as administrator option.

Type:String[]
Aliases:Cn
Position:0
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-ConfigurationName

Specifies the session configuration that is used for the new PSSession.

Enter a configuration name or the fully qualified resource URI for a session configuration. If you specify only the configuration name, the following schema URI is prepended: http://schemas.microsoft.com/PowerShell.

The session configuration for a session is located on the remote computer. If the specified session configuration does not exist on the remote computer, the command fails.

The default value is the value of the $PSSessionConfigurationName preference variable on the local computer. If this preference variable is not set, the default is Microsoft.PowerShell. For more information, see about_Preference_Variables.

Type:String
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-ConnectingTimeout

Specifies the amount of time in milliseconds allowed for the initial SSH connection to complete. If the connection doesn't complete within the specified time, an error is returned.

This parameter was introduced in PowerShell 7.2

Type:Int32
Position:Named
Default value:unlimited
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-ConnectionUri

Specifies a URI that defines the connection endpoint for the session. The URI must be fully qualified. The format of this string is as follows:

<Transport>://<ComputerName>:<Port>/<ApplicationName>

The default value is as follows:

http://localhost:5985/WSMAN

If you do not specify a ConnectionURI, you can use the UseSSL, ComputerName, Port, and ApplicationName parameters to specify the ConnectionURI values.

Valid values for the Transport segment of the URI are HTTP and HTTPS. If you specify a connection URI with a Transport segment, but do not specify a port, the session is created with standards ports: 80 for HTTP and 443 for HTTPS. To use the default ports for PowerShell remoting, specify port 5985 for HTTP or 5986 for HTTPS.

If the destination computer redirects the connection to a different URI, PowerShell prevents the redirection unless you use the AllowRedirection parameter in the command.

Type:Uri[]
Aliases:URI, CU
Position:0
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-ContainerId

Specifies an array of IDs of containers. This cmdlet starts an interactive session with each of the specified containers. Use the docker ps command to get a list of container IDs. For more information, see the help for the docker ps command.

Type:String[]
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Credential

Specifies a user account that has permission to do this action. The default is the current user.

Type a user name, such as User01 or Domain01\User01, or enter a PSCredential object generated by the Get-Credential cmdlet. If you type a user name, you're prompted to enter the password.

Credentials are stored in a PSCredential object and the password is stored as a SecureString.

Note

For more information about SecureString data protection, see How secure is SecureString?.

Type:PSCredential
Position:Named
Default value:Current user
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-EnableNetworkAccess

Indicates that this cmdlet adds an interactive security token to loopback sessions. The interactive token lets you run commands in the loopback session that get data from other computers. For example, you can run a command in the session that copies XML files from a remote computer to the local computer.

A loopback session is a PSSession that originates and ends on the same computer. To create a loopback session, omit the ComputerName parameter or set its value to dot (.), localhost, or the name of the local computer.

By default, this cmdlet creates loopback sessions by using a network token, which might not provide sufficient permission to authenticate to remote computers.

The EnableNetworkAccess parameter is effective only in loopback sessions. If you use EnableNetworkAccess when you create a session on a remote computer, the command succeeds, but the parameter is ignored.

You can also enable remote access in a loopback session by using the CredSSP value of the Authentication parameter, which delegates the session credentials to other computers.

To protect the computer from malicious access, disconnected loopback sessions that have interactive tokens, which are those created by using the EnableNetworkAccess parameter, can be reconnected only from the computer on which the session was created. Disconnected sessions that use CredSSP authentication can be reconnected from other computers. For more information, see Disconnect-PSSession.

This parameter was introduced in PowerShell 3.0.

Type:SwitchParameter
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-HostName

Specifies an array of computer names for a Secure Shell (SSH) based connection. This is similar to the ComputerName parameter except that the connection to the remote computer is made using SSH rather than Windows WinRM.

This parameter was introduced in PowerShell 6.0.

Type:String[]
Position:0
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-KeyFilePath

Specifies a key file path used by Secure Shell (SSH) to authenticate a user on a remote computer.

SSH allows user authentication to be performed via private/public keys as an alternative to basic password authentication. If the remote computer is configured for key authentication then this parameter can be used to provide the key that identifies the user.

This parameter was introduced in PowerShell 6.0.

Type:String
Aliases:IdentityFilePath
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Name

Specifies a friendly name for the PSSession.

You can use the name to refer to the PSSession when you use other cmdlets, such as Get-PSSession and Enter-PSSession. The name is not required to be unique to the computer or the current session.

Type:String[]
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Port

Specifies the network port on the remote computer that is used for this connection. To connect to a remote computer, the remote computer must be listening on the port that the connection uses. The default ports are 5985, which is the WinRM port for HTTP, and 5986, which is the WinRM port for HTTPS.

Before using another port, you must configure the WinRM listener on the remote computer to listen at that port. Use the following commands to configure the listener:

  1. winrm delete winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTP
  2. winrm create winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTP @{Port="\<port-number\>"}

Do not use the Port parameter unless you must. The port setting in the command applies to all computers or sessions on which the command runs. An alternate port setting might prevent the command from running on all computers.

Type:Int32
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-RunAsAdministrator

Indicates that the PSSession runs as administrator.

Type:SwitchParameter
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Session

Specifies an array of PSSession objects that this cmdlet uses as a model for the new PSSession. This parameter creates new PSSession objects that have the same properties as the specified PSSession objects.

Enter a variable that contains the PSSession objects or a command that creates or gets the PSSession objects, such as a New-PSSession or Get-PSSession command.

The resulting PSSession objects have the same computer name, application name, connection URI, port, configuration name, throttle limit, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) value as the originals, but they have a different display name, ID, and instance ID (GUID).

Type:PSSession[]
Position:0
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-SessionOption

Specifies advanced options for the session. Enter a SessionOption object, such as one that you create by using the New-PSSessionOption cmdlet, or a hash table in which the keys are session option names and the values are session option values.

The default values for the options are determined by the value of the $PSSessionOption preference variable, if it is set. Otherwise, the default values are established by options set in the session configuration.

The session option values take precedence over default values for sessions set in the $PSSessionOption preference variable and in the session configuration. However, they do not take precedence over maximum values, quotas or limits set in the session configuration.

For a description of the session options that includes the default values, see New-PSSessionOption. For information about the $PSSessionOption preference variable, see about_Preference_Variables. For more information about session configurations, see about_Session_Configurations.

Type:PSSessionOption
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-SSHConnection

This parameter takes an array of hashtables where each hashtable contains one or more connection parameters needed to establish a Secure Shell (SSH) connection (HostName, Port, UserName, KeyFilePath).

The hashtable connection parameters are the same as defined for the SSHHost parameter set.

The SSHConnection parameter is useful for creating multiple sessions where each session requires different connection information.

This parameter was introduced in PowerShell 6.0.

Type:Hashtable[]
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-SSHTransport

Indicates that the remote connection is established using Secure Shell (SSH).

By default PowerShell uses Windows WinRM to connect to a remote computer. This switch forces PowerShell to use the HostName parameter set for establishing an SSH based remote connection.

This parameter was introduced in PowerShell 6.0.

Type:SwitchParameter
Accepted values:true
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Subsystem

Specifies the SSH subsystem used for the new PSSession.

This specifies the subsystem to use on the target as defined in sshd_config. The subsystem starts a specific version of PowerShell with predefined parameters. If the specified subsystem does not exist on the remote computer, the command fails.

If this parameter is not used, the default is the powershell subsystem.

Type:String
Position:Named
Default value:powershell
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-ThrottleLimit

Specifies the maximum number of concurrent connections that can be established to run this command. If you omit this parameter or enter a value of 0 (zero), the default value, 32, is used.

The throttle limit applies only to the current command, not to the session or to the computer.

Type:Int32
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-UserName

Specifies the username for the account used to create a session on the remote computer. The user authentication method depends on how Secure Shell (SSH) is configured on the remote computer.

If SSH is configured for basic password authentication then you'll be prompted for the user password.

If SSH is configured for key-based user authentication then a key file path can be provided via the KeyFilePath parameter and you won't be prompted for a password. Note that if the client user key file is located in an SSH known location then the KeyFilePath parameter is not needed for key-based authentication, and user authentication occurs automatically based on the username. See SSH documentation about key-based user authentication for more information.

This is not a required parameter. If no UserName parameter is specified then the current log on username is used for the connection.

This parameter was introduced in PowerShell 6.0.

Type:String
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-UseSSL

Indicates that this cmdlet uses the SSL protocol to establish a connection to the remote computer. By default, SSL is not used.

WS-Management encrypts all PowerShell content transmitted over the network. The UseSSL parameter offers an additional protection that sends the data across an HTTPS connection instead of an HTTP connection.

If you use this parameter, but SSL is not available on the port that is used for the command, the command fails.

Type:SwitchParameter
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-UseWindowsPowerShell

Creates a remote connection to a new Windows PowerShell runspace on the local system.

Type:SwitchParameter
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-VMId

Specifies an array of virtual machine IDs. This cmdlet starts a PowerShell Direct interactive session with each of the specified virtual machines. For more information, see Virtual Machine automation and management using PowerShell.

Use Get-VM to see the virtual machines that are available on your Hyper-V host.

Type:Guid[]
Aliases:VMGuid
Position:0
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-VMName

Specifies an array of names of virtual machines. This cmdlet starts a PowerShell Direct interactive session with each of the specified virtual machines. For more information, see Virtual Machine automation and management using PowerShell.

Use Get-VM to see the virtual machines that are available on your Hyper-V host.

Type:String[]
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

Inputs

String

You can pipe a string to this cmdlet.

System.URI

You can pipe a URI to this cmdlet.

PSSession

You can pipe a session object to this cmdlet.

Outputs

PSSession

Notes

PowerShell includes the following aliases for New-PSSession:

  • All platforms:

    • nsn

  • This cmdlet uses the PowerShell remoting infrastructure. To use this cmdlet, the local computer and any remote computers must be configured for PowerShell remoting. For more information, see about_Remote_Requirements.

  • To create a PSSession on the local computer, start PowerShell with the Run as administrator option.

  • When you are finished with the PSSession, use the Remove-PSSession cmdlet to delete the PSSession and release its resources.

  • The HostName and SSHConnection parameter sets were included starting with PowerShell 6.0. They were added to provide PowerShell remoting based on Secure Shell (SSH). Both SSH and PowerShell are supported on multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS) and PowerShell remoting will work over these platforms where PowerShell and SSH are installed and configured. This is separate from the previous Windows-only remoting that is based on WinRM and many of the WinRM specific features and limitations do not apply. For example, WinRM-based quotas, session options, custom endpoint configuration, and disconnect/reconnect features are not supported. For more information about how to set up PowerShell SSH remoting, see PowerShell Remoting Over SSH.

The ssh executable obtains configuration data from the following sources in the following order:

  1. command-line options
  2. user's configuration file (~/.ssh/config)
  3. system-wide configuration file (/etc/ssh/ssh_config)

The following cmdlet parameters get mapped into ssh parameters and options:

Cmdlet parameter ssh parameter equivalent ssh -o option
-KeyFilePath -i <KeyFilePath> -o IdentityFile=<KeyFilePath>
-UserName -l <UserName> -o User=<UserName>
-Port -p <Port> -o Port=<Port>
-ComputerName -Subsystem -s <ComputerName> <Subsystem> -o Host=<ComputerName>

For more information about ssh_config files, see ssh_config(5).