Enter-PSSession
Starts an interactive session with a remote computer.
Syntax
Enter-PSSession
[-ComputerName] <String>
[-EnableNetworkAccess]
[-Credential <PSCredential>]
[-ConfigurationName <String>]
[-Port <Int32>]
[-UseSSL]
[-ApplicationName <String>]
[-SessionOption <PSSessionOption>]
[-Authentication <AuthenticationMechanism>]
[-CertificateThumbprint <String>]
[<CommonParameters>]Enter-PSSession
[[-Session] <PSSession>]
[<CommonParameters>]Enter-PSSession
[[-ConnectionUri] <Uri>]
[-EnableNetworkAccess]
[-Credential <PSCredential>]
[-ConfigurationName <String>]
[-AllowRedirection]
[-SessionOption <PSSessionOption>]
[-Authentication <AuthenticationMechanism>]
[-CertificateThumbprint <String>]
[<CommonParameters>]Enter-PSSession
[-InstanceId <Guid>]
[<CommonParameters>]Enter-PSSession
[[-Id] <Int32>]
[<CommonParameters>]Enter-PSSession
[-Name <String>]
[<CommonParameters>]Enter-PSSession
[-VMId] <Guid>
-Credential <PSCredential>
[-ConfigurationName <String>]
[<CommonParameters>]Enter-PSSession
[-VMName] <String>
-Credential <PSCredential>
[-ConfigurationName <String>]
[<CommonParameters>]Enter-PSSession
[-ContainerId] <String>
[-ConfigurationName <String>]
[-RunAsAdministrator]
[<CommonParameters>]Description
The Enter-PSSession cmdlet starts an interactive session with a single remote computer. During the
session, the commands that you type run on the remote computer, just as if you were typing directly
on the remote computer. You can have only one interactive session at a time.
Typically, you use the ComputerName parameter to specify the name of the remote computer.
However, you can also use a session that you create by using the New-PSSession cmdlet for the
interactive session. However, you cannot use the Disconnect-PSSession, Connect-PSSession, or
Receive-PSSession cmdlets to disconnect from or re-connect to an interactive session.
To end the interactive session and disconnect from the remote computer, use the Exit-PSSession
cmdlet, or type exit.
Important
Enter-PSSession is designed to substitute the current interactive session with a new interactive
remote session. You shouldn't call it from within a function or script or by passing it as a
command to the powershell.exe executable.
Examples
Example 1: Start an interactive session
PS C:\> Enter-PSSession
[localhost]: PS C:\>This command starts an interactive session on the local computer. The command prompt changes to indicate that you are now running commands in a different session.
The commands that you enter run in the new session, and the results are returned to the default session as text.
Example 2: Work with an interactive session
The first command uses the Enter-PSSession cmdlet to start an interactive session with Server01, a
remote computer. When the session starts, the command prompt changes to include the computer name.
The second command gets the PowerShell process and redirects the output to the Process.txt file.
The command is submitted to the remote computer, and the file is saved on the remote computer.
The third command uses the Exit keyword to end the interactive session and close the connection.
The fourth command confirms that the Process.txt file is on the remote computer. A Get-ChildItem
("dir") command on the local computer cannot find the file.
PS C:\> Enter-PSSession -ComputerName Server01
[Server01]: PS C:\>
[Server01]: PS C:\> Get-Process PowerShell > C:\ps-test\Process.txt
[Server01]: PS C:\> exit
PS C:\>
PS C:\> dir C:\ps-test\Process.txt
Get-ChildItem : Cannot find path 'C:\ps-test\Process.txt' because it does not exist.
At line:1 char:4
+ dir <<<< c:\ps-test\Process.txtThis command shows how to work in an interactive session with a remote computer.
Example 3: Use the Session parameter
PS> $s = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01
PS> Enter-PSSession -Session $s
[Server01]: PS>These commands use the Session parameter of Enter-PSSession to run the interactive session in
an existing PowerShell session (PSSession).
Example 4: Start an interactive session and specify the Port and Credential parameters
PS> Enter-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 -Port 90 -Credential Domain01\User01
[Server01]: PS>This command starts an interactive session with the Server01 computer. It uses the Port parameter to specify the port and the Credential parameter to specify the account of a user who has permission to connect to the remote computer.
Example 5: Stop an interactive session
PS> Enter-PSSession -ComputerName Server01
[Server01]: PS> Exit-PSSession
PS>This example shows how to start and stop an interactive session. The first command uses the
Enter-PSSession cmdlet to start an interactive session with the Server01 computer.
The second command uses the Exit-PSSession cmdlet to end the session. You can also use the
Exit keyword to end the interactive session. Exit-PSSession and Exit have the same effect.
Parameters
-AllowRedirection
Allows redirection of this connection to an alternate Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). By default, redirection is not allowed.
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 allow 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.
CredSSP authentication is available only in Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and later versions of the Windows operating system.
For more information about the values of this parameter, see AuthenticationMechanism Enum.
Caution
Credential Security Support Provider (CredSSP) authentication, in which the user's 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 a computer name. This cmdlet starts an interactive session with the specified remote computer. Enter only one computer name. The default is the local computer.
Type the NetBIOS name, the IP address, or the fully qualified domain name of the computer. You can
also pipe a computer name to Enter-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.
Note
On the Windows operating system, to include the local computer in the value of the ComputerName parameter, you must start PowerShell with the Run as administrator option.
| Type: | String |
| Aliases: | Cn |
| Position: | 0 |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | True |
| Accept pipeline input: | True |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-ConfigurationName
Specifies the session configuration that's used for the interactive session.
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 doesn't 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 isn't 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 |
-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 don't 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 don't specify a port, the session is created by using 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: | 1 |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | False |
| Accept pipeline input: | True |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-ContainerId
Specifies the ID of a container.
| Type: | String |
| Position: | 0 |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | True |
| Accept pipeline input: | True |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Credential
Specifies a user account that has permission to perform 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: | 1 |
| 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, loopback sessions are created 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 allow remote access in a loopback session by using the CredSSP value of the Authentication parameter, which delegates the session credentials to other computers.
This parameter was introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Position: | Named |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | False |
| Accept pipeline input: | False |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Id
Specifies the ID of an existing session. Enter-PSSession uses the specified session for the
interactive session.
To find the ID of a session, use the Get-PSSession cmdlet.
| Type: | Int32 |
| Position: | 0 |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | False |
| Accept pipeline input: | True |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-InstanceId
Specifies the instance ID of an existing session. Enter-PSSession uses the specified session for
the interactive session.
The instance ID is a GUID. To find the instance ID of a session, use the Get-PSSession cmdlet. You
can also use the Session, Name, or ID parameters to specify an existing session. Or, you
can use the ComputerName parameter to start a temporary session.
| Type: | Guid |
| Position: | Named |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | False |
| Accept pipeline input: | True |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Name
Specifies the friendly name of an existing session. Enter-PSSession uses the specified session for
the interactive session.
If the name that you specify matches more than one session, the command fails. You can also use the Session, InstanceID, or ID parameters to specify an existing session. Or, you can use the ComputerName parameter to start a temporary session.
To establish a friendly name for a session, use the Name parameter of the New-PSSession
cmdlet.
| Type: | String |
| Position: | Named |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | False |
| Accept pipeline input: | True |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-Port
Specifies the network port on the remote computer that's used for this command. 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 an alternate port, you must configure the WinRM listener on the remote computer to listen at that port. Use the following commands to configure the listener:
winrm delete winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTPwinrm create winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTP @{Port="\<port-number\>"}
Don't 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 a PowerShell session (PSSession) to use for the interactive session. This parameter takes a session object. You can also use the Name, InstanceID, or ID parameters to specify a PSSession.
Enter a variable that contains a session object or a command that creates or gets a session object,
such as a New-PSSession or Get-PSSession command. You can also pipe a session object to
Enter-PSSession. You can submit only one PSSession by using this parameter. If you enter a
variable that contains more than one PSSession, the command fails.
When you use Exit-PSSession or the EXIT keyword, the interactive session ends, but the
PSSession that you created remains open and available for use.
| Type: | PSSession |
| Position: | 0 |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | False |
| Accept pipeline input: | True |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-SessionOption
Sets 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's 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 don't take
precedence over maximum values, quotas or limits set in the session configuration.
For a description of the session options, including 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 |
-UseSSL
Indicates that this cmdlet uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol to establish a connection to the remote computer. By default, SSL isn't used.
WS-Management encrypts all PowerShell content transmitted over the network. The UseSSL parameter is an additional protection that sends the data across an HTTPS connection instead of an HTTP connection.
If you use this parameter, but SSL isn't available on the port that's used for the command, the command fails.
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Position: | Named |
| Default value: | False |
| Required: | False |
| Accept pipeline input: | False |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-VMId
Specifies the ID of a virtual machine.
| Type: | Guid |
| Aliases: | VMGuid |
| Position: | 0 |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | True |
| Accept pipeline input: | True |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
-VMName
Specifies the name of a virtual machine.
| Type: | String |
| Position: | 0 |
| Default value: | None |
| Required: | True |
| Accept pipeline input: | True |
| Accept wildcard characters: | False |
Inputs
You can pipe a computer name as a string to this cmdlet.
You can pipe a session object to this cmdlet.
Outputs
None
This cmdlet returns no output.
Notes
Windows PowerShell includes the following aliases for Enter-PSSession:
etsn
To connect to a remote computer, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the remote computer. To start an interactive session on the local computer, you must start PowerShell with the Run as administrator option.
When you use Enter-PSSession, your user profile on the remote computer is used for the interactive
session. The commands in the remote user profile, including commands to add PowerShell modules and
to change the command prompt, run before the remote prompt is displayed.
Enter-PSSession uses the UI culture setting on the local computer for the interactive session. To
find the local UI culture, use the $UICulture automatic variable.
Enter-PSSession requires the Get-Command, Out-Default, and Exit-PSSession cmdlets. If these
cmdlets aren't included in the session configuration on the remote computer, the Enter-PSSession
commands fails.
Unlike Invoke-Command, which parses and interprets the commands before it sends them to the remote
computer, Enter-PSSession sends the commands directly to the remote computer without
interpretation.
If the session you want to enter is busy processing a command, there might be a delay before
PowerShell responds to the Enter-PSSession command. You are connected as soon as the session
is available. To cancel the Enter-PSSession command, press CTRL+C.
