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Receive-PSSession

Gets results of commands in disconnected sessions

Syntax

Receive-PSSession
       [-Session] <PSSession>
       [-OutTarget <OutTarget>]
       [-JobName <String>]
       [-WhatIf]
       [-Confirm]
       [<CommonParameters>]
Receive-PSSession
       [-Id] <Int32>
       [-OutTarget <OutTarget>]
       [-JobName <String>]
       [-WhatIf]
       [-Confirm]
       [<CommonParameters>]
Receive-PSSession
       [-ComputerName] <String>
       [-ApplicationName <String>]
       [-ConfigurationName <String>]
       -Name <String>
       [-OutTarget <OutTarget>]
       [-JobName <String>]
       [-Credential <PSCredential>]
       [-Authentication <AuthenticationMechanism>]
       [-CertificateThumbprint <String>]
       [-Port <Int32>]
       [-UseSSL]
       [-SessionOption <PSSessionOption>]
       [-WhatIf]
       [-Confirm]
       [<CommonParameters>]
Receive-PSSession
       [-ComputerName] <String>
       [-ApplicationName <String>]
       [-ConfigurationName <String>]
       -InstanceId <Guid>
       [-OutTarget <OutTarget>]
       [-JobName <String>]
       [-Credential <PSCredential>]
       [-Authentication <AuthenticationMechanism>]
       [-CertificateThumbprint <String>]
       [-Port <Int32>]
       [-UseSSL]
       [-SessionOption <PSSessionOption>]
       [-WhatIf]
       [-Confirm]
       [<CommonParameters>]
Receive-PSSession
       [-ConfigurationName <String>]
       [-ConnectionUri] <Uri>
       [-AllowRedirection]
       -Name <String>
       [-OutTarget <OutTarget>]
       [-JobName <String>]
       [-Credential <PSCredential>]
       [-Authentication <AuthenticationMechanism>]
       [-CertificateThumbprint <String>]
       [-SessionOption <PSSessionOption>]
       [-WhatIf]
       [-Confirm]
       [<CommonParameters>]
Receive-PSSession
       [-ConfigurationName <String>]
       [-ConnectionUri] <Uri>
       [-AllowRedirection]
       -InstanceId <Guid>
       [-OutTarget <OutTarget>]
       [-JobName <String>]
       [-Credential <PSCredential>]
       [-Authentication <AuthenticationMechanism>]
       [-CertificateThumbprint <String>]
       [-SessionOption <PSSessionOption>]
       [-WhatIf]
       [-Confirm]
       [<CommonParameters>]
Receive-PSSession
       [-InstanceId] <Guid>
       [-OutTarget <OutTarget>]
       [-JobName <String>]
       [-WhatIf]
       [-Confirm]
       [<CommonParameters>]
Receive-PSSession
       [-Name] <String>
       [-OutTarget <OutTarget>]
       [-JobName <String>]
       [-WhatIf]
       [-Confirm]
       [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The Receive-PSSession cmdlet gets the results of commands running in PowerShell sessions (PSSession) that were disconnected. If the session is currently connected, Receive-PSSession gets the results of commands that were running when the session was disconnected. If the session is still disconnected, Receive-PSSession connects to the session, resumes any commands that were suspended, and gets the results of commands running in the session.

This cmdlet was introduced in PowerShell 3.0.

You can use a Receive-PSSession in addition to or instead of a Connect-PSSession command. Receive-PSSession can connect to any disconnected or reconnected session that was started in other sessions or on other computers.

Receive-PSSession works on PSSessions that were disconnected intentionally using the Disconnect-PSSession cmdlet or the Invoke-Command InDisconnectedSession parameter. Or disconnected unintentionally by a network interruption.

If you use the Receive-PSSession cmdlet to connect to a session in which no commands are running or suspended, Receive-PSSession connects to the session, but returns no output or errors.

For more information about the Disconnected Sessions feature, see about_Remote_Disconnected_Sessions.

Some examples use splatting to reduce the line length and improve readability. For more information, see about_Splatting.

Examples

Example 1: Connect to a PSSession

This example connects to a session on a remote computer and gets the results of commands that are running in a session.

Receive-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 -Name ITTask

The Receive-PSSession specifies the remote computer with the ComputerName parameter. The Name parameter identifies the ITTask session on the Server01 computer. The example gets the results of commands that were running in the ITTask session.

Because the command doesn't use the OutTarget parameter, the results appear on the command line.

Example 2: Get results of all commands on disconnected sessions

This example gets the results of all commands running in all disconnected sessions on two remote computers.

If any session wasn't disconnected or isn't running commands, Receive-PSSession doesn't connect to the session and doesn't return any output or errors.

Get-PSSession -ComputerName Server01, Server02 | Receive-PSSession

Get-PSSession uses the ComputerName parameter to specify the remote computers. The objects are sent down the pipeline to Receive-PSSession.

Example 3: Get the results of a script running in a session

This example uses the Receive-PSSession cmdlet to get the results of a script that was running in a remote computer's session.

$parms = @{
  ComputerName = "Server01"
  Name = "ITTask"
  OutTarget = "Job"
  JobName = "ITTaskJob01"
  Credential = "Domain01\Admin01"
}
Receive-PSSession @parms

Id     Name            State         HasMoreData     Location
--     ----            -----         -----------     --------
16     ITTaskJob01     Running       True            Server01

The command uses the ComputerName and Name parameters to identify the disconnected session. It uses the OutTarget parameter with a value of Job to direct Receive-PSSession to return the results as a job. The JobName parameter specifies a name for the job in the reconnected session. The Credential parameter runs the Receive-PSSession command using the permissions of a domain administrator.

The output shows that Receive-PSSession returned the results as a job in the current session. To get the job results, use a Receive-Job command

Example 4: Get results after a network outage

This example uses the Receive-PSSession cmdlet to get the results of a job after a network outage disrupts a session connection. PowerShell automatically attempts to reconnect the session once per second for the next four minutes and abandons the effort only if all attempts in the four-minute interval fail.

PS> $s = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 -Name AD -ConfigurationName ADEndpoint
PS> $s

Id  Name   ComputerName    State        ConfigurationName     Availability
--  ----   ------------    -----        -----------------     ------------
8   AD      Server01       Opened       ADEndpoint               Available


PS> Invoke-Command -Session $s -FilePath \\Server12\Scripts\SharedScripts\New-ADResolve.ps1

Running "New-ADResolve.ps1"

# Network outage
# Restart local computer
# Network access is not re-established within 4 minutes


PS> Get-PSSession -ComputerName Server01

Id  Name   ComputerName    State          ConfigurationName      Availability
--  ----   ------------    -----          -----------------      ------------
1  Backup  Server01        Disconnected   Microsoft.PowerShell           None
8  AD      Server01        Disconnected   ADEndpoint                     None


PS> Receive-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 -Name AD -OutTarget Job -JobName AD

Job Id   Name      State         HasMoreData     Location
--       ----      -----         -----------     --------
16       ADJob     Running       True            Server01


PS> Get-PSSession -ComputerName Server01

Id  Name    ComputerName    State         ConfigurationName     Availability
--  ----    ------------    -----         -----------------     ------------
1  Backup   Server01        Disconnected  Microsoft.PowerShell          Busy
8  AD       Server01        Opened        ADEndpoint               Available

The New-PSSession cmdlet creates a session on the Server01 computer and saves the session in the $s variable. The $s variable displays that the State is Opened and the Availability is Available. These values indicate that you're connected to the session and can run commands in the session.

The Invoke-Command cmdlet runs a script in the session in the $s variable. The script begins to run and return data, but a network outage occurs that interrupts the session. The user has to exit the session and restart the local computer.

When the computer restarts, the user starts PowerShell and runs a Get-PSSession command to get sessions on the Server01 computer. The output shows that the AD session still exists on the Server01 computer. The State indicates that the AD session is disconnected. The Availability value of None, indicates that the session isn't connected to any client sessions.

The Receive-PSSession cmdlet reconnects to the AD session and gets the results of the script that ran in the session. The command uses the OutTarget parameter to request the results in a job named ADJob. The command returns a job object and the output indicates that the script is still running.

The Get-PSSession cmdlet is used to check the job state. The output confirms that the Receive-PSSession cmdlet reconnected to the AD session, which is now open and available for commands. And, the script resumed execution and is getting the script results.

Example 5: Reconnect to disconnected sessions

This example uses the Receive-PSSession cmdlet to reconnect to sessions that were intentionally disconnected and get the results of jobs that were running in the sessions.

PS> $parms = @{
      InDisconnectedSession = $True
      ComputerName = "Server01", "Server02", "Server30"
      FilePath = "\\Server12\Scripts\SharedScripts\Get-BugStatus.ps1"
      Name = "BugStatus"
      SessionOption = @{IdleTimeout = 86400000}
      ConfigurationName = "ITTasks"
    }
PS> Invoke-Command @parms
PS> Exit


PS> $s = Get-PSSession -ComputerName Server01, Server02, Server30 -Name BugStatus
PS> $s

Id  Name   ComputerName    State         ConfigurationName     Availability
--  ----   ------------    -----         -----------------     ------------
1  ITTask  Server01        Disconnected  ITTasks                       None
8  ITTask  Server02        Disconnected  ITTasks                       None
2  ITTask  Server30        Disconnected  ITTasks                       None


PS> $Results = Receive-PSSession -Session $s
PS> $s

Id  Name   ComputerName    State         ConfigurationName     Availability
--  ----   ------------    -----         -----------------     ------------
1  ITTask  Server01        Opened        ITTasks                  Available
8  ITTask  Server02        Opened        ITTasks                  Available
2  ITTask  Server30        Opened        ITTasks                  Available


PS> $Results

Bug Report - Domain 01
----------------------
ComputerName          BugCount          LastUpdated
--------------        ---------         ------------
Server01              121               Friday, December 30, 2011 5:03:34 PM

The Invoke-Command cmdlet runs a script on three remote computers. Because the script gathers and summarizes data from multiple databases, it often takes the script an extended time to finish. The command uses the InDisconnectedSession parameter that starts the scripts and then immediately disconnects the sessions. The SessionOption parameter extends the IdleTimeout value of the disconnected session. Disconnected sessions are considered idle from the moment they're disconnected. It's important to set the idle time-out for long enough so that the commands can complete and you can reconnect to the session. You can set the IdleTimeout only when you create the PSSession and change it only when you disconnect from it. You can't change the IdleTimeout value when you connect to a PSSession or receiving its results. After running the command, the user exits PowerShell and closes the computer.

The next day, the user resumes Windows, starts PowerShell, and uses Get-PSSession to get the sessions in which the scripts were running. The command identifies the sessions by the computer name, session name, and the name of the session configuration and saves the sessions in the $s variable. The value of the $s variable is displayed and shows that the sessions are disconnected, but aren't busy.

The Receive-PSSession cmdlet connects to the sessions in the $s variable and gets their results. The command saves the results in the $Results variable. The $s variable is displayed and shows that the sessions are connected and available for commands.

The script results in the $Results variable are displayed in the PowerShell console. If any of the results are unexpected, the user can run commands in the sessions to investigate the root cause.

Example 6: Running a job in a disconnected session

This example shows what happens to a job that's running in a disconnected session.

PS> $s = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 -Name Test
PS> $j = Invoke-Command -Session $s { 1..1500 | Foreach-Object {"Return $_"; sleep 30}} -AsJob
PS> $j

Id     Name           State         HasMoreData     Location
--     ----           -----         -----------     --------
16     Job1           Running       True            Server01


PS> $s | Disconnect-PSSession

Id Name   ComputerName    State         ConfigurationName     Availability
-- ----   ------------    -----         -----------------     ------------
1  Test   Server01        Disconnected  Microsoft.PowerShell          None


PS> $j

Id     Name           State         HasMoreData     Location
--     ----           -----         -----------     --------
16     Job1           Disconnected  True            Server01


PS> Receive-Job $j -Keep

Return 1
Return 2


PS> $s2 = Connect-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 -Name Test
PS> $j2 = Receive-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 -Name Test
PS> Receive-Job $j

Return 3
Return 4

The New-PSSession cmdlet creates the Test session on the Server01 computer. The command saves the session in the $s variable.

The Invoke-Command cmdlet runs a command in the session in the $s variable. The command uses the AsJob parameter to run the command as a job and creates the job object in the current session. The command returns a job object that's saved in the $j variable. The $j variable displays the job object.

The session object in the $s variable is sent down the pipeline to Disconnect-PSSession and the session is disconnected.

The $j variable is displayed and shows the effect of disconnecting the job object in the $j variable. The job state is now Disconnected.

The Receive-Job is run on the job in the $j variable. The output shows that the job began to return output before the session and the job were disconnected.

The Connect-PSSession cmdlet is run in the same client session. The command reconnects to the Test session on the Server01 computer and saves the session in the $s2 variable.

The Receive-PSSession cmdlet gets the results of the job that was running in the session. Because the command is run in the same session, Receive-PSSession returns the results as a job by default and reuses the same job object. The command saves the job in the $j2 variable. The Receive-Job cmdlet gets the results of the job in the $j variable.

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 doesn't 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 an application. This cmdlet connects only to sessions that use the specified application.

Enter the application name segment of the connection URI. For example, in the following connection URI, WSMan is the application name: http://localhost:5985/WSMAN.

The application name of a session is stored in the Runspace.ConnectionInfo.AppName property of the session.

The parameter's value is used to select and filter sessions. It doesn't change the application that the session uses.

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

-Authentication

Specifies the mechanism that's used to authenticate the user credentials in the command to reconnect to a disconnected session. 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:Default
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 connect to the disconnected session. Enter the certificate thumbprint of the certificate.

Certificates are used in client certificate-based authentication. Certificates can be mapped only to local user accounts, and don't work with domain accounts.

To get a certificate thumbprint, use a 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 the computer on which the disconnected session is stored. Sessions are stored on the computer that's at the server-side, or receiving end of a connection. The default is the local computer.

Type the NetBIOS name, an IP address, or a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of one computer. Wildcard characters aren't permitted. To specify the local computer, type the computer name, a dot (.), $env:COMPUTERNAME, or localhost.

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

-ConfigurationName

Specifies the name of a session configuration. This cmdlet connects only to sessions that use the specified session configuration.

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 configuration name of a session is stored in the ConfigurationName property of the session.

The parameter's value is used to select and filter sessions. It doesn't change the session configuration that the session uses.

For more information about session configurations, see about_Session_Configurations.

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

-Confirm

Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.

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

-ConnectionUri

Specifies a URI that defines the connection endpoint that is used to reconnect to the disconnected session.

The URI must be fully qualified. The string's format is as follows:

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

The default value is as follows:

http://localhost:5985/WSMAN

If you don't specify a connection URI, you can use the UseSSL, ComputerName, Port, and ApplicationName parameters to specify the connection URI 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 with standard 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:http://localhost:5985/WSMAN
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Credential

Specifies a user account that has permission to connect to the disconnected session. 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:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Id

Specifies the ID of a disconnected session. The Id parameter works only when the disconnected session was previously connected to the current session.

This parameter is valid, but not effective, when the session is stored on the local computer, but wasn't connected to the current session.

Type:Int32
Position:0
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-InstanceId

Specifies the instance ID of the disconnected session. The instance ID is a GUID that uniquely identifies a PSSession on a local or remote computer. The instance ID is stored in the InstanceID property of the PSSession.

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

-JobName

Specifies a friendly name for the job that Receive-PSSession returns.

Receive-PSSession returns a job when the value of the OutTarget parameter is Job or the job that's running in the disconnected session was started in the current session.

If the job that's running in the disconnected session was started in the current session, PowerShell reuses the original job object in the session and ignores the value of the JobName parameter.

If the job that's running in the disconnected session was started in a different session, PowerShell creates a new job object. It uses a default name, but you can use this parameter to change the name.

If the default value or explicit value of the OutTarget parameter isn't Job, the command succeeds, but the JobName parameter has no effect.

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

-Name

Specifies the friendly name of the disconnected session.

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

-OutTarget

Determines how the session results are returned. The acceptable values for this parameter are:

  • Job. Returns the results asynchronously in a job object. You can use the JobName parameter to specify a name or new name for the job.
  • Host. Returns the results to the command line (synchronously). If the command is being resumed or the results consist of a large number of objects, the response might be delayed.

The default value of the OutTarget parameter is Host. If the command that's being received in a disconnected session was started in the current session, the default value of the OutTarget parameter is the form in which the command was started. If the command was started as a job, by default, it's returned as a job. Otherwise, it's returned to the host program by default.

Typically, the host program displays returned objects at the command line without delay, but this behavior can vary.

Type:OutTarget
Accepted values:Default, Host, Job
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Port

Specifies the remote computer's network port that's used to reconnect to the session. To connect to a remote computer, it 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 on that port. To configure the listener, type the following two commands at the PowerShell prompt:

Remove-Item -Path WSMan:\Localhost\listener\listener* -Recurse

New-Item -Path WSMan:\Localhost\listener -Transport http -Address * -Port \<port-number\>

Don't use the Port parameter unless it's necessary. The port that's set 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

-Session

Specifies the disconnected session. Enter a variable that contains the PSSession or a command that creates or gets the PSSession, such as a Get-PSSession command.

Type:PSSession
Position:0
Default value:None
Required:True
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'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 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

-UseSSL

Indicates that this cmdlet uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol to connect to the disconnected session. By default, SSL isn't used.

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

If you use this parameter and 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

-WhatIf

Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet isn't run.

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

Inputs

PSSession

You can pipe session objects to this cmdlet, such as objects returned by the Get-PSSession cmdlet.

Int32

You can pipe session Ids to this cmdlet.

Guid

You can pipe the instance Ids of sessions this cmdlet.

String

You can pipe session names to this cmdlet.

Outputs

Job

If the value or default value of the OutTarget parameter is Job, Receive-PSSession returns a job object.

PSObject

This cmdlet returns the results of commands that ran in the disconnected session, if any.

Notes

Windows PowerShell includes the following aliases for Receive-PSSession:

  • rcsn

Receive-PSSession gets results only from sessions that were disconnected. Only sessions that are connected to, or terminate at, computers that run PowerShell 3.0 or later versions can be disconnected and reconnected.

If the commands that were running in the disconnected session didn't generate results or if the results were already returned to another session, Receive-PSSession doesn't generate any output.

A session's output buffering mode determines how commands in the session manage output when the session is disconnected. When the value of the OutputBufferingMode option of the session is Drop and the output buffer is full, the command starts to delete output. Receive-PSSession can't recover this output. For more information about the output buffering mode option, see the help articles for the New-PSSessionOption and New-PSTransportOption cmdlets.

You can't change the idle time-out value of a PSSession when you connect to the PSSession or receive results. The SessionOption parameter of Receive-PSSession takes a SessionOption object that has an IdleTimeout value. However, the IdleTimeout value of the SessionOption object and the IdleTimeout value of the $PSSessionOption variable are ignored when it connects to a PSSession or receiving results.

  • You can set and change the idle time-out of a PSSession when you create the PSSession, by using the New-PSSession or Invoke-Command cmdlets, and when you disconnect from the PSSession.
  • The IdleTimeout property of a PSSession is critical to disconnected sessions because it determines how long a disconnected session is maintained on the remote computer. Disconnected sessions are considered to be idle from the moment that they are disconnected, even if commands are running in the disconnected session.

If you start a start a job in a remote session by using the AsJob parameter of the Invoke-Command cmdlet, the job object is created in the current session, even though the job runs in the remote session. If you disconnect the remote session, the job object in the current session is disconnected from the job. The job object contains any results that were returned to it, but doesn't receive new results from the job in the disconnected session.

If a different client connects to the session that contains the running job, the results that were delivered to the original job object in the original session aren't available in the newly connected session. Only results that were not delivered to the original job object are available in the reconnected session.

Similarly, if you start a script in a session and then disconnect from the session, any results that the script delivers to the session before disconnecting aren't available to another client that connects to the session.

To prevent data loss in sessions that you intend to disconnect, use the InDisconnectedSession parameter of the Invoke-Command cmdlet. Because this parameter prevents results from being returned to the current session, all results are available when the session is reconnected.

You can also prevent data loss by using the Invoke-Command cmdlet to run a Start-Job command in the remote session. In this case, the job object is created in the remote session. You can't use the Receive-PSSession cmdlet to get the job results. Instead, use the Connect-PSSession cmdlet to connect to the session and then use the Invoke-Command cmdlet to run a Receive-Job command in the session.

When a session that contains a running job is disconnected and then reconnected, the original job object is reused only if the job is disconnected and reconnected to the same session, and the command to reconnect doesn't specify a new job name. If the session is reconnected to a different client session or a new job name is specified, PowerShell creates a new job object for the new session.

When you disconnect a PSSession, the session state is Disconnected and the availability is None.

  • The value of the State property is relative to the current session. A value of Disconnected means that the PSSession isn't connected to the current session. However, it doesn't mean that the PSSession is disconnected from all sessions. It might be connected to a different session. To determine whether you can connect or reconnect to the session, use the Availability property.
  • An Availability value of None indicates that you can connect to the session. A value of Busy indicates that you can't connect to the PSSession because it's connected to another session.
  • For more information about the values of the State property of sessions, see RunspaceState.
  • For more information about the values of the Availability property of sessions, see RunspaceAvailability.