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1) FreePing
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10) WinDiff

Windows PowerShell WinRm and WSMan

Windows PowerShell WinRm and WSMan

To get PowerShell's remoting capability working fully, you need an extra 'shell', which is supplied by the WinRm.  Even after the WinRm service install completes successfully, you need to tweak its config settings before the remote sessions become operational.

Remoting in Microsoft PowerShell with WinRm and WSMan

• WinRm Problem - WSMan Solution
• WSMan Example which Connects to the Client Sub-folder
• Troubleshooting TrustedHosts Remote Connection Problems
• Basic PowerShell Remoting Commands

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Preliminary Discussion of WinRm

WinRm is the underlying engine or resource for PowerShell remoting; it is also the name of the additional executable that you need to download from the Microsoft Connect site.  Once installed, you can access WinRm directly from the 'DOS' command line, or better still, check and amend settings with PowerShell's own WSMan: provider.

WinRm Problem - WSMan Solution

PowerShell has handy commands to create remote sessions such as

Problem the above command does not work because an WinRm settings called TrustedHosts needs configuring.  To achieve this goal we need to enter what PowerShell calls the WSMan namespace.  (The other alternative is to use cmd and call for WinRm -?)

Use PowerShell Itself to Control TrustedHosts

Preamble:  If you need a refresher on 'cd' (Change directory) try this at the PowerShell command line, for example:
cd c:
or
cd c:\windows

WSMan Example Which Connects to the 'Client' Sub-folder

Rather than a succession of short steps, we could use one longish path statement.  Dir displays the TrustedHosts settings stored in the client sub-folder.

However, if the above does not work then try this alternative line-by-line method:

cd wsman:
cd localhost\client
dir

Please note: cd wsman fails, we need that colon.

cd wsman:  (Succeeds now we can access the wsman 'area', 'namespace' or 'drive'.)

TrustedHosts Goal:  To set, or change TrustedHosts so that any machine can connect remotely.

A more restrictive approach would be to set the value for TrustedHosts to a named machine.

Set-Item TrustedHosts BigServer

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Troubleshooting TrustedHosts Remote Connection Problems

• One common problem is ERROR: Access is denied.
  Solution: Launch PowerShell with elevated rights, in simple language: Run as administrator.
• Try setting TrustedHosts * on BOTH machines, that is the machine acting as the client as well as the server to which you are trying to establish a session.
• Remember that for once this is a plural TrustedHostS.
• Remember to restart the WinRm service, otherwise changes won't take effect, try:
  restart-Service WinRm
• Keep your eye on the difference between the namespace WSMan and the Windows service winrm.

Summary of Windows PowerShell WinRm and WSMan

To make sure that PowerShell's remoting is not restricted we often need to check the client settings. For this we can use cmd and WinRm, or better, PowerShell and WSMan.  A common use of this technique is to change the TrustedHosts from nobody to everybody. 

See more Microsoft PowerShell tutorials

• PShell Home  • Introduction  • Dreams  • 3 Key Commands  • Cmdlet scripts  • Real life tasks

• Remote PowerShell  • -Online  • WinRm and WSMan  • Invoke-Command  • Jobs  -asJob

Please write in if you see errors of any kind.  Please report any factual mistakes, grammatical errors or broken links, I will be happy to not only to correct the fault, but also to give you credit.

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