What is a Windows PowerShell session?

A session is an environment where you can run Windows PowerShell commands and scripts. Windows systems supports two types of sessions for Windows PowerShell:

1. Default Sessions - Sessions implicitly created by the local computer, when you start Windows PowerShell to execute Windows PowerShell commands or scripts on the local computer.

2. User-Managed Sessions - Sessions explicitly created on remote computers by you to execute Windows PowerShell commands or scripts on remote computers

User-Managed Sessions are also called PSSessions (PowerShell Sessions). PSSessions are created by issuing PSSession creation cmdlets on the local computer. These cmdlets will request PSSessions to be created on remote computers. You can then send Windows PowerShell commands or scripts to be executed in those PSSessions on remote computers.

For example, the following scenario creates a default session and a PSSession:

• Start Windows PowerShell on your computer. A default session is created on your computer.
• Run "$s = New-PSSession office-server" cmdlet. A PSSession is created on the "office-server" computer.
• Run "Invoke-Command -Session $s {Get-Date}" cmdlet. "Get-Date" is executed in the PSSession on the "office-server" computer.
• Run "Remove-PSSession $s" cmdlet. Terminate the PSSession on the "office-server" computer.
• Run "Exit" cmdlet. Terminate the default session on your computer.

The picture below shows you the relation between a default session on the local computer and a PSSession on a remote computer:

 

⇒ "New-PSSession" Cmdlet in Windows PowerShell

⇐ "Test-Connection" Cmdlet in Windows PowerShell

⇑ Managing Remote Computer with Windows PowerShell

⇑⇑ Windows PowerShell Tutorials