PowerShell Remoting: Manage Multiple Servers at Once

You need to check disk space on 50 servers. Your options: log into each one manually (taking hours), or write a PowerShell script that queries all 50 in parallel (taking minutes).

PowerShell Remoting is the infrastructure automation superpower that lets you manage dozens—or thousands—of Windows systems from a single command line. Learn it once, multiply your efficiency forever.

What You'll Learn

PowerShell Remoting fundamentals and security
One-to-one and one-to-many remote sessions
Executing commands across multiple servers in parallel
Managing persistent sessions for complex workflows
Security best practices and troubleshooting
Real-world automation examples

Why PowerShell Remoting Matters

Manual server management doesn't scale:

Time-consuming: Log into each server individually
Error-prone: Forget servers or make inconsistent changes
Not auditable: Hard to track what changed where and when
Sequential: Can't update multiple servers simultaneously
Frustrating: Same task repeated dozens of times

PowerShell Remoting solves all of this by bringing the servers to you instead of you going to the servers.

Prerequisites

Before you start:

Windows PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7+
Administrative access to target systems
Network connectivity to remote systems
WinRM service enabled on target machines

Enabling PowerShell Remoting

PowerShell Remoting uses WinRM (Windows Remote Management) protocol. Enable it on target systems:

On Domain-Joined Machines

powershell

1# Run as Administrator on target machine
2Enable-PSRemoting -Force

This single command:

Starts the WinRM service
Sets it to start automatically
Creates firewall exceptions
Configures listener for HTTP and HTTPS

On Workgroup Machines

Requires additional configuration:

powershell

1# On target machine (as Administrator)
2Enable-PSRemoting -Force
3
4# Add all remote computers to TrustedHosts (use with caution)
5Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "*" -Force
6
7# Or add specific computers
8Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "Server01,Server02" -Force
9
10# Restart WinRM
11Restart-Service WinRM

Verify Remoting is Enabled

powershell

1# Test from your local machine
2Test-WSMan -ComputerName "ServerName"

If successful, you'll see configuration information. If it fails, remoting isn't configured correctly.

Basic Remote Execution

Single Command on One Server

powershell

1# Run a single command remotely
2Invoke-Command -ComputerName "Server01" -ScriptBlock {
3    Get-Service -Name "W3SVC"
4}

The -ScriptBlock executes on the remote server, and results return to your console.

Single Command on Multiple Servers

The real power: execute on many systems at once:

powershell

1# Check disk space on multiple servers
2$servers = "Server01", "Server02", "Server03", "Server04"
3
4Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
5    Get-PSDrive C | Select-Object Used, Free
6}

PowerShell executes in parallel across all servers, returning consolidated results.

Using Credentials

When your current credentials aren't sufficient:

powershell

1# Prompt for credentials
2$cred = Get-Credential
3
4# Use with remote command
5Invoke-Command -ComputerName "Server01" -Credential $cred -ScriptBlock {
6    Get-EventLog -LogName Application -Newest 10
7}

Persistent Sessions

For complex operations, create persistent sessions:

Create a Session

powershell

1# Create persistent session
2$session = New-PSSession -ComputerName "Server01"
3
4# Run multiple commands in the same session
5Invoke-Command -Session $session -ScriptBlock {
6    $result = Get-Process
7    $result | Where-Object {$_.CPU -gt 100}
8}
9
10# Variables persist between commands
11Invoke-Command -Session $session -ScriptBlock {
12    # $result still exists from previous command
13    $result.Count
14}
15
16# Close session when done
17Remove-PSSession $session

Multiple Persistent Sessions

powershell

1# Create sessions to multiple servers
2$servers = "Server01", "Server02", "Server03"
3$sessions = New-PSSession -ComputerName $servers
4
5# Run commands across all sessions
6Invoke-Command -Session $sessions -ScriptBlock {
7    Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "Running"}
8}
9
10# Clean up
11Remove-PSSession $sessions

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Disk Space Report

Generate disk space report across all servers:

powershell

1# List of servers
2$servers = Get-Content "C:\servers.txt"
3
4# Check disk space
5$diskInfo = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
6    Get-PSDrive -PSProvider FileSystem | Where-Object {$_.Used -gt 0} | Select-Object @{
7        Name = "ComputerName"
8        Expression = {$env:COMPUTERNAME}
9    },
10    Name,
11    @{Name = "Used(GB)"; Expression = {[math]::Round($_.Used/1GB, 2)}},
12    @{Name = "Free(GB)"; Expression = {[math]::Round($_.Free/1GB, 2)}},
13    @{Name = "Total(GB)"; Expression = {[math]::Round(($_.Used + $_.Free)/1GB, 2)}},
14    @{Name = "PercentFree"; Expression = {[math]::Round(($_.Free/($_.Used + $_.Free)) * 100, 2)}}
15}
16
17# Export to CSV
18$diskInfo | Export-Csv "DiskSpaceReport.csv" -NoTypeInformation
19
20# Alert on low disk space
21$diskInfo | Where-Object {$_.PercentFree -lt 10} | Format-Table -AutoSize

Example 2: Service Management

Stop/start services across multiple servers:

powershell

1# Restart IIS on web servers
2$webServers = "WebServer01", "WebServer02", "WebServer03"
3
4Invoke-Command -ComputerName $webServers -ScriptBlock {
5    # Stop IIS
6    Stop-Service W3SVC -Force
7    
8    # Wait 5 seconds
9    Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
10    
11    # Start IIS
12    Start-Service W3SVC
13    
14    # Verify status
15    Get-Service W3SVC | Select-Object Status
16}

Example 3: Event Log Collection

Collect specific events from multiple servers:

powershell

1$servers = "Server01", "Server02", "Server03"
2
3$events = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
4    Get-EventLog -LogName System -EntryType Error -Newest 50 | 
5        Select-Object TimeGenerated, Source, EventID, Message, @{
6            Name = "ComputerName"
7            Expression = {$env:COMPUTERNAME}
8        }
9}
10
11# Filter and export
12$events | Where-Object {$_.TimeGenerated -gt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7)} |
13    Export-Csv "SystemErrors_LastWeek.csv" -NoTypeInformation

Example 4: Software Installation Check

Verify software is installed across servers:

powershell

1$servers = Get-Content "C:\servers.txt"
2$softwareName = "Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8"
3
4$installStatus = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
5    param($name)
6    
7    $installed = Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* |
8        Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*$name*"}
9    
10    [PSCustomObject]@{
11        ComputerName = $env:COMPUTERNAME
12        SoftwareName = $name
13        Installed = [bool]$installed
14        Version = $installed.DisplayVersion
15    }
16} -ArgumentList $softwareName
17
18# Show servers where software is NOT installed
19$installStatus | Where-Object {-not $_.Installed} | Format-Table -AutoSize

Example 5: Scheduled Task Deployment

Create scheduled task on multiple servers:

powershell

1$servers = "Server01", "Server02", "Server03"
2
3Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
4    param($taskName, $scriptPath)
5    
6    # Create scheduled task action
7    $action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "PowerShell.exe" -Argument "-File `"$scriptPath`""
8    
9    # Create trigger (daily at 2 AM)
10    $trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Daily -At 2am
11    
12    # Set principal (run as SYSTEM)
13    $principal = New-ScheduledTaskPrincipal -UserId "SYSTEM" -RunLevel Highest
14    
15    # Register task
16    Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName $taskName -Action $action -Trigger $trigger -Principal $principal -Force
17    
18    Write-Output "Task '$taskName' created on $env:COMPUTERNAME"
19    
20} -ArgumentList "DailyBackup", "C:\Scripts\Backup.ps1"

Advanced Techniques

Parallel Execution with Throttling

Control how many servers execute simultaneously:

powershell

1# Process 5 servers at a time
2Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ThrottleLimit 5 -ScriptBlock {
3    # Your script here
4}

Default throttle limit is 32. Lower for resource-intensive operations, higher for simple checks.

Using Argument Lists

Pass local variables to remote scriptblocks:

powershell

1$localVariable = "ImportantValue"
2$threshold = 80
3
4Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
5    param($var, $thresh)
6    
7    # Use parameters inside scriptblock
8    Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.CPU -gt $thresh}
9    Write-Output "Processed with value: $var"
10    
11} -ArgumentList $localVariable, $threshold

Remote Script Execution

Execute an entire script file remotely:

powershell

1# Run local script on remote computers
2Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -FilePath "C:\Scripts\MyScript.ps1"

The script executes on remote machines, but file must exist locally (PowerShell copies it).

Background Jobs

Run commands in the background:

powershell

1# Start remote job
2$job = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
3    # Long-running task
4    Get-ChildItem C:\ -Recurse
5} -AsJob
6
7# Check job status
8Get-Job $job
9
10# Wait for completion
11Wait-Job $job
12
13# Get results
14Receive-Job $job
15
16# Clean up
17Remove-Job $job

Interactive Sessions

Enter an interactive PowerShell session on remote machine:

powershell

1# Enter interactive session
2Enter-PSSession -ComputerName "Server01"
3
4# Now you're running commands directly on Server01
5Get-Service
6Get-Process
7# ... any command
8
9# Exit session
10Exit-PSSession

Production-Ready Automation Script

Here's a comprehensive server management script:

powershell

1<#
2.SYNOPSIS
3    Multi-Server Management Script
4.DESCRIPTION
5    Executes administrative tasks across multiple servers with error handling and logging.
6.EXAMPLE
7    .\Invoke-MultiServerTask.ps1 -ServerList servers.txt -Task DiskSpace
8#>
9
10[CmdletBinding()]
11param(
12    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
13    [string]$ServerList,
14    
15    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
16    [ValidateSet("DiskSpace", "Services", "Updates", "EventLogs")]
17    [string]$Task,
18    
19    [PSCredential]$Credential,
20    
21    [int]$ThrottleLimit = 10,
22    
23    [string]$LogPath = "C:\Logs\ServerManagement.log"
24)
25
26# Logging function
27function Write-Log {
28    param($Message, $Level = "INFO")
29    $timestamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"
30    $logMessage = "$timestamp [$Level] $Message"
31    Add-Content -Path $LogPath -Value $logMessage
32    Write-Host $logMessage
33}
34
35# Load server list
36try {
37    $servers = Get-Content $ServerList -ErrorAction Stop
38    Write-Log "Loaded $($servers.Count) servers from $ServerList"
39}
40catch {
41    Write-Log "Failed to load server list: $_" -Level "ERROR"
42    exit 1
43}
44
45# Test connectivity
46Write-Log "Testing connectivity to servers..."
47$onlineServers = @()
48$offlineServers = @()
49
50foreach ($server in $servers) {
51    if (Test-Connection -ComputerName $server -Count 1 -Quiet) {
52        $onlineServers += $server
53    }
54    else {
55        $offlineServers += $server
56        Write-Log "Server offline: $server" -Level "WARNING"
57    }
58}
59
60Write-Log "$($onlineServers.Count) servers online, $($offlineServers.Count) offline"
61
62# Execute task based on parameter
63$scriptBlock = switch ($Task) {
64    "DiskSpace" {
65        {
66            Get-PSDrive -PSProvider FileSystem | Where-Object {$_.Used -gt 0} | Select-Object @{
67                Name = "Server"
68                Expression = {$env:COMPUTERNAME}
69            },
70            Name,
71            @{Name = "Used_GB"; Expression = {[math]::Round($_.Used/1GB, 2)}},
72            @{Name = "Free_GB"; Expression = {[math]::Round($_.Free/1GB, 2)}},
73            @{Name = "PercentFree"; Expression = {[math]::Round(($_.Free/($_.Used + $_.Free)) * 100, 2)}}
74        }
75    }
76    
77    "Services" {
78        {
79            Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.StartType -eq "Automatic" -and $_.Status -ne "Running"} |
80                Select-Object @{Name = "Server"; Expression = {$env:COMPUTERNAME}},
81                              Name, Status, StartType
82        }
83    }
84    
85    "Updates" {
86        {
87            $session = New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session
88            $searcher = $session.CreateUpdateSearcher()
89            $updates = $searcher.Search("IsInstalled=0")
90            
91            [PSCustomObject]@{
92                Server = $env:COMPUTERNAME
93                UpdateCount = $updates.Updates.Count
94                Updates = ($updates.Updates | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Title) -join "; "
95            }
96        }
97    }
98    
99    "EventLogs" {
100        {
101            Get-EventLog -LogName System -EntryType Error -After (Get-Date).AddHours(-24) -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
102                Group-Object Source | Select-Object @{Name = "Server"; Expression = {$env:COMPUTERNAME}},
103                                                     @{Name = "Source"; Expression = {$_.Name}},
104                                                     @{Name = "ErrorCount"; Expression = {$_.Count}}
105        }
106    }
107}
108
109# Execute remotely
110Write-Log "Executing $Task on $($onlineServers.Count) servers (throttle limit: $ThrottleLimit)..."
111
112try {
113    $params = @{
114        ComputerName = $onlineServers
115        ScriptBlock = $scriptBlock
116        ThrottleLimit = $ThrottleLimit
117        ErrorAction = "Continue"
118    }
119    
120    if ($Credential) {
121        $params.Credential = $Credential
122    }
123    
124    $results = Invoke-Command @params
125    
126    # Export results
127    $outputFile = "C:\Reports\${Task}_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd_HHmmss').csv"
128    $results | Export-Csv $outputFile -NoTypeInformation
129    
130    Write-Log "Results exported to: $outputFile"
131    Write-Log "Task completed successfully. Processed $($results.Count) results."
132    
133    # Display summary
134    $results | Format-Table -AutoSize
135}
136catch {
137    Write-Log "Task execution failed: $_" -Level "ERROR"
138    exit 1
139}

Security Best Practices

Use HTTPS for Remoting

Configure WinRM to use HTTPS:

powershell

1# Create self-signed certificate (or use proper certificate)
2$cert = New-SelfSignedCertificate -DnsName "ServerName" -CertStoreLocation Cert:\LocalMachine\My
3
4# Create HTTPS listener
5New-Item -Path WSMan:\LocalHost\Listener -Transport HTTPS -Address * -CertificateThumbPrint $cert.Thumbprint -Force
6
7# Configure firewall
8New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "WinRM HTTPS" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 5986 -Protocol TCP -Action Allow

Connect using HTTPS:

powershell

1Invoke-Command -ComputerName "ServerName" -UseSSL -ScriptBlock {Get-Service}

Limit Trusted Hosts

Don't use wildcard (*) for TrustedHosts in production:

powershell

1# Specific computers only
2Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "Server01,Server02,Server03"

Use JEA (Just Enough Administration)

Restrict remote users to specific commands:

powershell

1# Create constrained endpoint
2Register-PSSessionConfiguration -Name "LimitedRemoting" -RunAsVirtualAccount -TranscriptDirectory "C:\Transcripts"

Enable Session Transcripts

Log all remote sessions:

powershell

1# Enable transcription
2Start-Transcript -Path "C:\Transcripts\RemoteSession_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd').txt"
3
4# Your remote commands here
5
6Stop-Transcript

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Error	Cause	Solution
"Access is denied"	Insufficient permissions	Run as Administrator, use `-Credential`
"WinRM cannot process the request"	WinRM not enabled	Run `Enable-PSRemoting` on target
"The server certificate is invalid"	Certificate trust issue	Use `-SessionOption` to skip certificate check (non-production only)
"Connecting to remote server failed"	Firewall blocking WinRM	Enable ports 5985 (HTTP) or 5986 (HTTPS)
Timeout errors	Network latency or server overload	Increase timeout with `-SessionOption`

Verify Configuration

powershell

1# Check WinRM configuration
2Get-WSManInstance -ResourceURI winrm/config/listener -Enumerate
3
4# Check firewall rules
5Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "*WinRM*"
6
7# Test remoting
8Test-WSMan -ComputerName "ServerName"

Key Takeaways

PowerShell Remoting enables management of multiple servers from a single console
Invoke-Command runs commands remotely, in parallel across many systems
Persistent sessions improve performance for complex multi-step operations
Security matters: Use HTTPS, limit TrustedHosts, implement JEA
Error handling and logging are critical for production automation
Parallel execution with throttling prevents overwhelming servers

Conclusion

PowerShell Remoting transforms Windows system administration from a manual, sequential process into an automated, parallel workflow. Tasks that once took hours now complete in minutes.

The scripts we've built provide a foundation for managing infrastructure at scale. Add error handling, integrate with your monitoring systems, and build a library of reusable remote management tools. Your infrastructure management is about to become dramatically more efficient.

PowerShell Remoting: Manage Multiple Servers at Once

You need to check disk space on 50 servers. Your options: log into each one manually (taking hours), or write a PowerShell script that queries all 50 in parallel (taking minutes).

What You'll Learn

PowerShell Remoting fundamentals and security
One-to-one and one-to-many remote sessions
Executing commands across multiple servers in parallel
Managing persistent sessions for complex workflows
Security best practices and troubleshooting
Real-world automation examples

Why PowerShell Remoting Matters

Manual server management doesn't scale:

Time-consuming: Log into each server individually
Error-prone: Forget servers or make inconsistent changes
Not auditable: Hard to track what changed where and when
Sequential: Can't update multiple servers simultaneously
Frustrating: Same task repeated dozens of times

PowerShell Remoting solves all of this by bringing the servers to you instead of you going to the servers.

Prerequisites

Before you start:

Windows PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7+
Administrative access to target systems
Network connectivity to remote systems
WinRM service enabled on target machines

Enabling PowerShell Remoting

PowerShell Remoting uses WinRM (Windows Remote Management) protocol. Enable it on target systems:

On Domain-Joined Machines

powershell

1# Run as Administrator on target machine
2Enable-PSRemoting -Force

This single command:

Starts the WinRM service
Sets it to start automatically
Creates firewall exceptions
Configures listener for HTTP and HTTPS

On Workgroup Machines

Requires additional configuration:

powershell

1# On target machine (as Administrator)
2Enable-PSRemoting -Force
3
4# Add all remote computers to TrustedHosts (use with caution)
5Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "*" -Force
6
7# Or add specific computers
8Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "Server01,Server02" -Force
9
10# Restart WinRM
11Restart-Service WinRM

Verify Remoting is Enabled

powershell

1# Test from your local machine
2Test-WSMan -ComputerName "ServerName"

If successful, you'll see configuration information. If it fails, remoting isn't configured correctly.

Basic Remote Execution

Single Command on One Server

powershell

1# Run a single command remotely
2Invoke-Command -ComputerName "Server01" -ScriptBlock {
3    Get-Service -Name "W3SVC"
4}

The -ScriptBlock executes on the remote server, and results return to your console.

Single Command on Multiple Servers

The real power: execute on many systems at once:

powershell

1# Check disk space on multiple servers
2$servers = "Server01", "Server02", "Server03", "Server04"
3
4Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
5    Get-PSDrive C | Select-Object Used, Free
6}

PowerShell executes in parallel across all servers, returning consolidated results.

Using Credentials

When your current credentials aren't sufficient:

powershell

1# Prompt for credentials
2$cred = Get-Credential
3
4# Use with remote command
5Invoke-Command -ComputerName "Server01" -Credential $cred -ScriptBlock {
6    Get-EventLog -LogName Application -Newest 10
7}

Persistent Sessions

For complex operations, create persistent sessions:

Create a Session

powershell

1# Create persistent session
2$session = New-PSSession -ComputerName "Server01"
3
4# Run multiple commands in the same session
5Invoke-Command -Session $session -ScriptBlock {
6    $result = Get-Process
7    $result | Where-Object {$_.CPU -gt 100}
8}
9
10# Variables persist between commands
11Invoke-Command -Session $session -ScriptBlock {
12    # $result still exists from previous command
13    $result.Count
14}
15
16# Close session when done
17Remove-PSSession $session

Multiple Persistent Sessions

powershell

1# Create sessions to multiple servers
2$servers = "Server01", "Server02", "Server03"
3$sessions = New-PSSession -ComputerName $servers
4
5# Run commands across all sessions
6Invoke-Command -Session $sessions -ScriptBlock {
7    Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "Running"}
8}
9
10# Clean up
11Remove-PSSession $sessions

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Disk Space Report

Generate disk space report across all servers:

powershell

1# List of servers
2$servers = Get-Content "C:\servers.txt"
3
4# Check disk space
5$diskInfo = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
6    Get-PSDrive -PSProvider FileSystem | Where-Object {$_.Used -gt 0} | Select-Object @{
7        Name = "ComputerName"
8        Expression = {$env:COMPUTERNAME}
9    },
10    Name,
11    @{Name = "Used(GB)"; Expression = {[math]::Round($_.Used/1GB, 2)}},
12    @{Name = "Free(GB)"; Expression = {[math]::Round($_.Free/1GB, 2)}},
13    @{Name = "Total(GB)"; Expression = {[math]::Round(($_.Used + $_.Free)/1GB, 2)}},
14    @{Name = "PercentFree"; Expression = {[math]::Round(($_.Free/($_.Used + $_.Free)) * 100, 2)}}
15}
16
17# Export to CSV
18$diskInfo | Export-Csv "DiskSpaceReport.csv" -NoTypeInformation
19
20# Alert on low disk space
21$diskInfo | Where-Object {$_.PercentFree -lt 10} | Format-Table -AutoSize

Example 2: Service Management

Stop/start services across multiple servers:

powershell

1# Restart IIS on web servers
2$webServers = "WebServer01", "WebServer02", "WebServer03"
3
4Invoke-Command -ComputerName $webServers -ScriptBlock {
5    # Stop IIS
6    Stop-Service W3SVC -Force
7    
8    # Wait 5 seconds
9    Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
10    
11    # Start IIS
12    Start-Service W3SVC
13    
14    # Verify status
15    Get-Service W3SVC | Select-Object Status
16}

Example 3: Event Log Collection

Collect specific events from multiple servers:

powershell

1$servers = "Server01", "Server02", "Server03"
2
3$events = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
4    Get-EventLog -LogName System -EntryType Error -Newest 50 | 
5        Select-Object TimeGenerated, Source, EventID, Message, @{
6            Name = "ComputerName"
7            Expression = {$env:COMPUTERNAME}
8        }
9}
10
11# Filter and export
12$events | Where-Object {$_.TimeGenerated -gt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7)} |
13    Export-Csv "SystemErrors_LastWeek.csv" -NoTypeInformation

Example 4: Software Installation Check

Verify software is installed across servers:

powershell

1$servers = Get-Content "C:\servers.txt"
2$softwareName = "Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8"
3
4$installStatus = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
5    param($name)
6    
7    $installed = Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* |
8        Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*$name*"}
9    
10    [PSCustomObject]@{
11        ComputerName = $env:COMPUTERNAME
12        SoftwareName = $name
13        Installed = [bool]$installed
14        Version = $installed.DisplayVersion
15    }
16} -ArgumentList $softwareName
17
18# Show servers where software is NOT installed
19$installStatus | Where-Object {-not $_.Installed} | Format-Table -AutoSize

Example 5: Scheduled Task Deployment

Create scheduled task on multiple servers:

powershell

1$servers = "Server01", "Server02", "Server03"
2
3Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
4    param($taskName, $scriptPath)
5    
6    # Create scheduled task action
7    $action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "PowerShell.exe" -Argument "-File `"$scriptPath`""
8    
9    # Create trigger (daily at 2 AM)
10    $trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Daily -At 2am
11    
12    # Set principal (run as SYSTEM)
13    $principal = New-ScheduledTaskPrincipal -UserId "SYSTEM" -RunLevel Highest
14    
15    # Register task
16    Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName $taskName -Action $action -Trigger $trigger -Principal $principal -Force
17    
18    Write-Output "Task '$taskName' created on $env:COMPUTERNAME"
19    
20} -ArgumentList "DailyBackup", "C:\Scripts\Backup.ps1"

Advanced Techniques

Parallel Execution with Throttling

Control how many servers execute simultaneously:

powershell

1# Process 5 servers at a time
2Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ThrottleLimit 5 -ScriptBlock {
3    # Your script here
4}

Default throttle limit is 32. Lower for resource-intensive operations, higher for simple checks.

Using Argument Lists

Pass local variables to remote scriptblocks:

powershell

1$localVariable = "ImportantValue"
2$threshold = 80
3
4Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
5    param($var, $thresh)
6    
7    # Use parameters inside scriptblock
8    Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.CPU -gt $thresh}
9    Write-Output "Processed with value: $var"
10    
11} -ArgumentList $localVariable, $threshold

Remote Script Execution

Execute an entire script file remotely:

powershell

1# Run local script on remote computers
2Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -FilePath "C:\Scripts\MyScript.ps1"

The script executes on remote machines, but file must exist locally (PowerShell copies it).

Background Jobs

Run commands in the background:

powershell

1# Start remote job
2$job = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servers -ScriptBlock {
3    # Long-running task
4    Get-ChildItem C:\ -Recurse
5} -AsJob
6
7# Check job status
8Get-Job $job
9
10# Wait for completion
11Wait-Job $job
12
13# Get results
14Receive-Job $job
15
16# Clean up
17Remove-Job $job

Interactive Sessions

Enter an interactive PowerShell session on remote machine:

powershell

1# Enter interactive session
2Enter-PSSession -ComputerName "Server01"
3
4# Now you're running commands directly on Server01
5Get-Service
6Get-Process
7# ... any command
8
9# Exit session
10Exit-PSSession

Production-Ready Automation Script

Here's a comprehensive server management script:

powershell

1<#
2.SYNOPSIS
3    Multi-Server Management Script
4.DESCRIPTION
5    Executes administrative tasks across multiple servers with error handling and logging.
6.EXAMPLE
7    .\Invoke-MultiServerTask.ps1 -ServerList servers.txt -Task DiskSpace
8#>
9
10[CmdletBinding()]
11param(
12    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
13    [string]$ServerList,
14    
15    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
16    [ValidateSet("DiskSpace", "Services", "Updates", "EventLogs")]
17    [string]$Task,
18    
19    [PSCredential]$Credential,
20    
21    [int]$ThrottleLimit = 10,
22    
23    [string]$LogPath = "C:\Logs\ServerManagement.log"
24)
25
26# Logging function
27function Write-Log {
28    param($Message, $Level = "INFO")
29    $timestamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"
30    $logMessage = "$timestamp [$Level] $Message"
31    Add-Content -Path $LogPath -Value $logMessage
32    Write-Host $logMessage
33}
34
35# Load server list
36try {
37    $servers = Get-Content $ServerList -ErrorAction Stop
38    Write-Log "Loaded $($servers.Count) servers from $ServerList"
39}
40catch {
41    Write-Log "Failed to load server list: $_" -Level "ERROR"
42    exit 1
43}
44
45# Test connectivity
46Write-Log "Testing connectivity to servers..."
47$onlineServers = @()
48$offlineServers = @()
49
50foreach ($server in $servers) {
51    if (Test-Connection -ComputerName $server -Count 1 -Quiet) {
52        $onlineServers += $server
53    }
54    else {
55        $offlineServers += $server
56        Write-Log "Server offline: $server" -Level "WARNING"
57    }
58}
59
60Write-Log "$($onlineServers.Count) servers online, $($offlineServers.Count) offline"
61
62# Execute task based on parameter
63$scriptBlock = switch ($Task) {
64    "DiskSpace" {
65        {
66            Get-PSDrive -PSProvider FileSystem | Where-Object {$_.Used -gt 0} | Select-Object @{
67                Name = "Server"
68                Expression = {$env:COMPUTERNAME}
69            },
70            Name,
71            @{Name = "Used_GB"; Expression = {[math]::Round($_.Used/1GB, 2)}},
72            @{Name = "Free_GB"; Expression = {[math]::Round($_.Free/1GB, 2)}},
73            @{Name = "PercentFree"; Expression = {[math]::Round(($_.Free/($_.Used + $_.Free)) * 100, 2)}}
74        }
75    }
76    
77    "Services" {
78        {
79            Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.StartType -eq "Automatic" -and $_.Status -ne "Running"} |
80                Select-Object @{Name = "Server"; Expression = {$env:COMPUTERNAME}},
81                              Name, Status, StartType
82        }
83    }
84    
85    "Updates" {
86        {
87            $session = New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session
88            $searcher = $session.CreateUpdateSearcher()
89            $updates = $searcher.Search("IsInstalled=0")
90            
91            [PSCustomObject]@{
92                Server = $env:COMPUTERNAME
93                UpdateCount = $updates.Updates.Count
94                Updates = ($updates.Updates | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Title) -join "; "
95            }
96        }
97    }
98    
99    "EventLogs" {
100        {
101            Get-EventLog -LogName System -EntryType Error -After (Get-Date).AddHours(-24) -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
102                Group-Object Source | Select-Object @{Name = "Server"; Expression = {$env:COMPUTERNAME}},
103                                                     @{Name = "Source"; Expression = {$_.Name}},
104                                                     @{Name = "ErrorCount"; Expression = {$_.Count}}
105        }
106    }
107}
108
109# Execute remotely
110Write-Log "Executing $Task on $($onlineServers.Count) servers (throttle limit: $ThrottleLimit)..."
111
112try {
113    $params = @{
114        ComputerName = $onlineServers
115        ScriptBlock = $scriptBlock
116        ThrottleLimit = $ThrottleLimit
117        ErrorAction = "Continue"
118    }
119    
120    if ($Credential) {
121        $params.Credential = $Credential
122    }
123    
124    $results = Invoke-Command @params
125    
126    # Export results
127    $outputFile = "C:\Reports\${Task}_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd_HHmmss').csv"
128    $results | Export-Csv $outputFile -NoTypeInformation
129    
130    Write-Log "Results exported to: $outputFile"
131    Write-Log "Task completed successfully. Processed $($results.Count) results."
132    
133    # Display summary
134    $results | Format-Table -AutoSize
135}
136catch {
137    Write-Log "Task execution failed: $_" -Level "ERROR"
138    exit 1
139}

Security Best Practices

Use HTTPS for Remoting

Configure WinRM to use HTTPS:

powershell

1# Create self-signed certificate (or use proper certificate)
2$cert = New-SelfSignedCertificate -DnsName "ServerName" -CertStoreLocation Cert:\LocalMachine\My
3
4# Create HTTPS listener
5New-Item -Path WSMan:\LocalHost\Listener -Transport HTTPS -Address * -CertificateThumbPrint $cert.Thumbprint -Force
6
7# Configure firewall
8New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "WinRM HTTPS" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 5986 -Protocol TCP -Action Allow

Connect using HTTPS:

powershell

1Invoke-Command -ComputerName "ServerName" -UseSSL -ScriptBlock {Get-Service}

Limit Trusted Hosts

Don't use wildcard (*) for TrustedHosts in production:

powershell

1# Specific computers only
2Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "Server01,Server02,Server03"

Use JEA (Just Enough Administration)

Restrict remote users to specific commands:

powershell

1# Create constrained endpoint
2Register-PSSessionConfiguration -Name "LimitedRemoting" -RunAsVirtualAccount -TranscriptDirectory "C:\Transcripts"

Enable Session Transcripts

Log all remote sessions:

powershell

1# Enable transcription
2Start-Transcript -Path "C:\Transcripts\RemoteSession_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd').txt"
3
4# Your remote commands here
5
6Stop-Transcript

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Error	Cause	Solution
"Access is denied"	Insufficient permissions	Run as Administrator, use `-Credential`
"WinRM cannot process the request"	WinRM not enabled	Run `Enable-PSRemoting` on target
"The server certificate is invalid"	Certificate trust issue	Use `-SessionOption` to skip certificate check (non-production only)
"Connecting to remote server failed"	Firewall blocking WinRM	Enable ports 5985 (HTTP) or 5986 (HTTPS)
Timeout errors	Network latency or server overload	Increase timeout with `-SessionOption`

Verify Configuration

powershell

1# Check WinRM configuration
2Get-WSManInstance -ResourceURI winrm/config/listener -Enumerate
3
4# Check firewall rules
5Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "*WinRM*"
6
7# Test remoting
8Test-WSMan -ComputerName "ServerName"

Key Takeaways

PowerShell Remoting enables management of multiple servers from a single console
Invoke-Command runs commands remotely, in parallel across many systems
Persistent sessions improve performance for complex multi-step operations
Security matters: Use HTTPS, limit TrustedHosts, implement JEA
Error handling and logging are critical for production automation
Parallel execution with throttling prevents overwhelming servers

Conclusion

PowerShell Remoting transforms Windows system administration from a manual, sequential process into an automated, parallel workflow. Tasks that once took hours now complete in minutes.

PowerShell Remoting: Manage Multiple Servers at Once

What You'll Learn

Why PowerShell Remoting Matters

Prerequisites

Enabling PowerShell Remoting

On Domain-Joined Machines

On Workgroup Machines

Verify Remoting is Enabled

Basic Remote Execution

Single Command on One Server

Single Command on Multiple Servers

Using Credentials

Persistent Sessions

Create a Session

Multiple Persistent Sessions

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Disk Space Report

Example 2: Service Management

Example 3: Event Log Collection

Example 4: Software Installation Check

Example 5: Scheduled Task Deployment

Advanced Techniques

Parallel Execution with Throttling

Using Argument Lists

Remote Script Execution

Background Jobs

Interactive Sessions

Production-Ready Automation Script

Security Best Practices

Use HTTPS for Remoting

Limit Trusted Hosts

Use JEA (Just Enough Administration)

Enable Session Transcripts

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Verify Configuration

Key Takeaways

Conclusion

Share this article

PowerShell Remoting: Manage Multiple Servers at Once

What You'll Learn

Why PowerShell Remoting Matters

Prerequisites

Enabling PowerShell Remoting

On Domain-Joined Machines

On Workgroup Machines

Verify Remoting is Enabled

Basic Remote Execution

Single Command on One Server

Single Command on Multiple Servers

Using Credentials

Persistent Sessions

Create a Session

Multiple Persistent Sessions

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Disk Space Report

Example 2: Service Management

Example 3: Event Log Collection

Example 4: Software Installation Check

Example 5: Scheduled Task Deployment

Advanced Techniques

Parallel Execution with Throttling

Using Argument Lists

Remote Script Execution

Background Jobs

Interactive Sessions

Production-Ready Automation Script

Security Best Practices

Use HTTPS for Remoting

Limit Trusted Hosts

Use JEA (Just Enough Administration)

Enable Session Transcripts

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Verify Configuration

Key Takeaways

Conclusion

Share this article