Monitoring scripts with email alerts in PowerShell - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

PowerShell Email Alert Command Output

What is the output of this PowerShell command that sends an email alert when disk space is low?

PowerShell

Send-MailMessage -From "[e-mail]" -To "[e-mail]" -Subject "Disk Space Low" -Body "Drive C: is below 10% free space." -SmtpServer "smtp.company.com"

A The command outputs the disk space percentage to the console.

B The command saves the alert message to a local file instead of sending an email.

C The command returns an error: Send-MailMessage : The SMTP server was not found.

D An email is sent to [e-mail] with the subject 'Disk Space Low'.

💡 Hint

Check what Send-MailMessage does with the given parameters.

Send-MailMessage sends an email with the specified parameters. It does not output disk space or save to a file.

❓ Configuration

intermediate

Configuring SMTP Server for PowerShell Email Alerts

Which SMTP server configuration is correct for sending email alerts using PowerShell's Send-MailMessage cmdlet?

A SmtpServer = "smtp.company.com:8080"

B SmtpServer = "smtp.company.com"

C SmtpServer = "ftp://smtp.company.com"

D SmtpServer = "http://smtp.company.com"

💡 Hint

SMTP server should be specified as a hostname or IP without protocol prefix.

The SmtpServer parameter expects a hostname or IP address without protocol or port unless the port is default.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Troubleshooting PowerShell Email Alert Failure

A monitoring script using Send-MailMessage fails with the error: 'The SMTP server requires a secure connection or the client was not authenticated.' What is the most likely cause?

A The SMTP server requires credentials and SSL, but the script does not provide them.

B The SMTP server address is incorrect.

C The email recipient address is invalid.

D The PowerShell version is outdated and does not support Send-MailMessage.

💡 Hint

Check if the script includes credentials and SSL parameters.

This error usually means the SMTP server needs authentication and secure connection, which must be provided in the script.

🔀 Workflow

advanced

PowerShell Monitoring Script Workflow for Email Alerts

Which step order correctly describes a PowerShell script workflow that monitors CPU usage and sends an email alert if usage exceeds 80%?

A 1,2,3,4

B 2,1,3,4

C 1,3,2,4

D 3,1,2,4

💡 Hint

Think about the logical order of monitoring and alerting.

First get data, then check condition, then alert if needed, then end or wait.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Best Practice for Secure PowerShell Email Alerts

Which practice is best to securely send email alerts from a PowerShell monitoring script?

A Send emails without authentication to avoid credential management.

B Store SMTP credentials in plain text within the script.

C Use encrypted credentials stored securely and load them at runtime.

D Hardcode the SMTP server password in the script for simplicity.

💡 Hint

Consider security risks of storing credentials.

Storing encrypted credentials securely and loading them at runtime protects sensitive data.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of using email alerts in PowerShell monitoring scripts?

easy

A. To notify administrators immediately when a problem occurs

B. To slow down the script execution

C. To store logs locally on the computer

D. To increase the script's runtime

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand monitoring scripts

   Monitoring scripts check system health or status automatically without manual checks.

2. Step 2: Role of email alerts

   Email alerts send notifications immediately when an issue is detected, so admins can act fast.

3. Final Answer:

   To notify administrators immediately when a problem occurs -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Alerts = Notify admins fast [OK]

Hint: Email alerts = instant problem notification [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking email alerts slow scripts
• Confusing alerts with local log storage
• Assuming alerts increase runtime

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to send an email alert using PowerShell's Send-MailMessage cmdlet?

easy

A. Send-MailMessage -Sender '[e-mail]' -Receiver '[e-mail]' -Title 'Alert' -Content 'Issue detected' -Server 'smtp.example.com'

B. Send-Mail -From '[e-mail]' -To '[e-mail]' -Subject 'Alert' -Body 'Issue detected' -Server 'smtp.example.com'

C. Send-MailMessage -From '[e-mail]' -To '[e-mail]' -Subject 'Alert' -Body 'Issue detected' -SmtpServer 'smtp.example.com'

D. Send-Email -From '[e-mail]' -To '[e-mail]' -Subject 'Alert' -Body 'Issue detected' -SmtpServer 'smtp.example.com'

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct cmdlet and parameters

   The correct cmdlet is Send-MailMessage with parameters -From, -To, -Subject, -Body, and -SmtpServer.

2. Step 2: Check each option's syntax

   Send-MailMessage -From '[e-mail]' -To '[e-mail]' -Subject 'Alert' -Body 'Issue detected' -SmtpServer 'smtp.example.com' uses correct cmdlet and parameter names. Others use incorrect cmdlet names or parameter names.

3. Final Answer:

   Send-MailMessage -From '[e-mail]' -To '[e-mail]' -Subject 'Alert' -Body 'Issue detected' -SmtpServer 'smtp.example.com' -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Send-MailMessage + correct params = A [OK]

Hint: Send-MailMessage with -From, -To, -Subject, -Body, -SmtpServer [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong cmdlet names like Send-Mail or Send-Email
• Incorrect parameter names like -Sender or -Receiver
• Missing -SmtpServer parameter

3. What will be the output of this PowerShell snippet?

if ((Get-Process -Name 'notepad' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) -eq $null) {
  Send-MailMessage -From '[e-mail]' -To '[e-mail]' -Subject 'Notepad not running' -Body 'Please start Notepad.' -SmtpServer 'smtp.example.com'
  'Alert sent'
} else {
  'Notepad is running'
}

medium

A. No output because Send-MailMessage blocks output

B. 'Alert sent' if Notepad is not running, else 'Notepad is running'

C. Syntax error due to missing parentheses

D. Always 'Alert sent' regardless of Notepad status

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the condition

   The script checks if Notepad process exists; if not found, condition is true.

2. Step 2: Analyze the if-else branches

   If Notepad is not running, it sends an email and outputs 'Alert sent'. Otherwise, outputs 'Notepad is running'.

3. Final Answer:

   'Alert sent' if Notepad is not running, else 'Notepad is running' -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Process check controls output [OK]

Hint: Check process null means send alert, else normal message [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming Send-MailMessage blocks output
• Thinking condition always true
• Confusing error handling with syntax error

4. You wrote this script to send an email alert if disk space is low:

$freeSpace = (Get-PSDrive C).Free
if ($freeSpace -lt "100MB") {
  Send-MailMessage -From '[e-mail]' -To '[e-mail]' -Subject 'Low Disk Space' -Body 'Disk space below 100MB' -SmtpServer 'smtp.example.com'
}

But no email is sent even when disk space is low. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. The if condition should use -gt instead of -lt

B. Get-PSDrive does not return Free space

C. Send-MailMessage requires -Port parameter

D. 100MB is not a valid size unit in PowerShell comparison

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the size comparison

   PowerShell does not recognize '100MB' as a valid number; it must be converted to bytes.

2. Step 2: Understand Get-PSDrive output

   Get-PSDrive returns Free space in bytes as a number, so comparing to '100MB' string fails silently.

3. Final Answer:

   100MB is not a valid size unit in PowerShell comparison -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Size units must be numeric bytes [OK]

Hint: Use numeric bytes, not '100MB' string in comparisons [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming Get-PSDrive Free is not available
• Thinking Send-MailMessage needs -Port always
• Confusing less than and greater than operators

5. You want to create a PowerShell monitoring script that checks CPU usage every 5 minutes and sends an email alert if usage exceeds 80%. Which approach correctly implements this?

hard

A. Use a loop with Start-Sleep 300, check CPU with Get-Counter, send email if over 80%

B. Run Get-Counter once, then send email immediately without looping

C. Use a scheduled task to run the script every hour, check CPU, send email if over 80%

D. Use a loop with Start-Sleep 60, check CPU once, then exit

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand monitoring frequency

   Checking CPU every 5 minutes requires a loop with a 300-second (5-minute) sleep between checks.

2. Step 2: Use Get-Counter and conditional email

   Get-Counter can measure CPU usage; if usage > 80%, Send-MailMessage sends alert.

3. Step 3: Evaluate options

   Use a loop with Start-Sleep 300, check CPU with Get-Counter, send email if over 80% uses loop with Start-Sleep 300 and conditional email, matching requirements. Others either run once or wrong intervals.

4. Final Answer:

   Use a loop with Start-Sleep 300, check CPU with Get-Counter, send email if over 80% -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Loop + 5 min sleep + CPU check + email = C [OK]

Hint: Loop with 300s sleep and conditional email alert [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Running check only once without loop
• Using wrong sleep duration
• Confusing scheduled task frequency with script loop