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D The PowerShell version is outdated and does not support Send-MailMessage.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