PSSession management in PowerShell - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of this PowerShell command?

You create a new PSSession to a remote computer and then list all active sessions. What will this command output?

PowerShell

New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01
Get-PSSession | Select-Object -Property ComputerName, State

A @{ComputerName=Server01; State=Opened}

B @{ComputerName=Server01; State=Disconnected}

C No output, because Get-PSSession requires a session ID

D Error: New-PSSession requires credentials

💡 Hint

Think about what state a newly created PSSession has before you disconnect it.

When you create a new PSSession, it is in the 'Opened' state until you disconnect or remove it.

📝 Syntax

intermediate

Which command correctly closes and removes all PSSessions?

You want to close all active PSSessions and remove them from your session list. Which command does this correctly?

A Get-PSSession | Close-PSSession

B Get-PSSession | Remove-PSSession

C Close-PSSession -All

D Remove-PSSession -All

💡 Hint

Remember the cmdlet used to remove sessions is Remove-PSSession.

Remove-PSSession removes sessions. Get-PSSession pipes all sessions to Remove-PSSession to close and remove them.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this script fail to reconnect to a disconnected PSSession?

You run this script but get an error when trying to reconnect: $session = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 Disconnect-PSSession -Session $session Connect-PSSession -Session $session

PowerShell

$session = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01
Disconnect-PSSession -Session $session
Connect-PSSession -Session $session

A Connect-PSSession cmdlet does not exist; use Connect-PSSession only in PowerShell 7+

B Connect-PSSession requires the session to be in Disconnected state, but the session was never disconnected properly

C Connect-PSSession is not a valid cmdlet; use Connect-PSSession only with disconnected sessions

D The cmdlet name is incorrect; it should be 'Connect-PSSession' replaced with 'Connect-PSSession -Id <id>'

💡 Hint

Check if Connect-PSSession is a valid cmdlet in PowerShell.

The Connect-PSSession cmdlet does not exist in Windows PowerShell 5.1 and earlier. It is available in PowerShell 7 and later.

🚀 Application

advanced

How many PSSessions remain after running this script?

You run this script: $s1 = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 $s2 = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server02 Remove-PSSession -Session $s1 Get-PSSession | Measure-Object | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Count What is the output number?

PowerShell

$s1 = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01
$s2 = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server02
Remove-PSSession -Session $s1
Get-PSSession | Measure-Object | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Count

A Error: Remove-PSSession requires session ID

B 2

C 0

D 1

💡 Hint

Think about how many sessions you created and how many you removed.

You created two sessions and removed one. So one session remains.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

What is the main benefit of using PSSession over Invoke-Command for multiple commands?

You want to run several commands on a remote computer efficiently. Why choose PSSession instead of multiple Invoke-Command calls?

A PSSession automatically retries commands on failure, Invoke-Command does not

B Invoke-Command cannot run multiple commands on the same remote computer

C PSSession keeps a persistent connection, reducing overhead for multiple commands

D Invoke-Command requires credentials every time, PSSession does not

💡 Hint

Think about connection setup and reuse.

PSSession creates a persistent connection to the remote computer, so multiple commands run faster without reconnecting each time.

Practice

1. What is the primary purpose of a PSSession in PowerShell?

easy

A. To store variables locally on your computer

B. To create a persistent connection to a remote computer for running commands

C. To display graphical user interfaces

D. To compile PowerShell scripts into executables

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what PSSession does

   A PSSession creates a persistent connection to a remote computer, allowing you to run commands there without reconnecting each time.

2. Step 2: Compare options to this definition

   Only To create a persistent connection to a remote computer for running commands describes this purpose. Other options describe unrelated tasks.

3. Final Answer:

   To create a persistent connection to a remote computer for running commands -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   PSSession = persistent remote connection [OK]

Hint: PSSession = persistent remote connection [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing PSSession with local variable storage
• Thinking PSSession creates GUIs
• Assuming PSSession compiles scripts

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to create a new PSSession to a computer named 'Server01'?

easy

A. Get-PSSession -ComputerName Server01

B. Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server01

C. New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01

D. Remove-PSSession -ComputerName Server01

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the cmdlet to create a session

   The cmdlet to create a new session is New-PSSession.

2. Step 2: Check the syntax for specifying the remote computer

   The parameter -ComputerName followed by the computer's name is correct for New-PSSession.

3. Final Answer:

   New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Create session = New-PSSession [OK]

Hint: New-PSSession creates sessions; use -ComputerName for target [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using Invoke-Command instead of New-PSSession to create session
• Using Remove-PSSession to create session
• Confusing Get-PSSession with creation

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

 $session = New-PSSession -ComputerName localhost
Invoke-Command -Session $session -ScriptBlock { Get-Process | Select-Object -First 1 }
Remove-PSSession -Session $session 

medium

A. Displays the first process running on the local computer

B. Creates a session but does not display any output

C. Throws an error because Remove-PSSession is called too early

D. Displays all processes running on the local computer

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the commands

   The code creates a session to localhost, runs a command to get the first process, then removes the session.

2. Step 2: Analyze the Invoke-Command output

   The Invoke-Command runs Get-Process | Select-Object -First 1 remotely, so it outputs the first process object.

3. Final Answer:

   Displays the first process running on the local computer -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Invoke-Command outputs first process [OK]

Hint: Invoke-Command outputs scriptblock result before Remove-PSSession [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking Remove-PSSession stops output
• Assuming no output from Invoke-Command
• Confusing output with all processes

4. You run this script:

 $session = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01
Invoke-Command -Session $session -ScriptBlock { Get-Date }
Remove-PSSession -Session 

But it throws an error: "Remove-PSSession : Cannot bind argument to parameter 'Session' because it is null." What is the problem?

medium

A. Invoke-Command syntax is incorrect

B. New-PSSession failed to create a session

C. Get-Date cannot run inside a PSSession

D. Remove-PSSession is missing the -Session parameter with the session variable

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the error cause

   The error says Remove-PSSession has a null argument for -Session, meaning it was called without specifying which session to remove.

2. Step 2: Check the Remove-PSSession command usage

   The script calls Remove-PSSession -Session without the $session value, so PowerShell doesn't know which session to close.

3. Final Answer:

   Remove-PSSession is missing the -Session parameter with the session variable -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Remove-PSSession needs -Session argument [OK]

Hint: Always specify -Session when removing sessions [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting to pass the session variable to Remove-PSSession
• Assuming Remove-PSSession closes all sessions by default
• Blaming Invoke-Command or New-PSSession incorrectly

5. You want to run a command on multiple remote computers and keep the sessions open for later use. Which approach correctly creates sessions for 'Server01' and 'Server02' and stores them for reuse?

hard

A. $sessions = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01
$sessions += New-PSSession -ComputerName Server02
Invoke-Command -Session $sessions -ScriptBlock { hostname }

B. $sessions = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01, Server02
Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server01, Server02 -ScriptBlock { hostname }

C. Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server01, Server02 -ScriptBlock { hostname }
$sessions = $null

D. $sessions = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01
Invoke-Command -Session $sessions -ScriptBlock { hostname }
Remove-PSSession -Session $sessions

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall how to create persistent sessions for multiple computers

   New-PSSession can take multiple ComputerName values or create separately and collect into an array with +=. Invoke-Command must use -Session $sessions (array) to run on persistent sessions.

2. Step 2: Evaluate each option

   A creates sessions but uses -ComputerName on Invoke-Command, creating temporary connections instead of using persistent ones. B builds the array explicitly and uses -Session. C uses temporary only. D removes sessions.

3. Final Answer:

   $sessions = New-PSSession -ComputerName Server01 $sessions += New-PSSession -ComputerName Server02 Invoke-Command -Session $sessions -ScriptBlock { hostname } -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Build session array with +=, use -Session [OK]

Hint: Create and store sessions in a variable array for reuse [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Removing sessions immediately before reuse
• Not storing sessions in a variable
• Using Invoke-Command without sessions for reuse