PSSession management in PowerShell - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - PSSession management

Create PSSession

↓

Use PSSession to run commands

↓

Check session status

↓

Remove PSSession

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End

This flow shows how to create a PowerShell session, use it to run commands, check its status, and then remove it to clean up.

Execution Sample

PowerShell

$s = New-PSSession -ComputerName localhost
Invoke-Command -Session $s -ScriptBlock { Get-Process }
Remove-PSSession -Session $s

Creates a session to localhost, runs Get-Process inside it, then removes the session.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Command	Result	Session State
1	Create session	$s = New-PSSession -ComputerName localhost	Session created with Id 1	Opened
2	Run command in session	Invoke-Command -Session $s -ScriptBlock { Get-Process }	List of processes returned	Opened
3	Remove session	Remove-PSSession -Session $s	Session removed	Closed
4	Check session state	$s.State	Closed	Closed

💡 Session removed and closed, no longer available for commands.

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	Final
$s	null	PSSession object (Id 1, Opened)	Same session (Opened)	Session removed (Closed)	Closed

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why do we need to remove a PSSession after using it?

Removing the session frees resources and closes the connection. See execution_table step 3 where Remove-PSSession closes the session.

Can we run commands on a session after it is removed?

No, once removed, the session state is Closed and commands cannot run. See execution_table step 4 showing session state Closed.

What does New-PSSession do exactly?

It creates a persistent connection to a remote or local computer to run commands later. See execution_table step 1 where session is created and state is Opened.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what is the session state right after creating the session?

A Disconnected

B Closed

C Opened

D Not created

💡 Hint

Check execution_table row 1, column 'Session State' shows 'Opened'.

At which step is the session removed?

A Step 1

B Step 3

C Step 2

D Step 4

💡 Hint

See execution_table row 3 where Remove-PSSession command is run.

If we skip Remove-PSSession, what would happen to the session state?

A It stays Opened

B It becomes Closed automatically

C It becomes Disconnected immediately

D It is deleted automatically

💡 Hint

Refer to variable_tracker showing session state remains Opened until removed.

Concept Snapshot

PSSession management:
- Use New-PSSession to create a session
- Run commands with Invoke-Command -Session
- Check session state with $session.State
- Remove session with Remove-PSSession to free resources
- Sessions keep connection open until removed

Full Transcript

This lesson shows how to manage PowerShell sessions called PSSessions. First, you create a session using New-PSSession to connect to a computer. Then you run commands inside that session with Invoke-Command. You can check the session's state anytime. When done, you remove the session with Remove-PSSession to close the connection and free resources. The execution table traces these steps showing session creation, command execution, removal, and final state. Variables track the session object state changes. Key moments clarify why removing sessions is important and what happens if you don't. The quiz tests understanding of session states and lifecycle. This helps beginners see how sessions open, work, and close step-by-step.