PowerShell commands run by Discovery
- UpdatedJan 30, 2025
- 12 minutes to read
- Yokohama
- Discovery
These are the PowerShell cmdlets and their parameters that Discovery runs to control and automate the administration of Windows servers and applications. Included are the probe parameters and MID Server scripts that contain the commands.
| Cmdlet/Parameters | Description |
|---|---|
Add-Content
|
Appends content to a specified item or file. You can specify the content by
typing the content in the command or by specifying an object that contains the content.
|
Add-Member
|
Lets you add properties and methods to an instance of a Windows PowerShell
object. For instance, you can add a NoteProperty member that contains a
description of the object or a ScriptMethod member that runs a script to change
the object.
|
Add-Type
|
Adds a Microsoft .NET Framework class in your Windows PowerShell session. You
can then use the New-Object cmdlet to instantiate objects and use those objects,
just as you would use any .NET Framework object. If you add an Add-Type command to
your Windows PowerShell profile, the class is available in all Windows PowerShell sessions.
|
Compare-Object
|
Compares two sets of objects. One set of objects is the reference set, and
the other set is the difference set. The result of the comparison indicates
whether a property value appeared only in the object from the reference set or, if
the IncludeEqual parameter is specified, in both objects.
|
ConvertTo-SecureString
|
Converts encrypted standard strings into secure strings. It can also convert
plain text to secure strings. It is used with ConvertFrom-SecureString and
Read-Host. The secure string created by the cmdlet can be used with cmdlets or
functions that require a parameter of type SecureString.
|
| ConvertTo-Json | Converts any object to a string in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format.
The properties are converted to field names, the field values are converted to
property values, and the methods are removed.
|
Copy-Item
|
Copies an item from one location to another location in the same namespace.
For instance, it can copy a file to a folder, but it cannot copy a file to a
certificate drive.
|
| ForEach-Object - process | Performs an operation against each item in a collection of input objects. The
input objects can be piped to the cmdlet or specified by using the InputObject parameter.
|
| Format-List | Formats the output of a command as a list of properties in which each
property is displayed on a separate line. You can use Format-List to format and
display all or selected properties of an object as a list.
|
Get-ChildItem
|
Gets the items in one or more specified locations. If the item is a
container, it gets the items inside the container, known as child items. You can
use the Recurse parameter to get items in all child containers.
|
Get-Content
|
Gets the content of the item at the location specified by the path, such as
the text in a file. It reads the content one line at a time and returns a
collection of objects, each of which represents a line of content.
|
| Get-Date - Uformat | Gets a DateTime object that represents the current date or a date that you
specify. It can format the date and time in several Windows and UNIX formats. You
can use Get-Date to generate a date or time character string, and then send the
string to other cmdlets or programs.
|
| Get-Item | Gets the item at the specified location. It does not get the contents of the
item at the location unless you use a wildcard character (*) to request all the
contents of the item.
|
Get-ItemProperty
|
Gets the properties of the specified items. For example, you can use this
cmdlet to get the value of the LastAccessTime property of a file object. You can
also use this cmdlet to view registry entries and their values.
|
| Get-Member - MemberType | Gets the members, the properties and methods, of objects. To specify the
object, use the InputObject parameter or pipe an object to Get-Member. To get
information about static members, the members of the class, not of the instance,
use the Static parameter. To get only certain types of members, such as
NoteProperties, use the MemberType parameter.
|
Get-Process
|
Gets the processes on a local or remote computer. Without parameters, this
cmdlet gets all of the processes on the local computer. You can also specify a
particular process by process name or process ID (PID) or pass a process object
through the pipeline to this cmdlet.
|
Get-PSDrive
|
Gets the drives in the current session. You can get a particular drive or all
drives in the session.
|
| Get-PSSession | Gets the user-managed Windows PowerShell sessions (PSSessions) on local and
remote computers.
|
| Get-Variable - Name | Gets the Windows PowerShell variables in the current console. You can
retrieve just the values of the variables by specifying the ValueOnly parameter,
and you can filter the variables returned by name.
|
Get-WmiObject
|
Gets instances of Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) classes or
information about the available WMI classes. To specify a remote computer, use the
ComputerName parameter. If the List parameter is specified, the cmdlet gets
information about the WMI classes that are available in a specified namespace. If
the Query parameter is specified, the cmdlet runs a WMI query language (WQL) statement.
|
| Get-WSManInstance - ResourceURI | Retrieves an instance of a managemenet resource that is specified by a
resource Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). The information that is retrieved can
be a complex XML information set, which is an object, or a simple value.
|
| Group-Object - NoElement | Displays objects in groups based on the value of a specified property.
Group-Object returns a table with one row for each property value and a column
that displays the number of items with that value.
|
Import-Module
|
Adds one or more modules to the current session. The modules that you import
must be installed on the local computer or a remote computer.
|
Invoke-Command
|
Runs commands on a local or remote computer and returns all output from the
commands, including errors. By using a single Invoke-Command command, you can run
commands on multiple computers.
|
| Invoke-Expression | Evaluates or runs a specified string as a command and returns the results of
the expression or command. Without Invoke-Expression, a string submitted at the
command line would be returned (echoed) unchanged.
|
Invoke-WmiMethod
|
Calls the methods of Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) objects.
|
| Measure-Object - Sum | Calculates the property values of certain types of object. Measure-Object
performs three types of measurements, depending on the parameters in the command.
|
New-Item
|
Creates a new item and sets its value. The types of items that can be created
depend on the location of the item. For example, in the file system, New-Item
creates files and folders. In the registry, New-Item creates registry keys and entries.
|
New-Object
|
Creates an instance of a Microsoft .NET Framework or COM object.
|
New-PSDrive
|
Creates temporary and persistent drives that are mapped to or associated with
a location in a data store, such as a network drive, a directory on the local
computer, or a registry key, and persistent Windows mapped network drives that are
associated with a file system location on a remote computer.
|
New-Variable
|
Creates a new variable in Windows PowerShell. You can assign a value to the
variable while creating it or assign or change the value after it is created.
|
New-PSSession
|
Creates a Windows PowerShell session (PSSession) on a local or remote
computer. When you create a PSSession, Windows PowerShell establishes a persistent
connection to the remote computer.
|
| New-PSSessionOption | Creates an object that contains advanced options for a user-managed session.
You can use the object as the value of the SessionOption parameter of cmdlets that
create a PSSession, such as a New-PSSession, Enter-PSSession, and Invoke-Command.
|
New-Timespan
|
Creates a timespan object which represents an interval. You can use to add or
subtract time from a DateTime object.
|
| Out-File - FilePath | Sends output to a file. You can use this instead of > operator when you need
to use its parameters.
|
| Out-Null | Sends output to NULL, in effect, deleting it.
|
| Out-String | Converts the objects that Windows PowerShell manages into an array of
strings. By default, Out-String accumulates the strings and returns them as a
single string, but you can use the stream parameter to direct Out-String to return
one string at a time. This cmdlet lets you search and manipulate string output as
you would in traditional shells when object manipulation is less convenient.
|
| Receive-Job | Gets the results of Windows PowerShell background jobs, such as those started
by using the Start-Job cmdlet or the AsJob parameter of any cmdlet. You can get
the results of all jobs or identify jobs by their name, ID, instance ID, computer
name, location, or session, or by submitting a job object.
|
Remove-Item
|
Deletes one or more items. Because it is supported by many providers, it can
delete many different types of items, including files, folders, registry keys,
variables, aliases, and functions.
|
| Remove-Job | Deletes Windows PowerShell background jobs. You can start jobs by using the
Start-Job or the AsJob parameter of any cmdlet. You can use this cmdlet to delete
all jobs or delete jobs based on their name, ID, instance ID, command, or state,
or by passing a job object to Remove-Job. Without parameters or parameter values,
Remove-Job has no effect.
|
| Remove-PSDrive - Name | Deletes temporary Windows PowerShell drives that were created by using the
New-PSDrive cmdlet.
|
| Remove-PSSession - Session | Closes Windows PowerShell sessions (PSSessions) in the current session. It
stops any commands that are running in the PSSessions, ends the PSSession, and
releases the resources that the PSSession was using. If the PSSession is connected
to a remote computer, this cmdlet also closes the connection between the local and
remote computers.
|
Remove-Variable
|
Deletes a variable and its value from the scope in which it is defined, such
as the current session. You cannot use this cmdlet to delete variables that are
set as constants or those that are owned by the system.
|
Rename-Item
|
Changes the name of a specified item. This cmdlet does not affect the content
of the item being renamed. You cannot use Rename-Item to move an item, such as by
specifying a path together with the new name. To move and rename an item, use the
Move-Item cmdlet.
|
Select-Object
|
Selects specified properties of an object or set of objects. It can also
select unique objects, a specified number of objects, or objects in a specified
position in an array. Alias is "Select".
|
Select-String
|
Searches for text and text patterns in input strings and files. You can use
it like Grep in UNIX and Findstr in Windows. You can type Select-String or its
alias, sls.
|
Select-XML
|
Allows you to use XPath queries to search for text in XML strings and
documents. Enter an XPath query, and use the Content, Path, or Xml parameter to
specify the XML to be searched.
|
Set-Content
|
Writes or replaces the content in the specified item, such as a file. You can
type the content in the command or send content through the pipeline to Set-Content.
|
| Set-Location - Path | Sets the working location to a specified location. That location could be a
directory, a sub-directory, a registry location, or any provider path.
|
| Set-StrictMode - Version | Configures strict mode for the current scope and all child scopes, and turns
it on and off. When strict mode is on, Windows PowerShell generates a terminating
error when the content of an expression, script, or script block violates basic
best-practice coding rules.
|
Set-Variable
|
Assigns a value to a specified variable or changes the current value. If the
variable does not exist, the cmdlet creates it.
|
| Sort-Object - Property | Sorts objects in ascending or descending order based on the values of
properties of the object. You can specify a single property or multiple properties
(for a multi-key sort), and you can select a case-sensitive or case-insensitive
sort. You can also direct Sort-Object to display only the objects with a unique
value for a particular property.
|
Split-Path
|
Returns only the specified part of a path, such as the parent folder, a
subfolder, or a file name. It can also get items that are referenced by the split
path and tell whether the path is relative or absolute.
|
Start-Sleep
|
Suspends the activity in a script or session for the specified period of
time. You can use it while waiting for an operation to complete or pausing before
repeating an operation.
|
| Stop-Job | Stops Windows PowerShell background jobs that are in progress. You can use
this cmdlet to stop all jobs or stop selected jobs based on their name, ID,
instance ID, or state, or by passing a job object to Stop-Job.
|
Test-Path
|
Determines whether all elements of the path exist. It returns $True if all
elements exist and $False if any are missing. It can also tell whether the path
syntax is valid and whether the path leads to a container or a terminal or leaf element.
|
Test-WSMan
|
Submits an identification request that determines whether the WinRM service
is running on a local or remote computer. If the tested computer is running the
service, the cmdlet displays the WS-Management identity schema, the protocol
version, the product vendor, and the product version of the tested service.
|
| Where-Object | Selects objects that have particular property values from the collection of
objects that are passed to it. For example, you can use the Where-Object cmdlet to
select files that were created after a certain date, events with a particular ID,
or computers that use a particular version of Windows.
|
Write-Error
|
Declares a non-terminating error. By default, errors are sent in the error
stream to the host program to be displayed, along with output.
|
| Write-Host - NoNewLine | Writes customized output to a host. You can specify the color of text by
using the ForegroundColor parameter, and you can specify the background color by
using the BackgroundColor parameter. The Separator parameter lets you specify a
string to use to separate displayed objects. The particular result depends on the
program that is hosting Windows PowerShell.
|
| Write-Output | Sends the specified objects to the next command in the pipeline. If the
command is the last command in the pipeline, the objects are displayed in the console.
|
| Write-Verbose - Message | Writes text to the verbose message stream in Windows PowerShell. Typically,
the verbose message stream is used to deliver information about command processing
that is used for debugging a command.
|