Connecting to Configuration Manager with Windows PowerShell

Article
06/29/2016

Applies To: System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1, System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

In the Windows PowerShell Basics topic, you tried a few basic Windows PowerShell cmdlets. This topic helps you connect to Configuration Manager from your Windows PowerShell environment.

Loading Windows PowerShell from the Configuration Manager Console

The easiest method to load Windows PowerShell is directly from the Configuration Manager console.

Start by launching the Configuration Manager console. In the upper left corner, there’s a blue rectangle. Click the white arrow in the blue rectangle, and choose Connect via Windows PowerShell.
Once Windows PowerShell loads, you’ll see a prompt that contains your site code. For example, if the site code is “ABC”, the prompt looks like:
```
PS ABC:\>
```

Let’s just verify everything is working fine. The first cmdlet you’ll try is Get-CMSite. This cmdlet will return information about the Configuration Manager site we’re currently connected to.

Go to your Windows PowerShell window, and type in Get-CMSite:

PS ABC:\> get-cmsite

BuildNumber       : 7958
Features          : 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
InstallDir        : C:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager
Mode              : 0
ReportingSiteCode :
RequestedStatus   : 110
ServerName        : SDKTESTLAB.test.lab
SiteCode          : ABC
SiteName          : ABC Test Site
Status            : 1
TimeZoneInfo      : 000001E0 0000 000B 0000 0001 0002 0000 0000 0000 00000000 0000 0003 0000 0002 0002 0000 0000 0000
                    FFFFFFC4
Type              : 2
Version           : 5.00.7958.1000

Importing the Configuration Manager PowerShell Module

Another method of connecting to Configuration Manager from your Windows PowerShell environment is to load the Configuration Manager module manually.

Hit your Windows Key and type “PowerShell” – then right-click Windows PowerShell (x86) and choose “Run as administrator”.

You should now see your PowerShell environment.
```
Windows PowerShell
Copyright © 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
PS C:\Users\Administrator>
```
Now, you’ll need to import the Configuration Manager module using the built-in Windows PowerShell cmdlet Import-Module. To import the Configuration Manager module, you will have to specify the path to the Configuration Manager module or change to the directory that contains the module.

Go to your Windows PowerShell window, and type in CD ‘C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminConsole\bin’:
```
PS C:\>
PS C:\> CD ‘C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminConsole\bin’
PS C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminConsole\bin>
```
Go to your Windows PowerShell window, and type in import-module .\ConfigurationManager.psd1 -verbose:
```
PS C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminConsole\bin>
PS C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminConsole\bin> import-module .\ConfigurationManager.psd1 -verbose

Note: The ‘-verbose’ switch displays a list of the cmdlets being imported (quite a long list in the case of Configuration Manager).
```

Confirm that the Configuration Manager module has been loaded using the Get-CMSite cmdlet.

Go to your Windows PowerShell window, and type in Get-CMSite:

PS C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminConsole\bin>Get-CMSite
get-cmsite : This command cannot be run from the current drive. To run this command you must first connect to a Configuration Manager drive.
at line:1 char:1
 get-cmsite
 ~~~~~~~~~~
   + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Get-CMSite], InvalidOperationException
   + FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.InvalidOperationException,Microsoft.ConfigurationManagement.Cmdlets.HS.Commands.GetSiteCommand

PS C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminConsole\bin>

The error was cause by our current path point to the local hard drive (our Configuration Manager Console path) not the Configuration Manager site.

Important

To run the Configuration Manager cmdlets, you need to switch the path to the Configuration Manager site.

Go to your Windows PowerShell window, and type in CD <site code>:, replacing <site code>with your site code (the site code “ABC” is used below):
```
PS C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminConsole\bin> CD ABC: 
PS ABC:\>
```

Now, try to again to confirm that the Configuration Manager module has been loaded using the Get-CMSite cmdlet.

Go to your Windows PowerShell window, and type in Get-CMSite:

PS ABC:\> get-cmsite

BuildNumber       : 7958
Features          : 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
InstallDir        : C:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager
Mode              : 0
ReportingSiteCode :
RequestedStatus   : 110
ServerName        : SDKTESTLAB.test.lab
SiteCode          : ABC
SiteName          : ABC Test Site
Status            : 1
TimeZoneInfo      : 000001E0 0000 000B 0000 0001 0002 0000 0000 0000 00000000 0000 0003 0000 0002 0002 0000 0000 0000
                    FFFFFFC4
Type              : 2
Version           : 5.00.7958.1000

Success! You are connected to the Configuration Manager site and the Configuration Manager module is loaded.

Update Help!

PowerShell 3.0 includes a new feature to update your Windows PowerShell help over the Internet.

You can update Windows PowerShell help (and specifically the help for the Configuration Manager cmdlets) using the update-help cmdlet.

If your computer is connected to the Internet, go to your Windows PowerShell window, and type in update-help –module configurationmanager.
```
PS ABC:\> get-help get-cmsite
PS ABC:\>
```

You can get help about Windows PowerShell cmdlets by using the Get-Help cmdlet.

Go to your Windows PowerShell window, and type in get-help get-cmsite:

PS ABC:\> get-help get-cmsite

NAME
    Get-CMSite

SYNOPSIS
    Gets one or more Configuration Manager sites.

SYNTAX
    Get-CMSite [-Name <string>]  [<CommonParameters>]

    Get-CMSite -SiteCode <string>  [<CommonParameters>]

DESCRIPTION
    The Get-CMSite cmdlet gets one or more MicrosoftSystemCenter2012 ConfigurationManager sites. A SystemCenter2012
    ConfigurationManager site is a server that has clients assigned to it and that processes client-generated data.
    You can get a Configuration Manager site by using either a site name or a site code.

RELATED LINKS
    Online Version: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=263855
    Set-CMSite

REMARKS
    To see the examples, type: "get-help Get-CMSite -examples".
    For more information, type: "get-help Get-CMSite -detailed".
    For technical information, type: "get-help Get-CMSite -full".
    For online help, type: "get-help Get-CMSite -online"

Connecting to Configuration Manager with Windows PowerShell

Loading Windows PowerShell from the Configuration Manager Console

Importing the Configuration Manager PowerShell Module

Update Help!

See Also

Additional resources