How to determine the Windows PowerShell version and to see if WinRM is running via Test-WSMan

PowerShell is a cross-platform (Windows, Linux, and macOS) automation and configuration tool/framework that works well with your existing tools and is optimized for dealing with structured data (e.g. JSON, CSV, XML, etc.), REST APIs, and objects models. It includes a command-line shell, an associated scripting language and a framework for processing cmdlet. In this article, I will show you how to determine the Windows PowerShell version and to see if WinRM is running via Test-WSMan. Please see How to configure a remote server (windows) to Support Ansible, and How to enable or disable WinRM via the command-line.

Here are some interesting guides: How to request a certificate signing request in Windows using Microsoft Management Console. How to troubleshoot and fix Windows Admin Center that cannot be reached. Also, see how to Test Network Connection to the Windows Admin Center (WAC) Gateway.

Determine Windows PowerShell version

Firstly, to determine the PowerShell version. Run the following command below to determine the version of PowerShell that you are running

$PSVersionTable

To determine if WinRM is running on a server, use the following command below.

winrm quickconfig

Note: WinRM is currently configured by default on all servers starting from Windows Server 2012. WinRM is disabled on the client operating system.

Please see how to fix “Cannot find the computer: Fix the following error occurred while using Kerberos authentication“, and how to fix “An error occurred while attempting to connect to the server: Check if the Virtual Machine Management service is running or you are not authorized to connect to this server“.

Verify WinRM setup via the Test-WSMan Cmdlets

To verify that the WinRM service is running using the Test-WSMan command. Stay glued as I will be showing how to enable WinRM on Windows Servers & Clients via Group Policy Object. Also, see how to configure servers for remote access.

Test-WSMan
    [[-ComputerName] <String>]
    [-Authentication <AuthenticationMechanism>]
    [-Port <Int32>]
    [-UseSSL]
    [-ApplicationName <String>]
    [-Credential <PSCredential>]
    [-CertificateThumbprint <String>]
    [<CommonParameters>]

The Test-WSMan cmdlet 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.

Here is how t fix “WinRM cannot complete the operation, verify that the specified computer name is valid“.

Status of the WinRM service on a remote computer

To determine the status of the WinRM service on a remote computer. Please run the command below. Kindly replace the computer name with your remote device as shown below

Test-WSMan -ComputerName "TechDAPC01"

Determine WinRM Status and OS

This command tests to see whether the WS-Management (WinRM) service is running on the computer named server01 using the authentication parameter. Using the authentication parameter enables Test-WSMan to return the operating system version

Test-WSMan -ComputerName "TechDA01" -Authentication default

I hope you found this blog post helpful on how to determine the Windows PowerShell version and to see if WinRM is running via Test-WSMan. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment session.