PowerShell File Transfer

PowerShell Remoting (WinRM) can be used for file transfer operations when HTTP, HTTPS, or SMB are unavailable.

PowerShell Remoting Overview

PowerShell Remoting allows us to execute scripts or commands on a remote computer using PowerShell sessions. Administrators commonly use PowerShell Remoting to manage remote computers in a network, and we can also use it for file transfer operations.

By default, enabling PowerShell remoting creates both an HTTP and an HTTPS listener:

• TCP/5985 for HTTP
• TCP/5986 for HTTPS

Requirements

To create a PowerShell Remoting session on a remote computer, you will need:

• Administrative access, OR
• Be a member of the Remote Management Users group, OR
• Have explicit permissions for PowerShell Remoting in the session configuration

Testing Connectivity

Test if WinRM port is open:

Test-NetConnection -ComputerName DATABASE01 -Port 5985

Creating a PowerShell Session

Create a PowerShell Remoting session to a remote computer:

$Session = New-PSSession -ComputerName DATABASE01

If credentials are needed:

$Credential = Get-Credential
$Session = New-PSSession -ComputerName DATABASE01 -Credential $Credential

File Transfer Operations

Copy File to Remote Session

Copy a file from localhost to the remote session:

Copy-Item -Path C:\samplefile.txt -ToSession $Session -Destination C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\

Copy File from Remote Session

Copy a file from the remote session to localhost:

Copy-Item -Path "C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\DATABASE.txt" -Destination C:\ -FromSession $Session

Common Cmdlets

• New-PSSession: Create a new PowerShell remoting session
• Copy-Item: Copy files to/from remote sessions
  • -ToSession: Copy to remote session
  • -FromSession: Copy from remote session
• Test-NetConnection: Test network connectivity to a remote host