Lab: Inventory a server with PowerShell

What you will learn in this TP

• Discover cmdlets with Get-Command and Get-Member
• Filter, sort and export objects
• Write a parameterized script and run it remotely

Introduction #

What you will learn in this section

• Discover cmdlets with Get-Command and Get-Member
• Filter, sort and export objects
• Write a parameterized script and run it remotely

Context. Your manager asks for a server status report before a migration. Rather than clicking through each console, you write a reusable inventory script.

Prerequisites: a disposable Windows Server 2025 virtual machine (free evaluation) with an administrator account, and PowerShell open as administrator  ·  Estimated duration: 45 min

An Inventaire.ps1 script, a CSV report and an HTML page.

Setup #

Guided steps, with their solution.

1. 1. Prepare the workspace

   Why? A dedicated folder avoids mixing scripts and reports.

   Create C:\TP\Scripts and C:\TP\Rapports, check the PowerShell version and allow local scripts.

2. 2. Explore the system

   Why? Get-Member reveals available properties before selecting them.

   Display the server’s name, version, build, total memory and last boot.

3. 3. Disks and services

   Why? The two most frequent incident causes: full disk and stopped service.

   List volumes with their free percentage, then automatic services that are not running.

4. 4. Write the script

   Why? A parameterized script can be reused and run remotely.

   Write C:\TP\Scripts\Inventaire.ps1 returning one object per server (system, RAM, free C disk, number of stopped automatic services, latest update).

5. 5. Produce the reports

   Why? CSV opens in a spreadsheet, HTML can be shared.

   Export the result as timestamped CSV and HTML in C:\TP\Rapports.

6. 6. Run remotely

   Why? Invoke-Command queries several servers in parallel.

   Run the script on the local server and a second machine (or localhost twice if you only have one), then gather the results.

Difficulty level : ●○○○○ (1/5)