Freeze when running PowerCLI cmdlets via invoke-command

[Craig_Baltzer]

I'm trying to run a bit of PowerCLI on a remote server using invoke-command. I'm hitting a wall where the execution "hangs" after the connect-viserver cmdlet executes.
I've increased the memory available for remote processes on that server to 2GB (i.e. I've run set-item wsman:localhost\Shell\MaxMemoryPerShellMB 2048 on the remote server and restarted).

Remote execution works fine as I can do

invoke-command -ComputerName server.bob.com -Scriptblock { get-help}

this returns the output from "get-help" as expected

Likewise I can load the PowerCLI snap-in and connect to a vSphere host

invoke-command -ComputerName server.bob.com -Scriptblock { add-pssnapin VMware.VimAutomation.Core; connect-viserver vsserver.bob.com -User root -Password pwd; get-help}

this returns the output from connect-viserver showing that I connected to the host, then the "get-help" output follows as expected

The burn comes when I try to run another VMware cmdlet

invoke-command -ComputerName server.bob.com -Scriptblock { add-pssnapin VMware.VimAutomation.Core; connect-viserver vsserver.bob.com -User root -Password pwd; get-vmhost}

this returns the output from connect-viserver and then just hangs (I have to close the PowerShell instance to get control back). The cmdlet doesn't matter (i.e. get-vm will also hang)

The underlying OS is Windows 2008 R2 and I've tried both 5.0 (build 435427) as well as 5.5 PowerCLI (build 1295336) with the same results. Any thoughts?

[georgep]

I too also have this problem. Has there been any resolution to this? I was trying to run a script on a remote computer that doesn't have PowerCLI installed and so thought that this method would be a work around and now I have the same issues as mentioned above. I just wish that PowerCLI cmdlets could be added easily using "Import-Module" ....something that so be worked on for future releases.

[LucD]

Do you see the same when you pipe the objects from Get-VMHost or Get-VM to an Out-String or a Select-Object cmdlet ?

[georgep]

Hi LucD,

Ok as mentioned using Select-Object works . I had  missed that off.

So this works

Invoke-Command -ComputerName SRV -Scriptblock {add-pssnapin VMware.VimAutomation.Core; connect-viserver VC1; Get-vm | select-object Name}

Invoke-Command -ComputerName SRV -Scriptblock {add-pssnapin VMware.VimAutomation.Core; connect-viserver VC1; Get-Host | select-object Name}

Without | Select-Object they don't return any results. I've yet to install PowerCLI 5.8 but will shortly.

Thanks to all for posting on this issue and a simple work around.

[georgep]

Noticed that Open-VMConsoleWindow' doesn't work however.

"The term 'Open-VMConsoleWindow' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the

path is correct and try again."

[LucD]

Which PowerCLI version are you using ?

Do a

Get-PowerCLIVersion

[georgep]

you were right to ask what version the machine had.....5.1 .....I have now upgraded to 5.8 release 1.

However when I ran this command

Invoke-Command -ComputerName SRV -Scriptblock {add-pssnapin VMware.VimAutomation.Core; connect-viserver VC1; Open-VMConsoleWindow  'MyVM'}

It connect's to the VC and then after some time completes but without opening the browser. Doing it as normal i.e  Open-VMConsoleWindow 'MyVM'

works.

Has anyone tried this? or is there any other way to open a VM console window using Invoke-Command?

[georgep]

Also it appears your can't use a String value

$VC = "VirtualCenter"

Invoke-Command -ComputerName SRV -Scriptblock {add-pssnapin VMware.VimAutomation.Core; connect-viserver $VC; Get-vm | select-object Name}

Error:

Cannot validate argument on parameter 'Server'. The argument is null or empty. Supply an argument that is not null or empty and then try the command again.

+ CategoryInfo     : InvalidData: (:) [Connect-VIServer], ParameterBindingValidationException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.ConnectVIServer

+ PSComputerName   :  MyComputer

[LucD]

Passing parameters via Invoke-Command to a script block is done with the ArgumentList parameter

See for example #PSTip Passing local variables to a remote session in PowerShell 3.0