Win32_NetworkConnection - powershell.one

The Win32_NetworkConnection WMI classrepresents an active network connection in a Windows-based environment.

Methods

Win32_NetworkConnection has no methods.

Properties

Win32_NetworkConnection returns 17 properties:

'AccessMask','Caption','Comment','ConnectionState','ConnectionType','Description',
'DisplayType','InstallDate','LocalName','Name','Persistent','ProviderName','RemoteName','RemotePath',
'ResourceType','Status','UserName'

Unless explicitly marked as writeable, all properties are read-only. Read all properties for all instances:

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection -Property *

Most WMI classes return one or more instances.

When Get-CimInstance returns no result, then apparently no instances of class Win32_NetworkConnection exist. This is normal behavior.

Either the class is not implemented on your system (may be deprecated or due to missing drivers, i.e. CIM_VideoControllerResolution), or there are simply no physical representations of this class currently available (i.e. Win32_TapeDrive).

AccessMask

UINT32

List of access rights to the given file or directory held by the user or group on whose behalf the instance is returned. On FAT volumes, the FULL_ACCESS value is returned instead, indicating no security has been set on the object.

AccessMask returns a numeric value. To translate it into a meaningful text, use any of the following approaches:

Use a PowerShell Hashtable

$AccessMask_map = @{
      1 = 'FILE_READ_DATA (file) or FILE_LIST_DIRECTORY (directory)'
      2 = 'FILE_WRITE_DATA (file) or FILE_ADD_FILE (directory)'
      4 = 'FILE_APPEND_DATA (file) or FILE_ADD_SUBDIRECTORY'
      8 = 'FILE_READ_EA'
     16 = 'FILE_WRITE_EA'
     32 = 'FILE_EXECUTE (file) or FILE_TRAVERSE (directory)'
     64 = 'FILE_DELETE_CHILD (directory)'
    128 = 'FILE_READ_ATTRIBUTES'
    256 = 'FILE_WRITE_ATTRIBUTES'
  65536 = 'DELETE'
 131072 = 'READ_CONTROL'
 262144 = 'WRITE_DAC'
 524288 = 'WRITE_OWNER'
1048576 = 'SYNCHRONIZE'
}

Use a switch statement

switch([int]$value)
{
  1          {'FILE_READ_DATA (file) or FILE_LIST_DIRECTORY (directory)'}
  2          {'FILE_WRITE_DATA (file) or FILE_ADD_FILE (directory)'}
  4          {'FILE_APPEND_DATA (file) or FILE_ADD_SUBDIRECTORY'}
  8          {'FILE_READ_EA'}
  16         {'FILE_WRITE_EA'}
  32         {'FILE_EXECUTE (file) or FILE_TRAVERSE (directory)'}
  64         {'FILE_DELETE_CHILD (directory)'}
  128        {'FILE_READ_ATTRIBUTES'}
  256        {'FILE_WRITE_ATTRIBUTES'}
  65536      {'DELETE'}
  131072     {'READ_CONTROL'}
  262144     {'WRITE_DAC'}
  524288     {'WRITE_OWNER'}
  1048576    {'SYNCHRONIZE'}
  default    {"$value"}
}

Use Enum structure

Enum EnumAccessMask
{
  FILE_READ_DATA_file_or_FILE_LIST_DIRECTORY_directory   = 1
  FILE_WRITE_DATA_file_or_FILE_ADD_FILE_directory        = 2
  FILE_APPEND_DATA_file_or_FILE_ADD_SUBDIRECTORY         = 4
  FILE_READ_EA                                           = 8
  FILE_WRITE_EA                                          = 16
  FILE_EXECUTE_file_or_FILE_TRAVERSE_directory           = 32
  FILE_DELETE_CHILD_directory                            = 64
  FILE_READ_ATTRIBUTES                                   = 128
  FILE_WRITE_ATTRIBUTES                                  = 256
  DELETE                                                 = 65536
  READ_CONTROL                                           = 131072
  WRITE_DAC                                              = 262144
  WRITE_OWNER                                            = 524288
  SYNCHRONIZE                                            = 1048576
}

Examples

Use $AccessMask_map in a calculated property for Select-Object

<# 
  this example uses a hashtable to translate raw numeric values for 
  property "AccessMask" to friendly text

  Note: to use other properties than "AccessMask", look up the appropriate 
  translation hashtable for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define hashtable to translate raw values to friendly text

# Please note: this hashtable is specific for property "AccessMask" 
# to translate other properties, use their translation table instead
$AccessMask_map = @{
      1 = 'FILE_READ_DATA (file) or FILE_LIST_DIRECTORY (directory)'
      2 = 'FILE_WRITE_DATA (file) or FILE_ADD_FILE (directory)'
      4 = 'FILE_APPEND_DATA (file) or FILE_ADD_SUBDIRECTORY'
      8 = 'FILE_READ_EA'
     16 = 'FILE_WRITE_EA'
     32 = 'FILE_EXECUTE (file) or FILE_TRAVERSE (directory)'
     64 = 'FILE_DELETE_CHILD (directory)'
    128 = 'FILE_READ_ATTRIBUTES'
    256 = 'FILE_WRITE_ATTRIBUTES'
  65536 = 'DELETE'
 131072 = 'READ_CONTROL'
 262144 = 'WRITE_DAC'
 524288 = 'WRITE_OWNER'
1048576 = 'SYNCHRONIZE'
}

#endregion define hashtable

#region define calculated property (to be used with Select-Object)

<#
  a calculated property is defined by a hashtable with keys "Name" and "Expression"
  "Name" defines the name of the property (in this example, it is "AccessMask", but you can rename it to anything else)
  "Expression" defines a scriptblock that calculates the content of this property
  in this example, the scriptblock uses the hashtable defined earlier to translate each numeric
  value to its friendly text counterpart:
#>
 
$AccessMask = @{
  Name = 'AccessMask'
  Expression = {
    # property is an array, so process all values
    $value = $_.AccessMask
    $AccessMask_map[[int]$value]
  }  
}
#endregion define calculated property

# retrieve the instances, and output the properties "Caption" and "AccessMask". The latter
# is defined by the hashtable in $AccessMask: 
Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Caption, $AccessMask

# ...or dump content of property AccessMask:
$friendlyValues = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_NetworkConnection | 
    Select-Object -Property $AccessMask |
    Select-Object -ExpandProperty AccessMask

# output values
$friendlyValues

# output values as comma separated list
$friendlyValues -join ', '

# output values as bullet list
$friendlyValues | ForEach-Object { "- $_" }

Use $AccessMask_map to directly translate raw values from an instance

<# 
  this example uses a hashtable to manually translate raw numeric values 
  for property "Win32_NetworkConnection" to friendly text. This approach is ideal when
  there is just one instance to work with.

  Note: to use other properties than "Win32_NetworkConnection", look up the appropriate 
  translation hashtable for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define hashtable to translate raw values to friendly text

# Please note: this hashtable is specific for property "Win32_NetworkConnection" 
# to translate other properties, use their translation table instead
$AccessMask_map = @{
      1 = 'FILE_READ_DATA (file) or FILE_LIST_DIRECTORY (directory)'
      2 = 'FILE_WRITE_DATA (file) or FILE_ADD_FILE (directory)'
      4 = 'FILE_APPEND_DATA (file) or FILE_ADD_SUBDIRECTORY'
      8 = 'FILE_READ_EA'
     16 = 'FILE_WRITE_EA'
     32 = 'FILE_EXECUTE (file) or FILE_TRAVERSE (directory)'
     64 = 'FILE_DELETE_CHILD (directory)'
    128 = 'FILE_READ_ATTRIBUTES'
    256 = 'FILE_WRITE_ATTRIBUTES'
  65536 = 'DELETE'
 131072 = 'READ_CONTROL'
 262144 = 'WRITE_DAC'
 524288 = 'WRITE_OWNER'
1048576 = 'SYNCHRONIZE'
}

#endregion define hashtable

# get one instance:
$instance = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -First 1

<#
  IMPORTANT: this example processes only one instance to illustrate
  the number-to-text translation. To process all instances, replace
  "Select-Object -First 1" with a "Foreach-Object" loop, and use
  the iterator variable $_ instead of $instance
#>

# query the property
$rawValue = $instance.AccessMask  

# translate raw value to friendly text:
$friendlyName = $AccessMask_map[[int]$rawValue]

# output value
$friendlyName

Use a switch statement inside a calculated property for Select-Object

<# 
  this example uses a switch clause to translate raw numeric 
  values for property "AccessMask" to friendly text. The switch
  clause is embedded into a calculated property so there is
  no need to refer to external variables for translation.

  Note: to use other properties than "AccessMask", look up the appropriate 
  translation switch clause for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define calculated property (to be used with Select-Object)

<#
  a calculated property is defined by a hashtable with keys "Name" and "Expression"
  "Name" defines the name of the property (in this example, it is "AccessMask", but you can rename it to anything else)
  "Expression" defines a scriptblock that calculates the content of this property
  in this example, the scriptblock uses the hashtable defined earlier to translate each numeric
  value to its friendly text counterpart:
#>
 
$AccessMask = @{
  Name = 'AccessMask'
  Expression = {
    # property is an array, so process all values
    $value = $_.AccessMask
    
    switch([int]$value)
      {
        1          {'FILE_READ_DATA (file) or FILE_LIST_DIRECTORY (directory)'}
        2          {'FILE_WRITE_DATA (file) or FILE_ADD_FILE (directory)'}
        4          {'FILE_APPEND_DATA (file) or FILE_ADD_SUBDIRECTORY'}
        8          {'FILE_READ_EA'}
        16         {'FILE_WRITE_EA'}
        32         {'FILE_EXECUTE (file) or FILE_TRAVERSE (directory)'}
        64         {'FILE_DELETE_CHILD (directory)'}
        128        {'FILE_READ_ATTRIBUTES'}
        256        {'FILE_WRITE_ATTRIBUTES'}
        65536      {'DELETE'}
        131072     {'READ_CONTROL'}
        262144     {'WRITE_DAC'}
        524288     {'WRITE_OWNER'}
        1048576    {'SYNCHRONIZE'}
        default    {"$value"}
      }
      
  }  
}
#endregion define calculated property

# retrieve all instances...
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | 
  # ...and output properties "Caption" and "AccessMask". The latter is defined
  # by the hashtable in $AccessMask:
  Select-Object -Property Caption, $AccessMask

Use the Enum from above to auto-translate the code values

<# 
  this example translates raw values by means of type conversion
  the friendly names are defined as enumeration using the
  keyword "enum" (PowerShell 5 or better)
  
  The raw value(s) are translated to friendly text by 
  simply converting them into the enum type.
  
  Note: to use other properties than "Win32_NetworkConnection", look up the appropriate 
  enum definition for the property you would like to use instead.
#>


#region define enum with value-to-text translation:
Enum EnumAccessMask
{
  FILE_READ_DATA_file_or_FILE_LIST_DIRECTORY_directory   = 1
  FILE_WRITE_DATA_file_or_FILE_ADD_FILE_directory        = 2
  FILE_APPEND_DATA_file_or_FILE_ADD_SUBDIRECTORY         = 4
  FILE_READ_EA                                           = 8
  FILE_WRITE_EA                                          = 16
  FILE_EXECUTE_file_or_FILE_TRAVERSE_directory           = 32
  FILE_DELETE_CHILD_directory                            = 64
  FILE_READ_ATTRIBUTES                                   = 128
  FILE_WRITE_ATTRIBUTES                                  = 256
  DELETE                                                 = 65536
  READ_CONTROL                                           = 131072
  WRITE_DAC                                              = 262144
  WRITE_OWNER                                            = 524288
  SYNCHRONIZE                                            = 1048576
}

#endregion define enum

# get one instance:
$instance = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -First 1

<#
  IMPORTANT: this example processes only one instance to focus on
  the number-to-text type conversion. 
  
  To process all instances, replace   "Select-Object -First 1" 
  with a "Foreach-Object" loop, and use the iterator variable 
  $_ instead of $instance
#>

# query the property:
$rawValue = $instance.AccessMask

#region using strict type conversion

<#
  Note: strict type conversion fails if the raw value is 
  not defined by the enum. So if the list of allowable values
  was extended and the enum does not match the value,
  an exception is thrown
#>

# convert the property to the enum **AccessMask** 
[EnumAccessMask]$rawValue 

# get a comma-separated string:
[EnumAccessMask]$rawValue -join ',' 
#endregion

#region using operator "-as"

<#
  Note: the operator "-as" accepts values not defined
  by the enum and returns $null instead of throwing
  an exception
#>

$rawValue -as [EnumAccessMask]
#endregion

Enums must cover all possible values. If AccessMask returns a value that is not defined in the enum, an exception occurs. The exception reports the value that was missing in the enum. To fix, add the missing value to the enum.

Caption

STRING MAX 64 CHAR

A short textual description of the object.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, Caption

Comment

STRING

Comment supplied by the network provider.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, Comment

ConnectionState

STRING MAX 20 CHAR

Current state of the network connection.

Connected (“Connected”)

Error (“Error”)

Paused (“Paused”)

Disconnected (“Disconnected”)

Connecting (“Connecting”)

Reconnecting (“Reconnecting”)

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, ConnectionState

ConnectionType

STRING

Persistence type of the connection used for connecting to the network.

Current Connection (“Current Connection”)

Persistent Connection (“Persistent Connection”)

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, ConnectionType

Description

STRING

A textual description of the object.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, Description

DisplayType

STRING

Network object should be displayed in a network browsing user interface.

Domain (“Domain”)

Generic (“Generic”)

Server (“Server”)

Share (“Share”)

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, DisplayType

InstallDate

DATETIME

Indicates when the object was installed. Lack of a value does not indicate that the object is not installed.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, InstallDate

LocalName

STRING

Local name of the connected network device.

Example: “c:\public”

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, LocalName

Name

KEY PROPERTY STRING

Name of the current network connection. It is the combination of the values in RemoteName and LocalName.

Example: “\NTRELEASE (c:\public)”

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name

Persistent

BOOLEAN

Connection will be reconnected automatically by the operating system on the next logon.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, Persistent

ProviderName

STRING

Name of the provider that owns the resource. This property can be NULL if the provider name is unknown.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, ProviderName

RemoteName

STRING

Remote network resource name for a network resource. For a current or persistent connection, RemoteName contains the network name associated with the name of the value in the LocalName property. The name in RemoteName must follow the network provider’s naming conventions.

Example: “\NTRELEASE”

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, RemoteName

RemotePath

STRING

Full path to the network resource.

Example: “\infosrv1\public”

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, RemotePath

ResourceType

STRING

Type of resource to enumerate or connect to.

Disk (“Disk”)

Print (“Print”)

Any (“Any”)

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, ResourceType

Status

STRING MAX 10 CHAR

Current status of an object. Various operational and nonoperational statuses can be defined. Available values:

$values = 'Degraded','Error','Lost Comm','No Contact','NonRecover','OK','Pred Fail','Service','Starting','Stopping','Stressed','Unknown'

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, Status

UserName

STRING

User name or the default user name used to establish a network connection.

Example: “SYSTEM”

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property Name, UserName

Examples

List all instances of Win32_NetworkConnection

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection

Learn more about Get-CimInstance and the deprecated Get-WmiObject.

View all properties

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection -Property *

View key properties only

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection -KeyOnly

Selecting Properties

To select only some properties, pipe the results to Select-Object -Property a,b,c with a comma-separated list of the properties you require. Wildcards are permitted.

Get-CimInstance always returns all properties but only retrieves the ones that you specify. All other properties are empty but still present. That’s why you need to pipe the results into Select-Object if you want to limit the visible properties, i.e. for reporting.

Selecting Properties

The code below lists all available properties. Remove the ones you do not need:

$properties = 'AccessMask',
              'Caption',
              'Comment',
              'ConnectionState',
              'ConnectionType',
              'Description',
              'DisplayType',
              'InstallDate',
              'LocalName',
              'Name',
              'Persistent',
              'ProviderName',
              'RemoteName',
              'RemotePath',
              'ResourceType',
              'Status',
              'UserName'
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection | Select-Object -Property $properties

Limiting Network Bandwidth

If you work remotely, it makes sense to limit network bandwidth by filtering the properties on the server side, too:

Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_NetworkConnection -Property $property | 
Select-Object -Property $property

Selecting Instances

To select some instances, use Get-CimInstance and a WMI Query. The wildcard character in WMI Queries is % (and not “*”).

The parameter -Filter runs a simple query.

Listing all instances where the property Caption starts with “A”

Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_NetworkConnection -Filter 'Caption LIKE "a%"' 

Using a WQL Query

The parameter -Query uses a query similar to SQL and combines the parameters -Filter and -Property. This returns all instances where the property Caption starts with “A”, and returns the properties specified:

Get-CimInstance -Query "SELECT Comment, ConnectionState, ConnectionType, Name FROM Win32_NetworkConnection WHERE Caption LIKE 'a%'"

Any property you did not specify is still present but empty. You might need to use Select-Object to remove all unwanted properties:
Get-CimInstance -Query "SELECT Comment, ConnectionState, ConnectionType, Name FROM Win32_NetworkConnection WHERE Caption LIKE 'a%'" | Select-Object -Property Comment, ConnectionState, ConnectionType, Name

Accessing Remote Computers

To access remote systems, you need to have proper permissions. User the parameter -ComputerName to access one or more remote systems.

Authenticating as Current User

# one or more computer names or IP addresses:
$list = 'server1', 'server2'

# authenticate with your current identity:
$result = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkConnection -ComputerName $list 
$result

Authenticating as Different User

Use a CIMSession object to authenticate with a new identity:

# one or more computer names or IP addresses:
$list = 'server1', 'server2'

# authenticate with a different identity:
$cred = Get-Credential -Message 'Authenticate to retrieve WMI information:'
$session = New-CimSession -ComputerName $list -Credential $cred

$result = Get-CimInstance Win32_NetworkConnection -CimSession $session

# remove the session after use (if you do not plan to re-use it later)
Remove-CimSession -CimSession $session

$result

Learn more about accessing remote computers.

Requirements

To use Win32_NetworkConnection, the following requirements apply:

PowerShell

Get-CimInstance was introduced with PowerShell Version 3.0, which in turn was introduced on clients with Windows 8 and on servers with Windows Server 2012.

If necessary, update Windows PowerShell to Windows PowerShell 5.1, or install PowerShell 7 side-by-side.

Operating System

Win32_NetworkConnection was introduced on clients with WindowsÂ Vista and on servers with Windows ServerÂ 2008.

Namespace

Win32_NetworkConnection lives in the Namespace Root/CIMV2. This is the default namespace. There is no need to use the -Namespace parameter in Get-CimInstance.

Implementation

Win32_NetworkConnection is implemented in CIMWin32.dll and defined in CIMWin32.mof. Both files are located in the folder C:\Windows\system32\wbem:

explorer $env:windir\system32\wbem
notepad $env:windir\system32\wbem\CIMWin32.mof

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