Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation - powershell.one

The Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation association WMI class relates an array of physical memory and its physical memory.

Methods

Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation has no methods.

Properties

Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation returns 3 properties:

'GroupComponent','LocationWithinContainer','PartComponent'

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

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation -Property *

Most WMI classes return one or more instances.

When Get-CimInstance returns no result, then apparently no instances of class Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation 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).

GroupComponent

KEY PROPERTY WIN32_PHYSICALMEMORYARRAY

A Win32_PhysicalMemoryArray that represents the physical memory array that contains the physical memory.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation | Select-Object -Property GroupComponent, PartComponent

LocationWithinContainer

STRING

Free-form string that represents the positioning of the physical element within the physical package. Information relative to stationary elements in the container (for example, “second drive bay from the top”), angles, altitudes, and other data can be recorded in this property. This string could supplement or be used in place of instantiating the CIM_Location object.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation | Select-Object -Property GroupComponent, PartComponent, LocationWithinContainer

PartComponent

KEY PROPERTY WIN32_PHYSICALMEMORY

A Win32_PhysicalMemory that represents the physical memory contained in the physical memory array.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation | Select-Object -Property GroupComponent, PartComponent

Examples

List all instances of Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation

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

View all properties

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation -Property *

View key properties only

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation -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 = 'GroupComponent',
              'LocationWithinContainer',
              'PartComponent'
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation | 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_PhysicalMemoryLocation -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_PhysicalMemoryLocation -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 LocationWithinContainer, GroupComponent, PartComponent FROM Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation 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 LocationWithinContainer, GroupComponent, PartComponent FROM Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation WHERE Caption LIKE 'a%'" | Select-Object -Property LocationWithinContainer, GroupComponent, PartComponent

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_PhysicalMemoryLocation -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_PhysicalMemoryLocation -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_PhysicalMemoryLocation, 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_PhysicalMemoryLocation was introduced on clients with WindowsÂ Vista and on servers with Windows ServerÂ 2008.

Namespace

Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation 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_PhysicalMemoryLocation 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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