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Windows Management Framework Changelog

What's new in Windows Management Framework 5.1

Apr 7, 2017
  • Some of the new and updated features in this release include:
  • Constrained file copying to/from JEA endpoints
  • JEA support for Group Managed Service Accounts and Conditional Access Policies
  • PowerShell console support for VT100 and redirecting stdin with interactive input
  • Support for catalog signed modules in PowerShell Get
  • Specifying which module version to load in a script
  • Package Management cmdlet support for proxy servers
  • PowerShellGet cmdlet support for proxy servers
  • Improvements in PowerShell Script Debugging
  • Improvements in Desired State Configuration (DSC)
  • Improved PowerShell usage auditing using Transcription and Logging
  • New and updated cmdlets based on community feedback

New in Windows Management Framework 5.0 (Apr 7, 2017)

  • Windows PowerShell
  • Just Enough Administration (JEA)
  • Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC)
  • Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE)
  • Windows PowerShell Web Services (Management OData IIS Extension)
  • Windows Remote Management (WinRM)
  • Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)

New in Windows Management Framework 4.0 Preview (Jun 27, 2013)

  • This preview release lets you explore new features and functionality in Windows Management Framework 4.0, including the following:
  • Windows PowerShell 4.0
  • Windows PowerShell ISE
  • Windows PowerShell Web Services (Management OData IIS Extension)
  • Windows Remote Management (WinRM)
  • Windows Management Infrastructure (WMI)
  • The Server Manager WMI provider
  • A new feature for 4.0, Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC)
  • Windows PowerShell 4.0:
  • Support for workflow and remote script debugging
  • Improved workflow authoring experience to make it more consistent with script authoring
  • Added PipelineVariable as a common parameter
  • Better support for downloading updatable help by using Save-Help and Update-Help in offline scenarios
  • Updated version from 3.0 to 4.0
  • Several bug fixes and performance improvements
  • Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment:
  • Support for Windows PowerShell Workflow debugging
  • Support for remote script debugging
  • IntelliSense support for Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration providers and configurations
  • Windows PowerShell Web Services:
  • Windows PowerShell Web Services (Management OData IIS Extension) enables an administrator to expose a set of Windows PowerShell cmdlets as a RESTful web endpoint accessible by using OData (Open Data Protocol). This provides remote access to run cmdlets from both Windows-based and non-Windows-based client computers or devices.
  • Improved error messages in event logs
  • Endpoint versioning support
  • Autopopulation of OData dispatch schema fields
  • Support for complex types
  • Multilevel association support
  • Ability to perform large binary stream transfers
  • Support for non-Create/Read/Update/Delete (CRUD) actions
  • Key-As-Segment URL syntax support
  • Constrained resource operations
  • WMI, WinRM, and Server Manager CIM Provider:
  • These features were included with WMF 3.0, and continue to be included in WMF 4.0 Preview. There are no significant changes to these features.
  • Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration:
  • Windows Management Framework 4.0 Preview introduces Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC), with the following highlights:
  • Local configuration manager for applying configurations on the local computer
  • Windows PowerShell language extensions for authoring DSC documents
  • PSDesiredStateConfiguration module and DSC-related cmdlets
  • A set of built-in DSC configuration providers
  • DSC service for distributed access to DSC resources

New in Windows Management Framework 3.0 (Sep 5, 2012)

  • Windows PowerShell 3.0:
  • Workflow :
  • Windows PowerShell Workflow lets IT Pros and developers apply the benefits of workflows to the automation capabilities of Windows PowerShell. Workflows allow administrators to run long-running tasks (which can be made repeatable, frequent, parallelizable, interruptible, or restart-able) that can affect multiple managed computers or devices at the same time.
  • Disconnected Sessions:
  • PowerShell sessions can be disconnected from the remote computer and reconnected later from the same computer or a different computer without losing state or causing running commands to fail.
  • Robust Session Connectivity:
  • Remote sessions are resilient to network failures and will attempt to reconnect for several minutes. If connectivity cannot be reestablished, the session will automatically disconnect itself so that it can be reconnected when network connectivity is restored.
  • Scheduled Jobs:
  • Scheduled jobs that run regularly or in response to an event.
  • Delegated Administration:
  • Commands that can be executed with a delegated set of credentials so users with limited permissions can run critical jobs
  • Simplified Language Syntax:
  • Simplified language syntax that make commands and scripts look a lot less like code and a lot more like natural language.
  • Cmdlet Discovery:
  • Improved cmdlet discovery and automatic module loading that make it easier to find and run any of the cmdlets installed on your computer.
  • Show-Command:
  • Show-Command, a cmdlet and ISE Add-On that helps users find the right cmdlet, view its parameters in a dialog box, and run it.
  • WMI:
  • A new provider development model:
  • This new model brings down the cost of provider development and removes the dependency on COM.
  • A new MI Client API to perform standard CIM operations:
  • The API can be used to interact with any standard WsMan + CIMOM implementation, allowing management applications on Windows to manage non-Windows computers.
  • The ability to write Windows PowerShell cmdlets in native code:
  • The new WMI Provider APIs supports an extended Windows PowerShell semantics API allowing you to provide rich Windows PowerShell semantics. e.g., Verbose, Error, Warning, WhatIf, Confirm, Progress
  • WinRM:
  • Connections are more robust:
  • Remote connections communicating over WinRM are more robust to transient network failures such as a flaky WAN connection. In the case of a complete network failure, connections are gracefully disconnected and can be reconnected when network connectivity is restored.
  • Remoting is more Standards-compliant:
  • Standard WS-Management operations, including Create and Delete, can be performed over WMI. Remoting for cmdlets written in native code using the new WMI provider development model uses WS-Management instead of DCOM.
  • Multiple PowerShell sessions can be shared in the same process:
  • PowerShell sessions from the same user to the same session configuration (WinRM plug-in) can run in a single shared process instead of separate processes. This improves scalability and performance by allowing multiple sessions to share memory and other server resources.
  • Management OData IIS Extensions:
  • Management OData IIS Extension enables an administrator to expose a set of PowerShell cmdlets as a RESTful web endpoint accessible via the Open Data Protocol (OData). This enables Windows and non-Windows clients to discover and invoke PowerShell cmdlets remotely over standard web protocols and interfaces.
  • Server Manager CIM Provider:
  • The Server Manager CIM Provider packaged with Windows Management Framework 3.0 allows you to manage your Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 servers from Server Manager in Windows Server 2012 or Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8.

New in Windows Management Framework 3.0 CTP2 (Dec 5, 2011)

  • Customer Reported Bug Fixes:
  • Many customer reported bugs have been fixed since the WMF 3.0 CTP1. The release notes contains a list of bug titles, but please check Connect for full details.
  • Single Command Pane in Windows PowerShell ISE:
  • The Command and Output panes in Windows PowerShell ISE have been combined into a single Command pane that looks and behaves like the Windows PowerShell console.
  • Updatable Help:
  • The WMF 3.0 CTP1 release notes described a new Updatable Help system in Windows PowerShell 3.0 and included a copy of the help content. The Updatable Help system is now active on the Internet. To download and update help files, type: Update-Help.
  • Windows PowerShell Workflows:
  • A number of enhancements have been made in the scripting experience for Windows PowerShell Workflows, including new keywords: Parallel, Sequence & Inlinescript. A document describing these changes will be published to this page shortly.
  • Remote Get-Module:
  • The Get-Module cmdlet now supports implicit remoting. You can now use the new PSSession and CIMSession parameters of the Get-Module cmdlet to get the modules in any remote session or CIM session. A number of other module enhancements are listed in the release notes.