Windows Management Instrumentation

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Windows Management Instrumentation ( WMI ) is Microsoft's implementation - and extension - of the Common Information Model (CIM), a core functionality of standardized Web Based Enterprise Management (WBEM), for Windows .

use

WMI can be used to read and write, locally or from the network, to almost all settings of a Windows computer. WMI is therefore one of the most important interfaces under Windows for the administration and remote maintenance of workstations and servers using scripting languages such as Windows PowerShell and VBScript .

Another possibility to use WMI interactively or within batch files is the Microsoft command line program Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC).

Availability

Based on COM and DCOM , WMI is an integral part of Windows 2000 , Windows XP , Windows Server 2003 and all subsequent versions . Add-ons are available for Windows 9x and NT4 . The Windows firewall does not work if the WMI service (Winmgmt.exe) is not running . Only as of version NT 5.1 (XP, 2003,…) does Windows force a password for logging on to the DCOM port (135 / TCP) to use WMI.

When querying WMI over the network, data is returned via the dynamic port range 1025-5000 (Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003) or 49152-65535 ( Windows Server 2008 , Windows Vista and higher versions), unless that a static WMI port has been set up.

Range of functions

  • Manage hardware and software inventory data (WMI Repository )
  • Restart the computer
  • Query, start and stop services and queues
  • Read, configure and delete event logs and performance logs
  • Edit the Windows registry
  • Start programs

Web links