Get-DbaLinkedServer

Stephen Bennett, sqlnotesfromtheunderground.wordpress.com

Windows, Linux, macOS

Synopsis

Retrieves linked server configurations and connection details from SQL Server instances.

Pulls complete linked server information from one or more SQL Server instances, including remote server names, authentication methods, and security settings. This helps DBAs audit cross-server connections for compliance reporting, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and document distributed database architectures. Returns details about the remote server, product type, impersonation settings, and login mappings for each configured linked server.

Syntax

Get-DbaLinkedServer
    [-SqlInstance] <DbaInstanceParameter[]>
    [[-SqlCredential] <PSCredential>]
    [[-LinkedServer] <Object[]>]
    [[-ExcludeLinkedServer] <Object[]>]
    [-EnableException]
    [<CommonParameters>]

Examples

Example: 1

PS C:\> Get-DbaLinkedServer -SqlInstance DEV01

Returns all linked servers for the SQL Server instance DEV01

Example: 2

PS C:\> Get-DbaRegServer -SqlInstance DEV01 -Group SQLDEV | Get-DbaLinkedServer | Out-GridView

Returns all linked servers for a group of servers from SQL Server Central Management Server (CMS). Send output to GridView.

Required Parameters

-SqlInstance

The target SQL Server instance or instances. This can be a collection and receive pipeline input to allow the function
to be executed against multiple SQL Server instances.

Property	Value
Alias
Required	True
Pipeline	true (ByValue)
Default Value

Optional Parameters

-SqlCredential

Login to the target instance using alternative credentials. Accepts PowerShell credentials (Get-Credential).
Windows Authentication, SQL Server Authentication, Active Directory - Password, and Active Directory - Integrated are all supported.
For MFA support, please use Connect-DbaInstance.

Property	Value
Alias
Required	False
Pipeline	false
Default Value

-LinkedServer

Specifies one or more linked server names to retrieve information for. Accepts an array of server names for filtering results.
Use this when you need details on specific linked servers instead of all configured linked servers on the instance.

Property	Value
Alias
Required	False
Pipeline	false
Default Value

-ExcludeLinkedServer

Specifies one or more linked server names to exclude from the results. Accepts an array of server names to filter out.
Use this when you want to skip specific linked servers, such as excluding test or deprecated connections from your inventory.

Property	Value
Alias
Required	False
Pipeline	false
Default Value

-EnableException

By default, when something goes wrong we try to catch it, interpret it and give you a friendly warning message.
This avoids overwhelming you with “sea of red” exceptions, but is inconvenient because it basically disables advanced scripting.
Using this switch turns this “nice by default” feature off and enables you to catch exceptions with your own try/catch.

Property	Value
Alias
Required	False
Pipeline	false
Default Value	False

Outputs

Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.LinkedServer

Returns one LinkedServer object per configured linked server found on the target instance(s). When filtered, returns only the linked servers matching the specified criteria.

Default display properties (via Select-DefaultView):

ComputerName: The computer name of the SQL Server instance
InstanceName: The SQL Server instance name
SqlInstance: The full SQL Server instance name (computer\instance)
Name: The name of the linked server
RemoteServer: The data source or remote server name (from DataSource property)
ProductName: The product type of the linked server
Impersonate: Boolean or collection indicating if impersonation is enabled
RemoteUser: The remote user login mapped for this linked server connection
Publisher: The distribution publisher for the linked server (if applicable)
Distributor: The distributor server (if applicable)
DateLastModified: DateTime indicating when the linked server configuration was last modified

*Additional properties available from SMO LinkedServer object (accessible via Select-Object ):

LinkedServerType: Type of linked server (SqlServer, OleDbProvider, etc.)
RpsSiteUrl: RPS site URL if configured
LoginSecure: Boolean indicating if Windows authentication is enforced
ConnectionTimeout: Timeout in seconds for linked server connections
QueryTimeout: Query timeout in seconds on the linked server
Collation: Collation setting for the linked server
LazySchemaValidation: Boolean indicating lazy schema validation setting
UseRemoteCollation: Boolean indicating if remote collation is used
IsPublisher: Boolean indicating if this linked server is a publisher
IsDistributor: Boolean indicating if this linked server is a distributor
IsSubscriber: Boolean indicating if this linked server is a subscriber