Start-BitsTransfer

Applies To: Windows PowerShell 2.0

Creates a new Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) transfer job.

Syntax

Start-BitsTransfer [-Source] <string[]> [[-Destination] <string[]>] [-Asynchronous] [-Authentication <string>] [-Credential <PSCredential>] [-Description <string>] [-DisplayName <string>] [-Priority <string>] [-ProxyAuthentication <string>] [-ProxyBypass <string[]>] [-ProxyCredential <PSCredential>] [-ProxyList <Uri[]>] [-ProxyUsage <string>] [-RetryInterval <int>] [-RetryTimeout <int>] [-Suspended] [-TransferType <string>] [-Confirm] [-WhatIf] [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The Start-BitsTransfer cmdlet creates a new BITS transfer job to transfer one or more files between a client computer and a server. The TransferType parameter specifies the direction of the transfer. By default, after the cmdlet begins the transfer, the command prompt is not available until the transfer is complete or until the transfer enters an error state. If the state of the returned BitsJob object is Error, the error code and description are contained in the object and can be used for analysis.

The Start-BitsTransfer cmdlet supports downloading multiple files from a server to a client computer, but it does not generally support uploading multiple files from a client computer to a server. If you need to upload more than one file, you can use the Import-CSV cmdlet to pipe the output to the Add-BitsFile cmdlet to upload multiple files. Or, if you need to upload more than one file, consider using a cabinet file (.cab) or a compressed file (.zip).

Parameters

-Asynchronous

Allows the BITS transfer job to be created and then processed in the background. The command prompt reappears immediately after the BITS transfer job is created. The returned BitsJob object can be used to monitor status and progress.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Accept Pipeline Input?

true (ByPropertyName)

Accept Wildcard Characters?

true

-Authentication <string>

Specifies the authentication mechanism to be used at the server. Possible values are:

- Basic: Basic is a scheme in which the user name and password are sent in clear text to the server or proxy.

- Digest: Digest is a challenge-response scheme that uses a server-specified data string for the challenge.

- NTLM: NTLM is a challenge-response scheme that uses the credentials of the user for authentication in a Windows-based network environment.

- Negotiate (the default): Negotiate is a challenge-response scheme that negotiates with the server or proxy to determine which scheme to use for authentication. For example, this parameter value allows negotiation to determine whether the Kerberos protocol or NTLM is used.

- Passport: Passport is a centralized authentication service provided by Microsoft that offers a single logon for member sites.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Negotiate

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Credential <PSCredential>

Specifies the credentials to use to authenticate the user at the server. The default is the current user. Type a user name, such as "User01", "Domain01\User01", or "User@Contoso.com". Or, use the Get-Credential cmdlet to create the value for this parameter. When you type a user name, you will be prompted for a password.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Description <string>

Describes the BITS transfer job. The description is limited to 1,024 characters.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Destination <string[]>

Specifies the destination location and the names of the files that you want to transfer. The destination names are paired with the corresponding source file names. For example, the first file name specified in the Source parameter corresponds to the first file name in the Destination parameter, and the second file name in the Source parameter corresponds to the second file name in the Destination parameter. The Source and Destination parameters must have the same number of elements; otherwise, the command produces an error.

Required?

false

Position?

2

Default Value

Accept Pipeline Input?

true (ByPropertyName)

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-DisplayName <string>

Specifies a display name for the BITS transfer job. The display name provides a user-friendly way to differentiate BITS transfer jobs.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

BitsJob

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Priority <string>

Sets the priority of the BITS transfer job, which affects bandwidth usage. You can specify the following values:

- Foreground (default): Transfers the job in the foreground. Foreground transfers compete for network bandwidth with other applications, which can impede the user's overall network experience. However, if the Start-BitsTransfer command is being used interactively, this is likely the best option. This is the highest priority level.

- High: Transfers the job in the background with a high priority. Background transfers use the idle network bandwidth of the client computer to transfer files.

- Normal: Transfers the job in the background with a normal priority. Background transfers use the idle network bandwidth of the client computer to transfer files.

- Low: Transfers the job in the background with a low priority. Background transfers use the idle network bandwidth of the client to transfer files. This is the lowest background priority level.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Normal

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-ProxyAuthentication <string>

Specifies the authentication mechanism to use at the Web proxy. Possible values are:

- Basic: Basic is a scheme in which the user name and password are sent in clear-text to the server or proxy.

- Digest: Digest is a challenge-response scheme that uses a server-specified data string for the challenge.

- NTLM: NTLM is a challenge-response scheme that uses the credentials of the user for authentication in a Windows-based network environment.

- Negotiate (the default): Negotiate is a challenge-response scheme that negotiates with the server or proxy to determine which scheme to use for authentication. For example, this parameter value allows negotiation to determine whether the Kerberos protocol or NTLM is used.

- Passport: Passport is a centralized authentication service provided by Microsoft that offers a single logon for member sites.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Negotiate

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-ProxyBypass <string[]>

Specifies a list of host names to use for a direct connection. The hosts in the list are tried in order until a successful connection is achieved. Specifying this parameter bypasses the proxy. If this parameter is used, the ProxyUsage parameter must be set to Override; otherwise, an error occurs.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-ProxyCredential <PSCredential>

Specifies the credentials to use to authenticate the user at the proxy. You can use the Get-Credential cmdlet to create a value for this parameter.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-ProxyList <Uri[]>

Specifies a list of proxies to use. The proxies in the list are tried in order until a successful connection is achieved. If this parameter is specified and ProxyUsage is set to a value other than Override, an error occurs.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-ProxyUsage <string>

Specifies the proxy usage settings. Possible values are:

- SystemDefault (the default): Use the system default proxy settings.

- NoProxy: Do not use a proxy to transfer files. Use this option when you transfer files within a local area network (LAN).

- AutoDetect: Automatically detect proxy settings. BITS detects proxy settings for each file in the job.

- Override: Specify the proxies or servers to use. If the ProxyList parameter is also specified, the proxies in that list are used. If the ProxyBypass parameter is also specified, the servers in that list are used. In both cases, the first member of the list is used. If the first member is unreachable, the subsequent members are tried until a member is contacted successfully.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

SystemDefault

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-RetryInterval <int>

Specifies the minimum length of time, in seconds, that BITS waits before trying to transfer the file after BITS encounters a transient error. The minimum allowed value is 60 seconds. If this value exceeds the RetryTimeout value from the BitsJob object, BITS will not retry the transfer. Instead, BITS sets the state of the BITS transfer job to the Error state.

The default is 600 seconds (10 minutes).

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

600

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-RetryTimeout <int>

Specifies the length of time, in seconds, that BITS tries to transfer the file after the first transient error occurs. Setting the retry period to 0 prevents retries and forces the job into the BG_JOB_STATE_ERROR state when an error occurs. If the retry period value exceeds the JobInactivityTimeout Group Policy setting (90-day default), BITS cancels the job after the JobInactivityTimeout Group Policy setting is exceeded.

The default is 1,209,600 seconds (14 days).

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

1209600

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Source <string[]>

Specifies the source location and the names of the files that you want to transfer. The source file names are paired with the corresponding destination file names. For example, the first file name specified in the Source parameter corresponds to the first file name in the Destination parameter, and the second file name in the Source parameter corresponds to the second file name in the Destination parameter. The Source and Destination parameters must have the same number of elements; otherwise, the command produces an error. You can use standard wildcard characters such as the asterisk (*) and the question mark (?). Or, you can use a range operator such as "[a-r]".

Required?

true

Position?

1

Default Value

Accept Pipeline Input?

true (ByPropertyName)

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Suspended

Suspends the BITS transfer job. If the Suspended parameter is not specified, the job automatically begins the transfer job. If the Suspended parameter is specified, the command prompt returns immediately after the BITS transfer job is created. You can use the Resume-BitsTransfer cmdlet to start the transfer job.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-TransferType <string>

Specifies the BITS transfer job type. Possible values are:

- Download (the default): Specifies that the transfer job downloads files to the client computer.

- Upload: Specifies that the transfer job uploads a file to the server.

- UploadReply: Specifies that the transfer job uploads a file to the server and receives a reply file from the server.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Download

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-Confirm

Prompts you for confirmation before executing the command.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

-WhatIf

Describes what would happen if you executed the command without actually executing the command.

Required?

false

Position?

named

Default Value

Accept Pipeline Input?

false

Accept Wildcard Characters?

false

<CommonParameters>

This cmdlet supports the common parameters: -Verbose, -Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, -OutBuffer, and -OutVariable. For more information, see about_CommonParameters.

Inputs and Outputs

The input type is the type of the objects that you can pipe to the cmdlet. The return type is the type of the objects that the cmdlet returns.

Inputs

None

This cmdlet does not accept and input.

Outputs

Microsoft.BackgroundIntelligentTransfer.Management.BitsJob

When called with the Asynchronous parameter, this cmdlet passes the BitsJob object that is associated with the new BITS transfer job as output. Otherwise, no output is generated.

Notes

You can cancel a transfer job that is running in synchronous mode (foreground priority) by pressing CTRL+C.

If the BITS service is stopped during a synchronous file transfer job, then file transfer job will fail with an error and the file transfer job will not get removed from the BitsTransfer queue. The file transfer job remaining in the BitsTransfer queue can be viewed using the Get-BitsTransfer cmdlet. The file transfer job that remains in the BitsTransfer queue can removed using the Remove-BitsTransfer cmdlet. Once the BITS service is restarted, the file transfer job will recover and resume the file transfer job, unless the file transfer job has been removed in the interim.

Example 1

C:\PS>Start-BitsTransfer -Source https://server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt -Destination c:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt

Description
-----------
This command creates a new BITS transfer job that downloads a file from a server. The local and remote names of the file are specified in the Source and Destination parameters. Because the default transfer type is Download,  the https://Server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt file is transferred to C:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt on the client. The command prompt returns when the file transfer is complete or when it enters an error state. 

When you upload files to an HTTP location, the TransferType parameter must be set to Upload.

Because the Start-BitsTransfer cmdlet assumes that the first parameter is the source and that the second parameter is the destination when no value is specified, this command could be simplified as follows:

Start-BitsTransfer https://server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt c:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt





Example 2

C:\PS>Import-CSV filelist.txt | Start-BitsTransfer

Description
-----------
This command creates a new BITS transfer job that downloads multiple files from a server.

The command imports the source and destination file locations and then pipes the locations  to the Start-BitsTransfer command. The Start-BitsTransfer command creates a new BITS transfer job, adds the files to a single job, and then transfers them sequentially to the client.

The contents of the Filelist.txt file resemble the following information:

Source, Destination
https://server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt, c:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt 
https://server01/servertestdir/testfile2.txt, c:\clienttestdir\testfile2.txt 
https://server01/servertestdir/testfile3.txt, c:\clienttestdir\testfile3.txt 
https://server01/servertestdir/testfile4.txt, c:\clienttestdir\testfile4.txt





Example 3

C:\PS>Start-BitsTransfer -Source c:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt -Destination https://server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt -TransferType Upload

Description
-----------
This command creates a new BITS transfer job that uploads a file to a server. The local and remote names of the file are specified in the Source and Destination parameters. Because the default transfer type is Download, the TransferType parameter must be set to Upload. The C:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt file on the client is transferred to https://Server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt. The command prompt returns when the file transfer is complete or enters an error state. 

Important: The Start-BitsTransfer cmdlet lets you download multiple files from a server to a client computer, but it does not typically let you upload multiple files from a client computer to a server. It is possible to work around this limitation by using the Import-CSV cmdlet to pipe the output to the Start-BitsTransfer cmdlet. If you need to upload more than one file, you can also use a .cab or .zip file.

Because the Start-BitsTransfer cmdlet assumes that the first parameter is the source and that the second parameter is the destination when no value  is specified, this command could be simplified as follows:

Start-BitsTransfer c:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt https://server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt -TransferType Upload





Example 4

C:\PS>Start-BitsTransfer -Source https://server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt, https://server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt -Destination c:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt, c:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt

Description
-----------
This command creates a new BITS transfer job that downloads multiple files from a server. 

The local and remote names of the files are specified in the Source and Destination parameters. Because the default of the TransferType parameter is Download, the https://Server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt and https://Server01/servertestdir/testfile2.txt files are transferred to C:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt and C:\clienttestdir\testfile2.txt on the client computer. The command prompt returns when the file transfer is complete or enters an error state.





Example 5

C:\PS>$c = Get-Credential
New-FileTransfer -DisplayName MyJob -Credential c$ -Source https://server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt -Destination c:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt

Description
-----------
These commands create a new BITS transfer job that downloads a file from a server by using a specific set of credentials.

The first command retrieves a set of credentials from the user by calling the Get-Credential cmdlet. The returned PSCredential object is stored in the $c variable.

The second command uses the Credential parameter to pass the PSCredential object that is stored in the $c variable to the Start-BitsTransfer cmdlet. A new BITS transfer job is created that downloads the https://server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt file to the client. The specified credentials are used to authenticate the user at the server. Additionally, the optional DisplayName parameter is used to give the BITS transfer job a unique name.





Example 6

C:\PS>Import-CSV filelist.txt | Start-BitsTransfer -Asynchronous -Priority Normal

Description
-----------
This command creates a new BITS transfer job that downloads multiple files from a server. The files will be downloaded sequentially, but they will be available immediately when the transfer job is complete.

The command imports the source and destination file locations and then pipes them to the Start-BitsTransfer command. The Start-BitsTransfer command creates a new BITS transfer job, adds the files to a single job, and then transfers them sequentially to the client.

The contents of the Filelist.txt file resemble the following information:

Source, Destination
https://server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt, c:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt 
https://server01/servertestdir/testfile2.txt, c:\clienttestdir\testfile2.txt 
https://server01/servertestdir/testfile3.txt, c:\clienttestdir\testfile3.txt 
https://server01/servertestdir/testfile4.txt, c:\clienttestdir\testfile4.txt





Example 7

C:\PS>Start-BitsTransfer -Source https://server01/servertestdir/*.* -Destination c:\clienttestdir\

Description
-----------
This command creates a new BITS transfer job that downloads multiple files from a server.

The Start-BitsTransfer command creates a new BITS transfer job. All the files are added to a single job and then transferred sequentially to the client.


The following command shows another variation of a file transfer command that uses a wildcard character:

Start-BitsTransfer -Source https://server01/servertestdir/*.txt -Destination c:\clienttestdir\


The destination path cannot use wildcard characters. The destination path supports only a relative directory, a rooted path, or an implicit directory (the current directory). Additionally, the destination files cannot be renamed by using a wildcard character. For example, the following command does not work:

c:\clienttestdir\*.BAK





Example 8

C:\PS>Import-CSV filelist.txt | Start-BitsTransfer -TransferType Upload

Description
-----------
This command creates a new BITS transfer job that uploads multiple files from a client.

The command imports the source and destination file locations and then pipes them to  to the Start-BitsTransfer command. The Start-BitsTransfer command creates a new BITS transfer job, adds the files to a single job, and then transfers them sequentially to the client.

The contents of the Filelist.txt file resemble the following information: 

Source, Destination
c:\clienttestdir\testfile1.txt, https://server01/servertestdir/testfile1.txt 
c:\clienttestdir\testfile2.txt, https://server01/servertestdir/testfile2.txt
c:\clienttestdir\testfile3.txt, https://server01/servertestdir/testfile3.txt 
c:\clienttestdir\testfile4.txt, https://server01/servertestdir/testfile4.txt





See Also

Concepts

Add-BitsFile
Complete-BitsTransfer
Get-BitsTransfer
Remove-BitsTransfer
Resume-BitsTransfer
Set-BitsTransfer
Suspend-BitsTransfer