Admin Script Editor

I have been thinking about a great real-world example of a script to do a simple launcher..

You can go as simple as a batch file or a full-featured AutoIT Script that is compiled into an executable..

We’ll keep this simple and just use Windows notepad.exe and calc.exe for now..

In Batch, we have (Note: in ASE, you will need to change the behavior to “Execute via shell”) :

@echo off
Color e0
Cls
:menu
@Ping 127.0.0.1 -n 3 -w 1000 > nul
echo.
echo Menu options:
echo.
echo 1 Notepad
echo 2 Calculator
echo.
echo x Exit
echo.
Set /p userc= What would you like to DO?
If "%userc%"=="1" Goto notepadrun
If "%userc%"=="2" Goto calcrun
If /i "%userc%"=="x" Goto exitnow
echo %userc% is an invalid choice
Goto menu
:notepadrun
notepad.exe
echo.
echo Returning to Main Menu..
@Ping 127.0.0.1 -n 1 -w 1000 > nul
Cls
Goto menu

:calcrun
calc.exe
echo.
echo Returning to Main Menu..
@Ping 127.0.0.1 -n 1 -w 1000 > nul
Cls
Goto menu
:exitnow
echo Exiting menu..
@Ping 127.0.0.1 -n 1 -w 1000 > nul
Cls
Exit

Even though that is a simplistic example, there is a lot of code there..

Filed under: Scripting | 3 Comments »

Oh my gosh!  Joe the scripting guy just left and guess what??!!??  I now get to do the login script for the entire enterprise and do not know what to do??!!??  Where do I go?  What do I do?  Sound typical?  If you speak with anybody out there who has done domain login scripting, it has pretty much played out in this scenario

Let’s stop for a second..  Take a breather..  I know.. I know, your boss is crawling down your neck asking you to add in a new drive mapping for Accounting

1. Get a lay of the land
2. What tools do you have available?
3. What resources are out there?
4. Check to see if you have appropriate domain rights
5. Test test test..
6. Implement

First of all, you are in IT so you know the one thing that is constant is change.  That is, things are always changing..

Get a lay of the land

• Do you know where all of the DCs are?
• Replication schedules?
• Servers?
• Workstations?
• Printers?

I am not going to go in to all of the tools/applications that are available to determine this information

What format is the script in?  Is it KiXtart, VBS, GPO?

What tools do you have available?

• Editor: For example: Admin Script Editor
• The script files themselves, you may want to create a test script to verify if there any issues that come up before implementing into prod.  Be sure you have a BACKUP of any scripts you change – it will save you heartache later (trust me)!
• The script parser itself (regular run and debug mode): kix32.exe, cscript.exe/wscript.exe, autoit3.exe, etc.  This will typically show you where there are problems.  Check for return codes, etc.
• Deadline: While not a tool per se, it gives you a time container to work in

What resources are out there?

• Documentation – When you download KiXtart or AutoIT for example, there are some examples included of what you can do with the product
• Support Forums – A support forum is a treasure trove of information from people just like you that have had similar issues
• Colleagues – Has anybody in the department done scripting before?  Maybe somebody a little obscure like your Report Writer..  What is good about this is that they have gone down the path you are starting to go down
• Former colleagues – What have you done in the past that you can leverage a former colleague?  Please be careful and respect the person’s time as they are most likely on the clock and ask them if it is a good time to talk and if not, book another time to chat

Check to see if you have appropriate domain rights
If you cannot get to the script with write privileges, you will need to talk with your Domain Administrator.  If you are not sure, talk to your Manager for the appropriate policies and/or procedures. YMMV.  Note: This maybe a procedural issue where you have to put the scripts/updates in a specific location to be picked up and you will have to wait for domain replication to take place

Test test test..
Typically, as a scripter you do not have a software QC resource to test your scripts, for example.  Usually, you are on your own for testing, verifying, and updating.  Be sure to have a back-out plan in the event things don’t work.  Be careful oh Obi-Wan!

Implement
Once you have tested the script, implement into production.  You will hear if there is an issue – I know that is a bit hard to hear, but we all have stumbled.

Filed under: Scripting | Comments Off on Scripting 101

External Batch software

There are a lot of great command-line tools that come with Windows, but did you know there are number of great third-party DOS (or command-line) tools as well?  This is not intended to endorse or promote any application, but to show that there are tools available to help you do your job.  This is also by no means a complete list.

Filed under: Scripting | Comments Off on Command-Line Add-ons

Getting started with PowerShell..

PowerShell is a “new kid on the block” in the scripting arena..

Be sure you have PowerShell installed.  If you run Windows Update, it should be installed automatically..

To start it, you can simply go to a Command Prompt (CMD.EXE) and type in powershell <ENTER>

To call up a script, you can just type in the name of the script and press the <ENTER> key.

For example type in:  rts-extract, or rts-extract.ps1, or can you use “command-line” completion, by pressing the <TAB> key.

Note: There is a caveat to running a PowerShell Script.  After you install it, you cannot run scripts as your computer system by default blocks them after installing PowerShell.

Enable Script Support in PowerShell..

1. Open PowerShell (if you are running PowerShell on Windows Vista, right-click your PowerShell icon and select Run as administrator. If you don’t do this, you will not be able to enable script support).
2. Check the current script execution policy by using the Get-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet. To do this, input Get-ExecutionPolicy and press Enter on your keyboard. PowerShell will return a value of Restricted.
3. To change the script execution policy, use the Set-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet. Input Set-ExecutionPolicy unrestricted and press Enter on your keyboard.
4. To ensure that the script execution policy has been changed, use the Get-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet again. PowerShell should return a value of Unrestricted.

So, now you will get the results you are looking for in the resulting CSV file.

Here is our code we are using..  Note: The is part of an application I use called RoyalTS and it uses an XML configuration file for the servers I connect to.  I had a need to extract out Server Names, IP, etc. and it was shared with me that this can be done pretty easily in PowerShell.

[xml]$Document=Get-Content ..\PIBConnections.rts;
$Categories=$Document.SelectNodes("/RTSDocument/Categories/RTSCategory");
$Connections = @(
 foreach($Category in $Categories){foreach($Connection in
 $Category.Connections.RTSConnection) {$Connection|Select-Object CategoryName, ConnectionName, Host, User, Domain}}
)
$Connections|Export-Csv -path .\test.csv;

To leave PowerShell, just type in exit and then exit again to leave the CMD prompt.

This is by no means a complete lesson in PowerShell, but a high-level of one of the things you can do with it..

Filed under: Scripting | Comments Off on PowerShell Scripting – Getting Started