Automate Windows Administration

1
Automate Windows Administration

• David Lundell, MBA
• MCITP Database Administrator, Database
  Developer, MCDBA MCT MCSE MCSD
• Mutually Beneficial Inc
• David_at_MutuallyBeneficial.com
• www.MutuallyBeneficial.com

For updated slides go to www.mutuallybeneficial.co
m/index_files/articles.htm
2
Why Automate

• Automate administration
• Free up your time for serious work
• Make your job fun
• Make time for training
• Make time for being proactive

3
Keys to Automating Windows

• Know a scripting language
• VBScript
• Jscript
• Perl
• Know ADSI
• Understand logon scripts
• Know your Script environment
• Understand WMI
• Understand the best command line tools

4
VBScript

• Simplified Version of Visual Basic
• Has the most scripting examples
• Often the easiest for non-programmers to
  assimilate

Dim oOU Set oDom GetObject("LDAP//dcmbi,dcco
m") Set oOU oDom.Create("organizationalUnit",
"oulopsa") oOU.Description League of
Professional System Administrators oOU.SetInfo
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JScript

• Also provided with Windows Script Host
• Similar to C and Java
• More powerful but more difficult
• var oDom GetObject("LDAP//dcmbi,dccom")
• var oOU oDom.Create("organizationalUnit",
  "oulopsa")
• oOU.Description "League of Professional System
  Administrators"
• oOU.SetInfo()

6
Perl

• Must download from ActiveState
• use strict
• use Win32OLE('in')
• use Win32OLEVariant support for OLE data
  types
• use Win32OLEConst ('Active DS') Load ADSI
  Constants
• my objDom Win32OLE-gtGetObject("LDAP//dcm
  bi,dccom")
• my objOU objDom-gtCreate("organizationalUnit
  ","oulopsa")
• objOU-gtDescription "League of
  Professional System Administrators"
• objOU-gtSetInfo()

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ADSI and VBScript -- Create an OU explained

• Dim oOU in VBscript dimension variables is not
  required
• Serverless Binding to ADSI it uses DNS to
  find a DC
• Set oDom GetObject("LDAP//dcmutuallybeneficial
  ,dccom")
• Create the OU
• Set oOU oDom.Create("organizationalUnit",
  "oulopsa")
• Set some attributes
• oOU.Put Description, League of Professional
  System Administrators
• Until SetInfo is called changes are in local
  cache only
• oOU.SetInfo

8
ADSI

• Simplified Interface for accessing LDAP
  (including AD), NT, NDS
• Binding
• Server
• Server less
• Root DSE
• Easy way to create new objects
• Remember to SetInfo after making changes

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Lopsa OU created
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Create a User

• Dim oOu, oUsr
• Set oOU _ GetObject("LDAP//OUlopsa,dcmbi,dcc
  om")
• We bind to the object we need and then call a
  method
• Set oUsr oOU.Create("User", cn
  SysAdofTheYear")
• oUsr.Put Description, Sys Admin of the Year
• oUsr.Put "sAMAccountName", "SysAdminOTY
• oUsr.SetInfo

11
Microsoft Identity Integration Server

• Identity Management/MetaDirectory solution
• Integrate identities from AD, LDAP, Novell, IBM,
  Sun
• Provision Accounts based on HR Database
• Deprovision Accounts based on Status from HR
• Allows attributes, such as phone to be updated
  in one place and flowed to the others

12
Logon Scripts

• Assigned through AD Users and Computers
• OR through Group Policy
• Logon and Logoff scripts
• Startup and Shutdown
• Batch File can call script file

13
Setting Logon Scripts
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Logon Scripts Common Tasks

• Inform/Ask User about upcoming installations
• WScript.Echo WScript.Shell.Popup or MsgBox
• Map Drives
• WScript.Network.MapNetworkDrive
• Map Printers
• WScript.Network.AddWindowsPrinterConnection
• Creating Shortcuts
• WScript.Shell.CreateShortcut
• Running other utilities
• WScript.Shell.Run

15
Logon scripts without scripting (batch files)

• _at_net use U /del
• _at_net use P /del
• net use U \\SERVER1\users
• net use P \\SERVER1\public
• net time \\MY_PDC /set /yes
• copy \\MY_PDC\netlogon\notepad.exe.lnkc\windows\
  sendto

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Logon Scripts with Scripting

• Still starts as a batch file
• Then calls a script using CScript.exe
• Can add more intelligence
• Look at group memberships
• Handle failures
• Double check assumptions

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Windows Script Host

• CScript.exe
• An executable for executing scripts from command
  line
• WScript.exe
• Executable from executing them in more of a
  windows mode
• Provides easy access to handy objects
• WScript
• WScript.Shell
• WScript.Network

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WScript

• WScript.Echo I really enjoyed LOPSA Phoenix
  SysAdmin Days
• WScript.Sleep

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WScript.Shell

• Set oShell CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
• Set oShort oShell.CreateShortcut("MyLink.lnk")
• oShort.TargetPath "C\MyLink.txt"
• oShort.Save
• Set oUrlLink oShell.CreateShortcut("MyWeb
  Site.URL")
• oUrlLink.TargetPath "http//www.myweb.com"
• oUrlLink.Save

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WScript.Network

• Set oNetwork WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Netwo
  rk")
• oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive U", \\Server1\Users
• oNetwork.AddWindowsPrinterConnection
  "\\Server1\HP LaserJet"

21
2nd Half

• Windows Management Instrumentation
• Even greater automation capabilities
• Scriptomatic
• Generate Scripts in VBScript, Perl, Jscript
• WMI Code Creator
• Managing Event Logs
• LogParser tool

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WMI Windows Management Instrumentation

• Can be used to manage all sorts of services and
  applications
• Can be used to interrogate hardware
• With a WQL filter on GPO to limit which computers
  will have a GPO apply.

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WMI Scriptomatic

• Microsoft Downloads
• Generate scripts using WMI
• VBScript
• Jscript
• Perl
• Python
• Run code right then and display in
• Text
• Excel
• HTML
• XML

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WMI Code Creator

• Download from Microsoft
• Generate
• VBScript
• VB.NET
• C
• Easier to navigate
• Query Data
• Execute a Method
• Receive an Event
• Browse NameSpaces

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WMI Summary

• Providers
• Namespace
• Classes

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Copy Event Log to a Database

• Could use some complex WMI and ADO queries
• Instead use the Log Parser 2.2 from MS
• "C\Program Files\Log Parser 2.2\LogParser.exe"
  "SELECT ComputerName, EventLog, EventID,
  TimeGenerated, Message, EventTypeName,
  EventCategoryName, SourceName
• INTO dbo.ApplicationLog FROM Application"
• -oSQL -server. -databaseAppLog -driver"SQL
  Server" -usernameAppLogger -passwordapplogger
  -createTableON

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Backup and Clear Events from Event Log

• Set cLogFiles objWMIService.ExecQuery _
  ("Select from Win32_NTEventLogFile where
  LogFileName IN ('Application', 'System)")
• For Each oLogfile in colLogFiles
• iBackResult oLogFile.Backup(c\EvtLogs\oLogF
  ile.Name)
• If iBackResult 0 Then
• oLogFile.ClearEventLog()
• Else
• Wscript.Echo Could not backup event log and
  did not clear it
• End If
• Next

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Use LogParser from Code and grab log from backup
file

• Set oLogQuery CreateObject("MSUtil.LogQuery")
• Set oEVTInputFormat CreateObject("MSUtil.LogQuer
  y.EventLogInputFormat")
• Set oSQLOutputFormat CreateObject("MSUtil.LogQue
  ry.SQLOutputFormat")
• ' Set output format parameters
• oSQLOutputFormat.Server"."
• oSQLOutputFormat.database"AppLog"
• ' Create query text
• strQuery "SELECT ComputerName, EventLog,
  EventID, TimeGenerated, Message, EventTypeName,
  EventCategoryName, SourceName INTO
  AppLogger.ApplicationLog FROM c\EvtLogs\Applicati
  on"
• ' Execute query
• oLogQuery.ExecuteBatch strQuery, oEVTInputFormat,
  oSQLOutputFormat

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Copy and Clear

• Combine the LogParser from code script with the
  clear log code
• Or even better backup the log to file, clear it
  and then load from the backup file

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Microsoft Operations Manager

• Can search your event logs for important events
• Consumes WMI Data
• Management packs for different apps are available
  for download preconfigured with events to
  monitor and WMI data to capture and monitor

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More Information

• Script Center Script Repository
• http//www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/scri
  pts/default.mspx
• Microsoft Identity Integration Server
• Microsoft Operations Manager
• Mindworks -- MS Gold Partner Learning Solutions
  Scottsdale
• MOC 2433 VB Scripting (3 days)
• MOC 2439 Windows Management Instrumentation (2
  days)

35
More info -- continued

• http//www.roth.net/books/handbook/
• Win32 Perl Scripting The Administrator's
  Handbook
• http//www.windowsnetworking.com/kbase/WindowsTips
  /WindowsNT/AdminTips/Logon/WindowsNTLoginScriptTri
  cksandTips.html

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Questions

• David_at_MutuallyBeneficial.com