Possibilities

My mind boggles at the potential to build incredible things from free and built-in functions within Windows and other Microsoft products.  Then there's all the bazillion freeware third-party tools out there and the result is unlimited possibilities for automating your environment.

For example, the DriverView utility from NirSoft is a standalone runtime (akin to Sysinternals' utilities) which runs without requiring a dedicated installation.  Better yet, beyond the fact that it does an amazing job of reporting driver information, it provides a robust command-line interface as well.

Just one example: you could run a command-line statement to dump all the driver information for each computer to an XML file and import the data into a database for collective/aggregate reporting.  Hmmm.

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Windows Web Admin - Application Settings

This is a quick settings guide to help you configure WWA to work with your environment.  Please refer to the IIS7 configuration instructions I posted yesterday first.  This guide is essentially a "part 2" for getting WWA up and running.

All of the application settings are found in the "_settings.asp" file in the main WWA folder.  Open it with Notepad or any text editor (not Microsoft Word!) and you can easily modify the settings and save it.  Changes are applied immediately upon saving the file.

Most of the settings are identified as standard variables but will have a "Const" statement in front of them, which indicate a non-changing value.  By that, I mean that once the variable is defined and assigned a value, it cannot be modified during the runtime of the application by any other pages within the site.  Ok, then.  On to the setting descriptions…

BASIC GLOBAL SETTINGS

siteActive = True / False

This puts the site into normal operational mode.  If you need to take the site offline or the SCCM database and don't want people using WWA for a period of time, set this to "False" and it will instead display a "come back later" page.  The default setting is True.

showGetStarted = True / False

This setting enables or disables the display of the 'Getting Started' links from the main home page.  To hide them, set this to False.  The default setting is True.

enableADtools = True / False

This setting enables or disables the Active Directory features of WWA.  If you set this to False, no Active Directory related links will be shown on the sidebar.  That will also hide the AD Quick Search section of the main home page as well.  The default setting is True.

enableCMtools = True / False

This setting enables or disables the System Center Configuration Manager 2007 features of WWA.  If you set this to False no links for SCCM features will be displayed on the sidebar or the main home page.  The default setting is True.

CONFIGURATION MANAGER SITE SETTINGS

SWBEM_Security = "EXPLICIT" or "IMPLICIT"

This setting controls how SWBEM provider connections are established with the SCCM host when performing modification operations (adding or removing Collection members, for example).  When set to "EXPLICIT", it will submit a specific USERNAME and PASSWORD combination with the connection request.  In order for this to be useful, you must also configure the SWBEM_USER and SWBEM_PASS variables.  If set to "IMPLICIT", it will attempt to establish the provider connection using the credentials of the IIS application pool.  The default setting is "EXPLICIT".

SWBEM_User  = "username"

This setting is used when SWBEM_SECURITY is set to "EXPLICIT" and defines the user account name to be submitted for SWBEM provider connections to the SCCM site server.

SWBEM_Pass = "password"

This setting is used along with SWBEM_USER when SWBEM_SECURITY is set to "EXPLICIT" and defines the user account password to be submitted for SWBEM provider connections to the SCCM site server.

SMSSiteCode = "AAA"

This is the three-character SCCM site code label to identify the scope of interfacing with SCCM.

SMSServer = "servername"

This is the name of the SCCM site server.

SMSDomain = "domain"

This is the Active Directory domain name in which the SCCM site server exists.  This is typically the NetBIOS name, not the FQDN value.

SCCM_WebReports = "http://[siteserver]/SMSReporting_" & SMSSiteCode

This is the URL to your SCCM Reporting Point host where links to Web Reports will be referred for certain features in WWA.  Include the URL up to, but not including the site code label, or replace the entire value to include the full URL to the base location (including the site code) if you prefer.

DATABASE CONNECTION SETTINGS

dbServerName = "servername"

This is the NetBIOS name of the SQL Server host for the SCCM site.

dbDatabase = "SMS_ABC"

This is the name of the SCCM site database on the SQL Server host.  This will usually be "SMS_" combined with your three-character site code.

dbUsername = "username"

This is the SQL or Active Directory user account name which has appropriate permissions within the SQL Server SCCM site database.

dbPassword = "password"

This is the corresponding password for the dbUSERNAME account defined above.

Note: Do NOT modify the "dsn = " code segment that appears below this.  It is concatenated from the other settings to generate the appropriate SQL connection string at runtime.

ACTIVE DIRECTORY SETTINGS

ldapRoot = "LDAP://DC=contoso,DC=local"

This is the base LDAP distinguished name value for the root of the domain in which you wish to manage with WWA.

ldapSchema = "LDAP://CN=Schema,CN=Configuration,DC=contoso,DC=local"

This is the default schema partition LDAP reference for the same domain identified by the ldapRoot setting above.

AD_DNSname = "contoso.local"

This is the DNS domain name label for the same domain identified by the ldapRoot setting above.

AD_Username = "username"

This is the name of an AD account which has appropriate permissions to view and modify Active Directory user accounts, contacts, and security groups in the target domain.

AD_Password = "password"

This is the corresponding password for the AD user account define above.

maxUserPwdAge = 90

This is the default password expiration allowance (in days).  The default setting is 90.  This is used to calculate days until a user account password expires.

MESSAGING SETTINGS

Note: This feature is not yet enabled but will be enabled in a future release.

enableMessaging = True / False

This option turns SMTP message handling features on or off.  The default setting is True.

useGmail = True / False

This option sets the default SMTP relay host to use Google Mail (Gmail).  The default setting is False.

mailServer = "server.fqdn.name"

This is the FQDN identifier for the SMTP relay host to route outgoing e-mail messages from WWA.  If you wish to use an internal SMTP host, enter the appropriate FQDN name for the server.  If you wish to use Google Mail, enter "smtp.gmail.com".

cdoSendUsingPickup = "local-folder-path"

This is an optional path setting to support adding attachments to outgoing e-mail from within WWA.  I'm not sure I'm ever going to make use of this.  I could, but I'm not sure why I would.  The default setting is "c:\inetpub\mailroot\pickup".

mailUser = "username"

This setting specifies the user account to use for connecting to the SMTP server for sending messages.  For most internal SMTP relay requests, this is left blank ("").  For Gmail however, you must specify a valid Google account name.  The default setting is "".

mailPwd = "password"

This is the corresponding password for the mailUser account defined above.  For most internal SMTP relay requests, this is left blank ("").  For Gmail however, you must specify a valid Google account password.  The default setting is "".

MISCELLANEOUS SETTINGS

timeBias = nnn

This is the default time zone offset value for use when calculating Active Direct and SCCM date/time values which are time-zone related.  The default setting is 300.

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Windows Web Admin build 2011.04.28.001 posted

I apologize for pestering the **** out of you with so many constant updates, but as I've had a few minutes here and there to free my brain to work on this a little I've been trying to cross off my "to-do" list.  I've had many of these finished from other past projects but haven't had time to scrape the goodies out of old files, dust them off, clean-up and refactor the code to fit into my latest mindwarp vision of bit-mashing misery.  That's a long way of saying that I had to grab some very old code, clean it up and fit it into this project.  Someday I know that I will need to stop and refactor this entire project.  I'll be honest: some of the code is a bit stupid looking and inefficient.  I know this.  So if you're looking at it and shaking your head, relax.  Drink a few beers and it will start looking really awesome.  Especially after a case of beer.

https://sourceforge.net/news/?group_id=531017

Latest changes:

• SCCM reports have been moved from the home page sidebar to their own "reports" page
• Three new SCCM reports have been added:
• Windows 7 Readiness Summary (with tabulated results at the bottom) per Collection
• Obsolete Client Records
• Unassigned Client Records
• You can now add an AD user account to multiple AD groups
• You can now add multiple AD user accounts to a single AD group
• You can now remove an AD user account from multiple AD groups
• You can now remove multiple AD user accounts from a single AD group
• The Network Adapter report had a small bug that I fixed (report6.asp

I recently posted an instruction guide on how to set up WWA on IIS7 using an Application Pool so it can run properly under a protected user context (helps with AD management features).  You can access that here: http://skatterbrainz.blogspot.com/2011/04/setting-up-windows-web-admin-on-iis7.html

Download the latest build here --> http://sourceforge.net/projects/wwadmin/files/wwa.zip/download

Enjoy!  It's still FREE.  I do it because it keeps my brain from melting down.

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Setting up Windows Web Admin on IIS7

I should have posted this much sooner, but here goes.  This is a quick how-to procedure for installing and configuring the IIS side of things.  I'm using Windows Server 2008 R2 and IIS7, but this is pretty similar for Windows Server 2008 as well.

IIS Configuration Procedure

1. Download the wwa.zip file and extract it to a folder on your IIS host server

2. Open IIS Manager

3. Expand the Server object

4. Right-click Application Pools, select Add Application Pool…

5. Enter a Name for the new pool (leave other defaults alone), click OK

6. Right-click on the new Application Pool, click Advanced Settings

7. Select the ellipses (…) next to the Identity setting…

8. Select "Custom account", and click the "Set" button

9. Enter an account (with sufficient account management rights), and the password…

10. Click OK, click OK again and again to return to IIS Manager.

11. Expand Sites, right-click "Default Web Site" and select "Add Application"

12. Enter the Alias, and select the Physical Path, and click OK

13. Double-click Authentication

14. Disable "Anonymous Authentication" and enable "Windows Authentication"

15. Right-click on the web application object (e.g. "wwa") in the left-hand panel, and select "Manage Application" / "Advanced Settings…"

16. Change the Application Pool setting to "WindowsWebAdmin" and click OK

17. Click OK and close IIS Manager

You should be good to go.  To test, open your browser and navigate to the appropriate URL.  Once opened, click the "About" link at the bottom of the home page.  Under the "Web Server" section, verify that Authentication Mode is "CONTROLLED" and that your domain account is shown for the REMOTE_USER value.

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WWA Build Update

I have another build coming soon.  Some of the changes:

• SCCM reports moved from sidebar to their own page (reports.asp)
• Three New Reports being added
• More features for AD user and group management (enable/disable, add/remove, etc.)

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Cheaper Kindle with Ads?

Amazon made a rather mundane announcement about a "cheaper" version of the Kindle that comes with advertisement feeds. They also followed that up by posting in various places (like Facebook) and asking what readers think of the idea.  So far, every single response has been negative.  People screaming (in writing actually) "No! NO! NO!" and things of that sort.

But hold on.

I have a Kindle.  I love it.  I have the Wi-Fi version, not the 3G, so I have to be in a "hot spot" to download or shop.  Not a big deal.  It works perfectly for my needs.  No complaints.  I spent $138.00 USD at the time on it.

Keep in mind that the Kindle has an automatic screen saver to save battery power.  It's not dynamic or animated.  It's a static artistic rendering of a semi-random famous author.  There are about six or so, by default.

If that were replaced with an advertisement: WHY WOULD YOU CARE?!?  Does anyone sit and really stare at the screen saver and get entertainment value from it?  If it showed the current date, time and outdoor temperature, would that be offensive too?

I know this is purely speculative and fictional, but hear me out for a second, please…

If Amazon offered the 3G version for $130 ($8 cheaper than the wi-fi only model) by putting rotating ads in place of the screen saver, would that be a bad thing?  Would it interfere with your reading capabilities?  No.  Would it save you money?  Yes.  Is saving money a bad thing?  No.  Unless you're filthy rich or filthy stupid (or both).

Now, I know Amazon probably has different ideas of where to place the ads and how they will be interjected into the overal experience.  My purported example was just to provide a third option.  One that at least makes you pause your knee jerk before your knee cap hits you in the jaw.  Everyone is so Pavlovian about things like this.  Say the word "ads" and everyone goes "No!!!!".  But there's ads in everything all around you all the ****ing time as it is.  And NONE of those come with an option to REDUCE the price of the vehicle upon which it is delivered.

Did cable TV reduce the subscription price when they caved in and started running ads?  NO. Do you even remember when cable TV sold itself on the appeal of no ads?  Then it became "few ads" and today it's just a free-for-all.

Did Facebook offer you some monetary savings when they shoved ads in your face? No.

Did the city reduce your tax bill when billboards went up?  No.

Do your school milk cartons cost less with the ads printed on the back?  No.

So, Amazon asks (remember - NOT DEMANDS, BUT ASKS) if you'd like to get a cheaper product if they put ads into it, and the reaction is as if they were asking everyone to forgive Bin Laden.

Lighten up folks.  Think for a change.  Stop knee-jerking.

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Imaging Computers with MDT 2010 and AutoCAD 2012

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010 is a FREE product that is aimed at helping System Administrators prepare and deploy custom operating system installations (images).  I’m not going to explain MDT, WAIK or WDS here.  There are too many other sites, books, and videos that do a great job of that. I don’t need to add any more noise there.

 

If you have network license AutoCAD clients and a network deployment share, you already know how that can save time doing repeated installations.  You may also know how much it helps when pushing installations via SCCM 2007 (or similar products).  Maybe you’ve tried bundling AutoCAD into your operating system image process but are using Ghost or some other snapshot process and find it less than ideal.  Well, MDT not only provides an easier option, it eliminates much of the headache incurred with push installations.

 

For starters, MDT uses a sequential process to perform tasks (hence “task sequences”).  Rather than running entirely under an unattended SYSTEM context with no UI, it runs under a user context (typically), so most of the prerequisite tasks of the deployment work just fine (unlike trying to push with SCCM, where the .NET Framework 4, and DirectX component steps fail).  So you can run the default installation and simply add the "/W" parameter to use it with MDT 2010.

Caveats:

 

You may have better luck than I’ve had with using a “thin” image process and trying to install .NET Framework 4 as a task sequence package instead of going with a “thick” or “hybrid” client build*.  In my experience, the .NET 4 installation via MDT task sequence never works.   But you may be blessed.  My approach is to include .NET components in the base image via a reference capture.  It is crucial to have .NET 4 installed before attempting to install AutoCAD 2012 via an automated/unattended process or it will fail.

I only use network license deployments of AutoCAD when installing via SCCM or MDT.  I do not ever recommend installing standalone/individual licenses

 

Steps:

1. Build your AutoCAD 2012 deployment share ON the server where the MDT package will refer clients to (this works much better than building it elsewhere and then moving it and editing the deployment configuration INI files)
2. Configure permissions on the deployment share to suit the user context of the MDT installation (if needed)
3. Right-click the AutoCAD 2012 installation shortcut in the UNC folder (e.g. Acad2012.lnk), select Properties
1. Copy the “Target” string contents
2. Click Cancel to close the properties dialog form
4. Open the MDT Workbench, expand the Deployment share, select Applications
1. Add a new Application to the MDT workbench deployment group
2. Option:  Application without source files or elsewhere on the network
3. Properties:
• Publisher: Autodesk
• Application Name: AutoCAD
• Version: 2012
• Language: (leave blank unless you really want to enter it)
4. Details:
• Command Line: “setup.exe” (for now)
• Working Directory: Browse to the UNC share path (do NOT choose from drive letter!) make sure to specify the AdminImage sub-folder in the path (e.g. “\\ ServerName\Acad2012\AdminImage”)
• After created, click Finish
5. Double-click the AutoCAD 2012 entry in MDT
• Click the “Details” tab
• Replace the “Quiet install command” text with the string copied in step 3/a (example below).  Be sure to replace <uncpath> with your actual UNC path.
• Example: <uncpath>\AdminImage\setup.exe /W /qb /I <uncpath>\AdminImage\<deployment>.ini
• Click OK
6. Right-click the Deployment Share in MDT Workbench and select “Update Deployment Share”

Assuming the rest of your MDT deployment share is configured, and you've already generated a suitable Boot WIM and Boot ISO file set, you should now be ready to start deploying AutoCAD 2012 with your images.

 Notes:

1.       If you discover (like I have) that you also need to install the DirectX components ahead of the AutoCAD deployment installation, you can add the Acad2012DX.msi package I’ve posted and set a Dependency within the AutoCAD 2012 application entry so it runs the DirectX installer first.  If you do this, click “Hide this application in the Deployment Wizard” from within the MDT application properties for the Acad2012DX application item.

2.       A return code of 259 from the AutoCAD installation can be ignored.  I have not seen, heard or experienced any detrimental effects after that has occurred.

3.       Because there is NO OPTION to disable desktop shortcuts for Design Review 2012 or Inventor Fusion 2012 via the Deployment Wizard configuration, you will have to resort to some trickery if you are required to keep shortcuts OFF of the standard desktop.  My trickery is to add DEL commands to a script that wraps the main installation.

4.       If you choose to enable the network log option, keep these points in mind:

a.       The UNC path to the logs needs to have appropriate ACL and Share permissions granted to allow the remote installation context to make updates to the folder contents (log file)

b.      It tracks the entire deployment bundle, but won’t be updated on the network share until the end of the installation process.

c.  If the connection fails before the installation completes, the only trace of a partial installation will be in the client logs.

d.  The network log is cummulative.  It grows with each client installation.  You may want to back it up, rename or delete it occassionally to recover space.

5.       Why does Design Review 2012 get a “Autodesk” prefix, while Inventor Fusion 2012 does not?  Consistency is important.

 

*terms borrowed from Johan Arwidmark and Mikael Nystrom of TrueSec (www.truesec.com)  - geniuses on the topic of Windows deployment automation

Assumptions:

·         MDT 2010 Update 1 with WAIK 7

·         32-bit Windows 7 client Deployment Image with .NET 4 included (sysprep’d from ref computer)

·         New install (not a refresh, upgrade or replacement)

Script Code:

Paste the following code into Notepad…

 

@echo off

TITLE Installing AutoCAD 2012

CLS

echo installing AutoCAD 2012...

SETLOCAL

SET XLOG=%TMP%\Adsk2012_Setup.log

echo %DATE% %TIME% installing autocad 2012 from network deployment >%XLOG%

rem ------------------------------------------------------

rem beware of word-wrapping below.  should be on one line...

rem ------------------------------------------------------

\\SERVERNAME\Acad2012\AdminImage\setup.exe /W /qb /I \\SERVERNAME\Acad2012\AdminImage\ACAD2012.ini /language en-us

rem ------------------------------------------------------

echo %DATE% %TIME% cleaning up desktop shortcuts... >>%XLOG%

del "%public%\Desktop\Autodesk Design Review 2012.lnk" /f /q

del "%public%\Desktop\Inventor Fusion 2012.lnk" /f /q

echo %DATE% %TIME% desktop shortcuts removed >>%XLOG%

ENDLOCAL

 

Edit the code to replace SERVERNAME and other info to suit your needs.  Save the Notepad file as setup.cmd somewhere on the MDT server (e.g. E:\Apps\Scripts\Acad2012\setup.cmd)

 

Import into MDT 2010 deployment share:

Right-click Applications, select New Application

Select type: “Application with source files”

Specify the properties (publisher, product, version)

Select the setup.cmd file (click Browse)

Confirm, import and click Finish

 

Open the Application properties, copy the “Application GUID” value to the clipboard

 

Open Deployment Properties, click Rules tab

 

Add to [Default] section…

 

; autocad 2012 custom deployment

Applications001={paste the application GUID here}

If you already have other ApplicationsXXX entries, just insert it after the highest number and assign the next sequential number (e.g. Applications011={guid} )

Useful Links on MDT 2010:

• TrueSec - http://www.truesec.com/infrastructure/tools
• Zero Touch Deploy - http://www.zerotouchdeploy.com/
• Windows Networking - http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Deploying-Windows-7-Part1.html

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