Don't Let Your AD Scripts Hang on You

Executive Summary:

Getting a script to process all the machines in Microsoft Active Directory domains can be a challenging task for several reasons, including having different Windows operating systems and old computer accounts in domains. ScriptTemplate.vbs can help you successfully automate a task on all the servers in your Active Directory domain running in a Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000 Server, or mixed environment. ScriptTemplate.vbs uses Windows Management Instrumentation, Active Directory Service Interfaces, Windows Script Host, and ActiveX Data Objects.

Most systems administrators know that automating tasks is an important skill in Active Directory (AD) environments, especially in large enterprises. However, getting a script to process all the machines in an AD domain is a challenging task, especially when the AD domain includes 500 or more machines. Some machines are online and appear to be functioning properly, but when a script attempts to access them to perform a task, these machines cause the script to hang. As a result, the script won't process the rest of the machines on the list. This problem occurs because properly configuring a network is difficult. The difficulties include:

• The domain contains machines running different Windows OSs.
• The domain contains old computer accounts, which leads to an additional burden for the script.
• The network might not be properly configured for the script to run from a central location. For example, there might be blocked firewall ports across the WAN.

I created a template, ScriptTemplate.vbs, that can give you a better chance of successfully automating a task on all the servers in your AD domain. ScriptTemplate.vbs first obtains a list of the servers in a Windows Server 2003/Windows 2000 Server AD domain. Alternatively, you can use an input file to provide the list of servers. ScriptTemplate.vbs then tests to see whether the target servers are online and whether a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) connection can be established. If the servers are online and their WMI service is working, the script performs a specified task (e.g., obtain data, make a configuration change) on those servers. If a server is offline or its WMI service isn't working, the script won't hang. Instead, it records the failure in a log file, then continues to the next server. . . .