Colyn1337's questions

I'm using Start-BITSTransfer to download a file from the internet and place it in a network location. The location is similar to \\computername\c$\folder which the cmdlet says it can't find and that it doesn't exist.

To get Test-Path to pass successfully you have to add the filesystem provider to the location like this: filesystem::\\computername\c$\folder. The rub is that Start-BITSTransfer doesn't like destinations with the filesystem provider declared and errors with "The path is not of a legal form".

The problem is further compounded by the inability to use Invoke-Command and run the code in a remote shell on the destination server. Start-BITSTransfer blocks this usage.

What's the solution to using Start-BITSTransfer with a network location?

Which do you do first to avoid service interruption? Or does it not matter?

Is it:

Suspend-ClusterNode -Drain
Get-ClusterNode $env:COMPUTERNAME | Get-ClusterGroup | Move-ClusterGroup

or:

Get-ClusterNode $env:COMPUTERNAME | Get-ClusterGroup | Move-ClusterGroup
Suspend-ClusterNode -Drain

The microsoft doc for Move-ClusterGroup says:

"Moving a resource group is a way of simulating failover. It is also an appropriate step to take in preparation for routine maintenance on a node."

Which makes me think you move before suspending. So which cmdlet do you issue first?

I'm using an SCCM 2012 application deployment to install software. The specific install type is scripted installer as SCCM kept failing for exe validation errors. The script is powershell and successfully installs the software even when executed by SCCM.

The problem is that SCCM only sees the return of 0 from the completion from the script. I've tried write-host, return, write-output, and just a line item with the code for a soft reboot. None of them seem to be read by SCCM as the app execution log captures a return of 0.

How do you output return codes from powershell so that SCCM can interpret them?

As I need to be able to add and remove items from an array I need to cast it as an ArrayList as opposed to the more common options ([string[]], [Array], $Var=@()). I also need to preset it with data, but the caller of the function needs the ability to change the preset as they desire. The preset in the Param() block is required as another entity is looking for preset data. I've tried several variations, but here's the one that makes the most sense:

Function Test-Me{
    Param
    (
     $Properties = [System.Collection.ArrayList]@(
                   "red",
                   "blue",
                   "green")
    )
    $Properties.GetType()
    $Properties.Add("orange")
}

The above is great except that as soon as someone calls Test-Me -Properties "Purple","Yellow","Black" the $Properties variable becomes a standard Array type (whereby add and remove methods don't work).

I tried methods of changing how I declared the preset values. It appears that the act of pre-populating is converting the type to a regular array. I figured this was because I was using @() with the presets so I've tried () as well.

This doesn't work either:

Param
(
[System.Collection.ArrayList]
 $Properties = @("red",
                 "blue",
                 "green")
)

I have a work around which converts the type outside the Param block and it looks like this:

Function Test-Me{
    Param
    (
     [String[]]
     $Properties = @("red",
                     "blue",
                     "green")
    )

    if("Orange" -notin $Properties){
        [System.Collections.ArrayList]$Properties = $Properties
        $Properties.Add("orange")
    }
}

I feel like I should be able to cast as an ArrayList in the param block and preset it with data, and return as the same datatype, but I couldn't figure it out. If anyone does, or finds documentation why it won't work, please answer.

I'm using the built in SCSM cmdlets and the SMlets powershell module. I'm able to query Service Requests, but I can't seem to figure out how to get the Affected User of a given Service Request. I'm getting service requests in the following manner:

Import-Module SMlets -ErrorAction Stop

$SCSMclassSR = Get-SCSMClass -Name System.WorkItem.ServiceRequest
$SCSMobject = Get-SCSMObject -Class $SCSMclassSR

If you select any given ticket and run a Get-Member on it you can view the list of properties. None of which are mapping back to the Affected User. Thinking perhaps the ticket data is saved with the user object, I ran the following code:

$scsmuser = Get-SCSMObject -Class (get-scsmclass -name microsoft.ad.user) -filter "UserName -like <username>"

None of the properties there appear to map to any tickets (run a gm on it too). Granted, this could be ignorance on my part and the method to produce the tickets just isn't aptly named or described.

I've tried looking at the SMlets source code to glean some insight, but I'm not a C# developer so some of it goes over my head. I've also tried to get some understanding and help from the msdn page for EnterpriseManagementObject Class, but to no avail.

Hopefully there's a really simple solution to this and I'm just over thinking it. But, how do you get the Affected User for a SCSM ticket using powershell? Preferably a service request ticket.

When using a PreUpdateScript or PostUpdateScript with "Windows Cluster Aware Updating" and "Updating Run Profiles" would calling the cmdlet Stop-CauRun do any of the following:

• Would it actually stop the updating process at all?
• Would it stop the updating process on just that node?
• Would it cancel the whole CAU action (meaning no other nodes will update)?

I read over the MS page on this and it wasn't clear on whether the pre/post scripts can help control the CAU process. For reference:

Advanced Options and Updating Run Profiles for CAU

Microsoft instructions advise to use "Services and Applications" but it's missing from the Failover Cluster Manager. For example, the documentation for Test the Failover of a Clustered Service or Application. Where is the "Services and Applications" option/section?

The Powershell cmdlet Test-Cluster queries a myriad of data and performs validation tests which it wraps into a pretty report. If you run Test-Cluster -List you get a list of item's you can individually query with the cmdlet. There's a common naming scheme when you read the DisplayName's. They all start with either "List" or "Validate".

Obviously "Validate" is going to actually test the failover by failing. But naming something "List" makes me think it's just a query for data as is at the time it was run. I've tested this with the following script:

$TestList = Test-Cluster -List | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "List*"}
Test-Cluster -Include $TestList.DisplayName -ReportName "c:\cluster reports\report"

I don't see any logged cluster errors or notice any failover activity while this report is generated. Microsoft technet isn't exactly clear on this either, but they do infer that the behavior is inline with what I'm thinking it is. See this excerpt (emphasis mine):

Test results are captured in a file with the file name that you specify. By running the validation tests, you can confirm that your hardware and settings are compatible with Failover Clustering. There are multiple types of tests, including Cluster, Inventory, Network, Storage, System, and other types of tests. Storage tests will not test online disks or storage pools that are in use by a clustered role. To test such disks, first run Stop-ClusterGroup to stop the clustered role, and then run Test-Cluster. After the tests are done, start the clustered roles, also known as resource groups, again.

Test-Cluster TechNet Page

I'd like to call your attention to their use of the word "Validation". Additionally, when running that script, as part of the output it says:

Test Result:
ClusterSkippedTestsCompleted

If you include a validation test the result is:

Test Result:
ClusterConditionallyApproved

In my test environment the network tests generated some warnings which triggered the conditional approval. I've googled quite a bit to find documentation which describes the logic behind the "Validate" vs "List" split but I haven't turned up anything. This leads to the question...

Do list requests trigger a failover event?

In the C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA\MachineKeys directory there's an enumeration of Key Containers. The naming convention is <uniqueGUID>_<staticGUID> and I presume the <staticGUID> to be a machine identifier. Ultimately I want to be able to pair the Key Container with it's respective cert so I can target specific Key Files for ACL's. To do that I need to know how the <uniqueGUID> is derived and how it relates to certificates.

The Microsoft resources I've checked so far haven't elucidated an answer, but are great for reference:

Understanding Machine-Level and User-Level RSA Key Containers (IIS reference)

How to: Change the Security Permissions for the MachineKeys Directory

Summary

When I call Get-Cluster powershell returns the name of my cluster. For simplicity sake, lets call it Cluster1. If I call Get-Cluster -Name Cluster1 it fails with an error.

Error:

Get-Cluster : Check the spelling of the cluster name. Otherwise, there might be a problem with your network. Make sure
the cluster nodes are turned on and connected to the network or contact your network administrator.
    The RPC server is unavailable
At line:1 char:1
+ Get-Cluster -Name Cluster1
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ConnectionError: (:) [Get-Cluster], ClusterCmdletException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ClusterRpcConnection,Microsoft.FailoverClusters.PowerShell.GetClusterCommand

Detail

My first thought is that I'm using the cmdlet wrong or winrm isn't working (it is). I also thought that maybe there's a difference in the way it's called that's causing the failure. Following that logic I reviewed the following technet page on the cmdlet:

Research: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/hh847254(v=wps.630).aspx

Based on the writing there, I couldn't discern an obvious user error. So I've tried a few things to figure it out. First I thought maybe I'm just constantly screwing up the typing so I did this:

$Cluster = Get-Cluster
($cluster.Name -like "Cluster1")

The conditional returns True so I'm not a cluster f at typing. Next I tried the following:

Get-Cluster | Where-Object{$_.Name -like "Cluster1"}

Which of course returns the cluster object. So, what's going on here? What's different with Get-Cluster -Name "Cluster1"?

Edit

Version info from Powershell:

PSVersion                      4.0
WSManStackVersion              3.0
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1
CLRVersion                     4.0.30319.34209
BuildVersion                   6.3.9600.17090
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.2

When viewing cluster disk properties in Failover Manager or the physical path to VHD's in the settings of a VM in Hyper-V Manager the location is displayed by GUID. Is there a quick way find out which GUID is mapped to which drive letter with powershell?

DHCP Server Not Offering to PXE Client

BACKGROUND:

I'm in the process of adding PXE services to an existing SCCM 2007 server. The SCCM server is separate from the DHCP server (Server 2008 x86) and did not have PXE services or WDS installed. I added PXE services in the Config Manager before adding WDS as a role. Because DHCP is on a separate server, I did not make any changes to DHCP Options (there is not a current 60, 66, or 67 configured).

The WDS is configured with both a boot image (ripped from the Win7 install dvd and an install image which was created by someone else). SCCM has a TS configured and advertised to the Unknown Computers collection.

The DHCP server is configured for both DHCP and BOOTP requests (I added BOOTP as part of my troubleshooting, the default lease time is set to 5 minutes). It also has NAP enabled for the IPV4 addresses but disabled for this SCOPE. My host, the VM, the DHCP server, and the SCCM/WDS server are all on the same subnet. Juniper routers move the packets.

I'm testing PXE using a VirtualBox machine configured to network boot and it has an empty dynamically allocated disk attached. Wireshark is installed on both my host computer (running VirtualBox) and the DHCP server.

PROBLEM:

When the VM starts it performs a network PXE boot. I can see the discover request by the VM in Wireshark on both my host and the DHCP server. However, the DHCP server is not responding with an IP offer. If I could get some guidance as to where else to look for an error, or possibilities as to why it's not working, I'd appreciate it.

EDIT:

The dhcpsrvlog does not record an event regarding the request for an IP from the pxe client.

I'm creating a script to remove the tombstoned entries in WINS (required for exchange w/ multi domains). What I'd like to know is if removing those old entries will break anything? Or if there's anything I should look out for?