Ezine 200 – PowerShell and WMI

Ezine 200 – PowerShell and WMI

The goal of this week’s ezine is to introduce PowerShell newcomers to the benefits of WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation), and to persuade those familiar with VBScript that WMI is the killer reason to make the switch to PowerShell.

To learn more about WMI, and have some fun, I recommend you try Solarwinds free WMI Monitor.

Topics for PowerShell’s Get-WmiObject (Gwmi)

• WMI Monitor Details
• This Week’s Mission – To Master the Different Aspects of Get-WmiObject
• Real-life Tasks for WMI
• This Week’s Secret

WMI Monitor Details

This WMI Monitor enables to you to measure the real-time performance of any modern Microsoft operating system.  Your FREE WMI Monitor will deliver a desktop dashboard that monitors any Windows server and offers built-in templates plus community customizable templates.  Take the guess work out of which WMI counters to use for applications like Microsoft Active Directory, Exchange mailboxes or SharePoint.

WMI Monitor Highlights:

• Monitor real-time performance metrics on any Windows computer or application.
• Leverage a large selection of pre-built and community generated application templates.
• Modify or design your own application templates with the built-in WMI browser.
• Use the WMI Monitor to familiarise yourself with classes that can be then used for PowerShell scripting.
• Download Your Free WMI Monitor

See more on WMI Monitor

This Week’s Mission – To Master the Different Aspects of Get-WmiObject

Firstly, a reminder that PowerShell cmdlets are not case sensitive, thus all these are interchangeable, get-wmiobject, get-WmiObject, Get-WMIObject and similar capitalizations.  Just remember the verb is ‘get’ and the noun is ‘wmiobject’.

Let us ask for help with this important WMI PowerShell cmdlet.

-Class  This is the most important of get-WmiObject’s parameter (some people call them switches).  When you are doing real world stuff with get-WmiObject you need to specify which of the hundreds of objects you need.  The only reason you don’t see more of this parameter is that it can be ‘assumed’ if you follow get-WmiObject immediately with the name of an actual class.

Last week used at PowerShell’s service cmdlets, here is an alternative method using WMI.

-Filter is like using a where clause, but it’s easier and faster at returning the results.  One source of confusion is that -Filter uses syntax from WQL.  This means that -filter uses the traditional equals sign, whereas pure PowerShell commands use -eq.  You can see what I mean in the following example, filter uses "Name = ‘SNMP’ ", yet where-Object uses ‘-eq SNMP’.

Note 1:  I often abbreviate where-Object to plain where, actually this technique makes use of the ‘where’ alias.

Note 2:  Going back to examples of -Class, you could write:
get-wmiobject -filter "name=’SNMP’" -class win32_service

Yet I regard the previous line as inefficient and confusing. However it does neatly explain an ‘assumed’ parameter.

-List on its own creates information overload.  By default it returns all the objects in the root\CIMV2 namespace.  Narrow your research with a where clause:

Note 1:  Experiment with different comparators, for example: -like takes a wildcard* However, -match collects your word anywhere in the name of the class, and in this case * would be translated as a literal, thus avoid wildcards with -match.

-ComputerName causes me a teaching dilemma.  Remoting is the best new feature of PowerShell v 2.0, however, its parameter -ComputerName can be one of the most troublesome aspects of PowerShell to get working because you have to understand, and then master WinRm.  Thus in my desire to build-up gradually, I say first master then get-WmiObject then make ‘Remoting’ and the -ComputerName switch a separate learning project.

Real-life Tasks for WMI

To research a promising WMI class, investigate further with get-Member thus:

Note 1:  PowerShell has no word-wrap, thus we use the backtick ` to tell the command to continue on the next line. 

Trap: With the backtick there should be no space after the `.

PowerShell Script to Extract NIC Information

As you get to know me, you will get used to me saying, ‘It would make my day if you would amend my script to your network’.  Well the above example is crying out for you to add extra properties.

 ♣

This Week’s Secrets

Guy’s take on WMI is that the operating system knows everything, and thanks to WMI we can get a glimpse of objects and properties that are normally hidden.  What’s mind boggling is how many Classes of these objects that WMI uncovers.  Incidentally, once VBScripters see how easy WMI is in PowerShell, it becomes an incentive to make the switch.

Let us put into practice what we learned in a previous ezine, namely that a PowerShell alias will reduce typing.  Superficially GWMI looks like an acronym such as you would find for a bus company, and gwmi sounds like a tropical disease.  However, in the context of PowerShell either GWMI or gwmi is an alias for get-WmiObject.

Have you noticed how the top people in any profession, or sport, always do the basics so well?  Probably because they get into good habits by practicing the simple things until they become second nature.  We can apply these sound principles to PowerShell by always looking to apply at least one of these simple techniques, get-Command, get-Help or get-Member.  To make sure that you have not missed anything, review: get-Help get-WmiObject -full.

• Remember to Download Your Free WMI Monitor

Guy Recommends: Tools4ever’s UMRA

Tired of writing scripts? The User Management Resource Administrator solution by Tools4ever offers an alternative to time-consuming manual processes.

It features 100% auto provisioning, Helpdesk Delegation, Connectors to more than 130 systems/applications, Workflow Management, Self Service and many other benefits. Click on the link for more information onUMRA.

See More Microsoft PowerShell WMI Examples:

• Home   • PowerShell Get-WmiObject   • Windows PowerShell   • PowerShell 3.0 Network

• Win32_pingstatus   • WMI Win32_NetworkAdapter   • Win32_NetworkAdapterConfig

• Disable NIC   • PowerShell -Filter  • PowerShell -Query   • PowerShell Select   • Free WMI Monitor

Please email me if you have any example scripts. Also please report any factual mistakes, grammatical errors or broken links, I will be happy to correct the fault.