topic Re: Modifying Script for Advanced Settings in VMware PowerCLI Discussions

Modifying Script for Advanced Settings

SCharchouf — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 11:42:00 GMT

I found the below script and it's good, it Modify VM Advanced settings on an multiple VM, capture the VM Advanced setting details before and after VM setting changes for future comparison with the timestamp in .csv format.

I need assistance in order to modify the script and just to connect only via vCenter without preparing the ServerList file as the ENV is very huge and it's changing

Add-PSSnapin VMware.VimAutomation.Core

Connect-VIServer -Server vcenter.local -User username -Password Password

$ServerListFile = "ServerList.txt"

$ServerList = Get-Content $ServerListFile

Foreach ($vm in $ServerList)

{

$date=get-Date -format "ddMMyy_HHmm"

Get-VM $vm| Get-AdvancedSetting | Select Name, Value | Export-CSV $vm"_Before_$date.csv"

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name vmci0.unrestricted -Value FALSE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name RemoteDisplay.maxConnections -Value '1' -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name tools.setInfo.sizeLimit -Value '1048576' -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name floppyX.present -Value FALSE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name serialX.present -Value FALSE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name parallelX.present -Value FALSE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name ideX:Y.present -Value FALSE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name isolation.device.connectable.disable -Value TRUE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name isolation.device.edit.disable -Value TRUE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name isolation.tools.unity.push.update.disable -Value TRUE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name isolation.tools.ghi.autologon.disable -Value TRUE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name isolation.bios.bbs.disable -Value TRUE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name vmsafe.enable -Value FALSE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name isolation.tools.copy.disable -Value TRUE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name isolation.tools.paste.disable -Value TRUE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name isolation.tools.autoInstall.disable -Value TRUE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name tools.guestlib.enableHostInfo -Value FALSE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

$date=get-Date -format "ddMMyy_HHmm"

Get-VM $vm| Get-AdvancedSetting | Select Name, Value | Export-CSV $vm"_After_$date.csv"

Start-VM -VM $vm

}

New-Item -ErrorAction Ignore -ItemType directory -Path Report

$path=$(get-location).Path+"\report\"

Move-Item *.csv $path -Force

Re: Modifying Script for Advanced Settings

LucD — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 16:41:51 GMT

If I understand your question correctly, you want to run the report for all VMs in a vCenter?

In that case, you could change the start of the script to the following.

PS1: I sincerely hope that you are not using such an old PowerCLI version that you need PSSnapin?

PS2: there is a Start-VM at the end of the script. Is that needed?

Connect-VIServer -Server vcenter.local -User username -Password Password

Foreach ($vm in Get-VM)

{

$date=Get-Date -format "ddMMyy_HHmm"

Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm | Select Name, Value | Export-CSV $vm"_Before_$date.csv"

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name vmci0.unrestricted -Value FALSE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

Re: Modifying Script for Advanced Settings

SCharchouf — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 07:37:04 GMT

Thanks LucD as usualy you are the best

PS:1 we have only this version of PowerCLI installed VMware vSphere PowerCLI 6.3 Release 1 build 3737840

PS2: Thanks for the information, I haven't seen it

I will start the script as mentioned and keep you posted

Re: Modifying Script for Advanced Settings

SCharchouf — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 08:28:19 GMT

below the Script modified:

Connect-VIServer -Server vCenter.local

Foreach ($vm in Get-VM)

{

$date=Get-Date -format "ddMMyy_HHmm"

Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity$vm | Select Name, Value | Export-CSV $vm"_Before_$date.csv"

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name isolation.tools.copy.disable -Value TRUE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True | select @{N='VM';E={$_.Entity.Name}},Name,Value

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name isolation.tools.paste.disable -Value TRUE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True | select @{N='VM';E={$_.Entity.Name}},Name,Value

}

New-Item -ErrorAction Ignore -ItemType directory -Path Report

$path=$(get-location).Path+"\Reports\"

Move-Item *.csv $path -Force

Issue:

the folder Reports it's created once I run the report but without any files
got this message when I run the script:

Get-AdvancedSetting : A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'Entity$vm'.

At .\AdvancedSettings_V1.ps1:9 char:25

+ Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity$vm | Select Name, Value | Export-CSV ...

+ ~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (:) [Get-AdvancedSetting], ParameterBindingException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : NamedParameterNotFound,VMware.VimAutomation.ViCore.Cmdlets.Commands.GetAdvancedSetting

PS: it's possible to get the Report in the same CSV that show value before & after?

Re: Modifying Script for Advanced Settings

LucD — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 09:10:23 GMT

Oops, a typo.
There was a space missing between Entity and $vm.
I corrected the code above.

Re: Modifying Script for Advanced Settings

SCharchouf — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 10:34:16 GMT

Thanks LucD

just one thing, it's possible to have the a single reports that contain the value before and the value after?

Re: Modifying Script for Advanced Settings

LucD — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 11:14:33 GMT

You could store the settings at the start in a hash table.

And then do something like this

Connect-VIServer -Server vcenter.local -User username -Password Password

Foreach ($vm in Get-VM)

{

$tab = @{}

$date=Get-Date -format "ddMMyy_HHmm"

Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm | ForEach-Object -Process {

$tab.Add($_.Name,$_.Value)

}

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name vmci0.unrestricted -Value FALSE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

# repeat for other settings

Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm |

Select Name,@{N='OldValue';E={$tab[$_.Name]}},@{N='NewValue';E={$_.Value}} |

Export-Csv -Path "$($vm.Name)_Settings_$($date).csv" -NoTypeInformation -UseCulture

}

Re: Modifying Script for Advanced Settings

SCharchouf — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 11:28:14 GMT

Thanks LucD, but in that way, it will provide a report for each VM separately

imagine 12000 VMs

Re: Modifying Script for Advanced Settings

LucD — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 11:39:08 GMT

Since the original script was also doing that, I assumed you wanted it that way.

But we can easily place everything in 1 CSV file.

Connect-VIServer -Server vcenter.local -User username -Password Password

$report = @()

Foreach ($vm in Get-VM)

{

$tab = @{}

$date=Get-Date -format "ddMMyy_HHmm"

Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm | ForEach-Object -Process {

$tab.Add($_.Name,$_.Value)

}

New-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm -Name vmci0.unrestricted -Value FALSE -Confirm:$False -Force:$True

# repeat for other settings

$report += Get-AdvancedSetting -Entity $vm |

Select @{N='VM';E={$vm.Name}},Name,@{N='OldValue';E={$tab[$_.Name]}},@{N='NewValue';E={$_.Value}}

}

$report | Export-Csv -Path "Settings_$($date).csv" -NoTypeInformation -UseCulture

Re: Modifying Script for Advanced Settings

SCharchouf — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 11:58:31 GMT

Perfect and many thanks