Unable to get output from remote VMs

[ganapa2000]

Hi,

I am unable to get output from remote VMs using below script. There is no errors.

Please help

Script

$reportlocation2 = "D:\reports\Shared_OS_Info1.csv"

$reportlocation = "D:\reports\Shared_Patching_Info.xlsx"

$Today = (Get-Date)

$StartDate = $Today.Date.AddDays(-10)

$EndDate = $Today.Date.AddDays(1)

Import-Csv -Path $reportlocation2 -UseCulture -PipelineVariable row |

ForEach-Object -Process {

    try{

        $patchcount = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $_.Name -ScriptBlock {(Get-HotFix | Where {$_.InstalledOn -gt $using:StartDate -AND $_.InstalledOn -lt $using:EndDate }).count}

    }

        catch

    {

        $patchcount = 'NA'

    }

        $row | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name 'Patch_Count' -Value $patchcount -PassThru

} | Export-Excel -Path $reportlocation

[LucD]

Is there a reason you are using Invoke-Command instead of Invoke-VMScript?

Don't these VM all have VMware Tools installed?

There are requirements to run remote commands, see about_Remote_Requirements.

Are these all met?

As a first step, add the Verbose switch on the Invoke-Command.

[ganapa2000]

Hi LucD,

I tried using Invoke-VMscript as you mentioned, but it I am not getting any output captured from Invoke-VMScript variable

$reportlocation2 = "D:\reports\OS_Info.csv"

$reportlocation = "D:\Patching_Info_$date.xlsx"

$Today = (Get-Date)

$StartDate = $Today.Date.AddDays(-10)

$EndDate = $Today.Date.AddDays(1)

Import-Csv -Path $reportlocation2 -UseCulture -PipelineVariable row |

ForEach-Object -Process {

    try{

         $patchcount = Invoke-VMScript -vm $_.Name -ScriptText "(Get-HotFix | Where {$_.InstalledOn -gt $using:StartDate -AND $_.InstalledOn -lt $using:EndDate }| Measure-Object).Count" -ScriptType PowerShell -GuestUser "abc\admin" -GuestPassword "password@123"

    }

        catch

    {

        $patchcount = 'NA'

    }

        $row | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name 'Patch_Count' -Value $patchcount -PassThru

} | Export-Excel -Path $reportlocation

If I use direct command as below, I am getting error

$Today = (Get-Date)

$StartDate = $Today.Date.AddDays(-10)

$EndDate = $Today.Date.AddDays(1)

Invoke-VMScript -vm app12 -ScriptText "(Get-HotFix | Where {$_.InstalledOn -gt $using:StartDate -AND $_.InstalledOn -lt $using:EndDate }| Measure-Object).Count" -ScriptType PowerShell -GuestUser "abc\admin" -GuestPassword "password@123"

ScriptOutput

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

|  A Using variable cannot be retrieved. A Using variable can be used only with Invoke-Command, Start-Job, or

|  InlineScript in the script workflow. When it is used with Invoke-Command, the Using variable is valid only if the

|  script block is invoked on a remote computer.

|  At line:1 char:25

|  + ... ix | Where {$_.InstalledOn -gt $using:StartDate -AND $_.InstalledOn - ...

|  +                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

|      + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException

|      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : UsingWithoutInvokeCommand

|

|  A Using variable cannot be retrieved. A Using variable can be used only with Invoke-Command, Start-Job, or

|  InlineScript in the script workflow. When it is used with Invoke-Command, the Using variable is valid only if the

|  script block is invoked on a remote computer.

|  At line:1 char:25

|  + ... ix | Where {$_.InstalledOn -gt $using:StartDate -AND $_.InstalledOn - ...

|  +                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

|      + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException

|      + FullyQualifiedErrorId : UsingWithoutInvokeCommand

[LucD]

With Invoke-VMScript you can not use the using option, that only work with Start-Job and remote commands, like Invoke-Command.

[ganapa2000]

LucD,

I tried as below, still not getting any output

$script = @"

$Today = (Get-Date)

$StartDate = $Today.Date.AddDays(-10)

$EndDate = $Today.Date.AddDays(1)

(Get-HotFix | Where {$_.InstalledOn -gt $StartDate -AND $_.InstalledOn -lt $EndDate }| Measure-Object).Count

"@

$out = Invoke-VMScript -vm APP17 -ScriptText $script -ScriptType PowerShell -GuestUser "abc\admin" -GuestPassword "password@123"

$out

I am getting blank Output

ScriptOutput

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

|

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[LucD]

You shouldn't be using double quotes for the inline script, then variable substitution will happen before you send the script.

Use single quotes.

This works for.

$script = @'

$Today = (Get-Date)

$StartDate = $Today.Date.AddDays(-10)

$EndDate = $Today.Date.AddDays(1)

(Get-HotFix | Where {$_.InstalledOn -gt $StartDate -AND $_.InstalledOn -lt $EndDate }| Measure-Object).Count

'@

$out = Invoke-VMScript -VM APP17 -ScriptText $script -ScriptType PowerShell -GuestUser "abc\admin" -GuestPassword "password@123"

$out

[ganapa2000]

Thank you LucD that worked.

I wanted to know, If I run multiple commands in the script block, how can I capture output from each command output into a variable ?

Eg:

Get-HotFix | Where {$_.InstalledOn -gt $StartDate -AND $_.InstalledOn -lt $EndDate }

(Get-HotFix | Where {$_.InstalledOn -gt $StartDate -AND $_.InstalledOn -lt $EndDate }| Measure-Object).Count

[LucD]

The easiest way to do this is to write different outputs to different files.

That is why I introduced the Infile and Outfile parameters in my Invoke-VMScriptPlus function in Invoke-VMScriptPlus V3

If you have to make do with Invoke-VMScript, you will have to use some trickery.

And that trickery is specific for the type of output you are looking at.

Something like this for example.

$code = @'

$StartDate = Get-Date '01/01/2020'

$EndDate = Get-Date

"### Output ###"

Get-HotFix | Where {$_.InstalledOn -gt $StartDate -AND $_.InstalledOn -lt $EndDate } | ConvertTo-Csv -UseCulture -NoTypeInformation

"### Output ###"

(Get-HotFix | Where {$_.InstalledOn -gt $StartDate -AND $_.InstalledOn -lt $EndDate }| Measure-Object).Count

'@

$sInvoke = @{

    VM = $vmName

    GuestCredential = $cred

    ScriptTYpe = 'powershell'

    ScriptText = $code

}

$dummy,$out1,$out2 = (Invoke-VMScript @sInvoke).ScriptOutput -split '### Output ###'

$out1 = $out1.TrimStart("`n`r") -split "`n`r"

$out2 = $out2.TrimStart("`n`r")

Write-Host "--> First output"

$out1 | ConvertFrom-Csv -UseCulture

Write-Host "--> Second output"

[int]$out2

[ganapa2000]

Thank you LucD, that worked.

One last thing, how can I use this for multiple VMs using import-csv ?

Eg:

Import-Csv -Path $reportlocation1 -UseCulture -PipelineVariable row |

ForEach-Object -Process {

$sInvoke = @{

    VM = $vmName

    GuestCredential = $Creds

    ScriptTYpe = 'powershell'

    ScriptText = $code

}

$dummy,$out1,$out2 = (Invoke-VMScript @sInvoke).ScriptOutput -split '### Output ###'

$out1 | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name 'Patch_Count' -Value $patchcount -PassThru

$out1 = $out1.TrimStart("`n`r") -split "`n`r"

$out2 = $out2.TrimStart("`n`r")

Write-Host "--> First output"

$out1 | ConvertFrom-Csv -UseCulture

Write-Host "--> Second output"

[int]$out2

[LucD · Accepted solution]

You could do something like this

$report1 = @()

$report2 = @()

Import-Csv -Path $reportlocation1 -UseCulture -PipelineVariable row |

ForEach-Object -Process {

    $sInvoke = @{

        VM              = $row.VmName

        GuestCredential = $cred

        ScriptTYpe      = 'powershell'

        ScriptText      = $code

    }

    $dummy, $out1, $out2 = (Invoke-VMScript @sInvoke).ScriptOutput -split '### Output ###'

    $out1 = $out1.TrimStart("`n`r") -split "`n`r"

    $out2 = $out2.TrimStart("`n`r")

    $report1 += $out1 | ConvertFrom-Csv -UseCulture | Select-Object -Property CSName, HotFixID, Description, Caption, InstalledOn, InstalledBy

    $report2 += New-Object -TypeName PSObject -Property ([ordered]@{

        VM    = $row.VmName

        Count = [int]$out2

    })

}

[ganapa2000]

Thank you LucD.