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Managing Windows with VBScript and WMI
- By Don Jones
- Published Mar 24, 2004 by Addison-Wesley Professional. Part of the Microsoft Windows Server System Series series.
Book
- Sorry, this book is no longer in print.
About
Features
The definitive guide to scripting for all Windows administrators, helping them to simplify their work and make their network more secure.
° Demystifies scripting for administrators, showing how VBScript and WMI can help ease repetitive or complex tasks
° Organized around tasks, and heavily cross-referenced, allowing quick access to information of immediate value
° Based on the author's years of experience teaching and training
° Most other books on scripting focus on developers, not administrators
Description
- Copyright 2004
- Edition: 1st
- Book
- ISBN-10: 0-321-21334-3
- ISBN-13: 978-0-321-21334-1
"Finally, a step-by-step VBScripting book to make you look like a programmer without the time and sweat! Don't waste your time searching the Internet for examples--this book does it for you!"
--Greg A. Marino, Senior Systems Engineer/Consultant, Westtown Consulting Group, Inc.
Visual Basic Scripting (VBScript) and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) are vital tools for systems administrators grappling with the increasing complexity of Windows technologies. However, busy admins have been without a straightforward guide to scripting...until now.
Managing Windows® with VBScript and WMI explains how Windows administrators can effectively use VBScript to automate common administrative tasks and simplify complex ones. Detailed coverage of security concerns provides admins with the means for safely using VBScript in Windows environments. The book is organized around the problems you face daily, with reusable examples and coverage of Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003.
This user-friendly reference demystifies scripting and then shows you how to produce new scripts from scratch. You will be producing useful scripts right away as you study the VBScript language and learn how to control nearly every aspect of the Windows operating system with WMI and the Active Directory Services Interface (ASDI). You will be able to build your own administrative Web pages and use advanced scripting technologies such as script encryption, scripting components, and script security. The book closes with still more ready-made example scripts accompanied by complete line-by-line explanations. The CD includes all the code from the book and trial versions of PrimalScript 3.0 and VbsEdit. A companion Web site provides updates and errata.
Inside you will find answers to such questions as:
- How do you write effective logon scripts? Chapter 11
- How do you write scripts that query and modify user and group information? Chapter 16
- How can you query the IP addresses from multiple network adapters in multiple remote computers? Chapter 19
- How can you design, write, run, test, and debug your own administrative Web pages? Chapter 24
- How can you reuse code between various scripts? Chapter 25
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Table of Contents
Preface xxi
Acknowledgments xxxv
About the Author xxxvii
PART I--INTRODUCTION TO WINDOWS ADMINISTRATIVE SCRIPTING 1
Chapter 1 Scripting Concepts and Terminology 3
- What Is Scripting? 3
- Script Hosts 4
- ActiveX Scripting Languages 6
- The Component Object Model (COM) 9
- Critical Scripting Security Issues 9
- Review 10
- Script Hosts 4
Chapter 2 Running Scripts 11
- Windows Script Host 11
- Command-Line Scripts 13
- Notepad and Script Editors 16
- Command-Line Scripts 13
- Bare Bones: Notepad 16
- A Step Up: Programmer's File Editor 17
- Script-Specific: VBScript Editors 18
- A Step Up: Programmer's File Editor 17
- Writing Your First Script 23
- Running Your First Script 25
- Debugging Your First Script 25
- Review 26
- Running Your First Script 25
Chapter 3 The Components of a Script 29
- A Typical VBScript 29
- Functions 32
- Subroutines 33
- Main Script 34
- Functions 32
- Using Custom Functions and Subroutines 36
- Using Intrinsic Functions and Statements 38
- Making Decisions in a Script 40
- Using Intrinsic Functions and Statements 38
- Comments and Documentation 40
- Review 45
Chapter 4 Designing a Script 47
- Creating a Task List 48
- Selecting the Appropriate Tools 50
- Displaying a Message 51
- Mapping a Drive 53
- Checking Group Membership 54
- Mapping a Printer 54
- Getting the Local IP Address 54
- Getting the Third Octet from the IP Address 56
- All Tasks Accounted For 56
- Mapping a Drive 53
- Creating Modules to Perform Tasks 57
- Validating User Input 63
- Planning for Errors 63
- Creating Script Libraries 66
- Review 66
- Validating User Input 63
PART II--VBSCRIPT TUTORIAL 69
Chapter 5 Functions, Objects, Variables, and More 71
- What Are Variables? 72
- Declaring Variables 76
- Understanding Data Types 78
- Assigning Data to Variables 79
- Data Coercion 80
- Understanding Data Types 78
- What Are Functions? 82
- Input Parameters 82
- Output Values 84
- Intrinsic versus Custom Functions 85
- Output Values 84
- What Are Statements and Subroutines? 89
- Functions, without the Output 89
- What Are Objects? 92
- Properties 92
- Methods 93
- Collections 93
- A Sample Object 94
- Scripting with Objects 95
- Methods 93
- Review 97
Chapter 6 Input and Output 99
- Displaying Messages 99
- The MsgBox Statement and Function 100
- More Complex Messages 104
- MsgBox Best Practices 105
- Go Generic with WScript.Echo 106
- More Complex Messages 104
- Asking for Input 107
- Graphical Input 107
- Command-Line Input 109
- Command-Line Parameters as Input 110
- Running Command-Line Scripts 110
- Parsing Parameters 110
- Review 114
Chapter 7 Manipulating Numbers 117
- Numbers in VBScript 117
- Basic Arithmetic 118
- Advanced Arithmetic 121
- Boolean Math 124
- Converting Numeric Data Types 129
- Converting Other Data Types to Numeric Data 130
- Review 130
- Basic Arithmetic 118
Chapter 8 Manipulating Strings 133
- Strings in VBScript 133
- Working with Substrings 135
- Concatenating Strings 139
- Changing Strings 141
- Formatting Strings 143
- Converting Other Data Types to String Data 144
- Review 145
- Working with Substrings 135
Chapter 9 Manipulating Other Types of Data 147
- Working with Dates and Times 147
- Dates and Times in VBScript 148
- Getting the Date or Time 148
- Converting Date and Time Data 149
- Working with Past and Future Dates 150
- Getting the Date or Time 148
- Working with Arrays 150
- Arrays in VBScript 151
- Creating and Manipulating Arrays 152
- Working with Array Data 154
- Creating and Manipulating Arrays 152
- Working with Bytes 155
- Bytes in VBScript 155
- Converting Byte Data 156
- Review 156
Chapter 10 Controlling the Flow of Execution 157
- Conditional Execution 158
- If...Then 158
- Select...Case 163
- Loops 164
- Do While...Loop and Do...Loop While 164
- Do Until...Loop and Do...Loop Until 166
- For...Next 166
- For Each...Next 167
- Exiting Loops 169
- Do Until...Loop and Do...Loop Until 166
- Putting It All Together 170
- Review 173
Chapter 11 Built-in Scripting Objects 175
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