Powershell Script from the K1000 (4320138)

Powershell Script from the K1000

The KACE SMA Scripting feature can be used to launch a Windows PowerShell script on one or multiple machines. In order to launch a Windows PowerShell script, an appropriate version of Windows PowerShell needs to be installed on the target device.

Windows PowerShell is included in later operating systems and can also be installed/upgraded on older/newer operating systems if wanted.

For different versions and requirements with regards to Windows PowerShell and information on where Windows PowerShell is already included, you can refer to the following article: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh847769.aspx

Below you can find two different methods for using Windows PowerShell with the K1000 appliance. For information on Windows PowerShell switches the following article is a good start: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff629472.aspx

More information can be found online on Microsoft TechNet (technet.microsoft.com).

**NOTE: Script code is provided as a courtesy by KACE to its customers. We make no promises as to workability or functionality under certain circumstances. In default situations under normal setup these work as designed. KACE does not support modification nor usage. We highly recommend you test all code no matter the source before using in a production environment. If you are cut and pasting the code, paste in to a text editor then copy back out to remove any hidden characters or markup.**

Method 1: Running a Windows PowerShell command using a Batch file

1. Create a KACE Script using the Scripting feature on the KACE SMA and configure the "Verify" section to "Run a Batch file"
   • Note: To have "Run a batch file..." option available make sure to select Windows in the Deploy section | Operating Systems
2. Optionally (depending on the output), configure the "On Success" section to "Upload a File" in order to get the output of "AgentInfo.txt" into the KACE SMA
3. Optionally (for purpose of debugging), configure the "Remediation" section with a "Status" message like "Oops, something went wrong!"

Batch command line used:
powershell -command "& {gwmi win32_product |? {$_.name -match 'KACE Agent'}|Out-File AgentInfo.txt}" 

NOTE: AgentInfo.txt will be created in KACE Dependency directory.

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Method 2: Executing an existing Windows PowerShell script directly

1. Create a KACE Script using the Scripting feature on the KACE SMA and configure the "Verify" section to "Launch a Program"
2. Optionally (for purpose of debugging), configure the "On Success" section with a "Status" message like "PS script has been executed successfully!"
3. Optionally (for purpose of debugging), configure the "Remediation" section with a "Status" message like "PS script has encountered an error while executing!"

Command line(s) used:
Directory: $(KACE_DEPENDENCY_DIR)
File: powershell.exe
Parameters: -nologo -executionpolicy bypass -WindowStyle hidden -noprofile -file "CreateShortCut.ps1"

We can easily refer to the dependency file "CreateShortCut.ps1" attached (see above screenshot) since powershell.exe is known inside the $(KACE_DEPENDENCY_DIR), which is the actual directory the script will be downloaded to on the device.

NOTE: The actual task the script is performing cannot be debugged using the K1000 directly and error logging and debugging has to be implemented by the author of the script. Furthermore it is important to remember that KACE Scripts are executed under the LOCAL SYSTEM context in Windows (per default settings) plus, they are running in a 32x Bit environment. This is specifically important when executing scripts on 64x Bit machines and i.e. querying the 32x Bit portion of the Windows Registry.

CreateShortCut