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Category Archives: Work

SCCM 07 Health Check Logon Framework…

So I had another problem, and one I know I’m not alone in…

I’ve got clients that are failing, won’t install, have corrupt wmi repositories, and obviously I can’t deploy a repair solution to them so what do we do?

Well like most people in an enterprise environment (or smaller I’m sure) we maintain a logon script, and considering that this script will run come hail or high water it is clearly the best possible automated resolution point possible.

There have been some really great log on health check scripts written by a lot of great people in the MyITForum community, and having used two of the more popular ones I’ve decided there are some great things in both of them, but in one case more than what I need; and the other just short of my needs.

So what do we do?  Simple, write our own; which you can download from a link at the bottom of this post.

So lets first look at what it takes to run this script:

CmLogonFrameWork.wsf + config.xml

At run time you can configure 4 override settings:

  • /log:”c:\windows”

This will write the logfile to the windows directory.

  • /config:”somefilesomewhere.xml”

This will load the specific config file you need, useful if you have multiple configurations for multiple machine/user types.

  • /events

This will force the script to write events to the event log regardless of how it’s defined in the config.xml

  • /debug

This will force the script to error verbosely, which will become useful if you are going to extend the code and need to see the error output.

So what does the script do?  Well I’ve put my horrible Visio skills to work to give you the obfuscated flowchart that might very well make you want to claw your face off (included in the script download).  However I’ll give you a quick overview of the intended functionality to save you from all the head scratching and the “what was this guy smoking” statements you might have as you read it.

It’s best to think about this script in 5 blocks:

  1. Initialization
  2. System Check
  3. SCCM Check
  4. SCCM Configuration
  5. Close Out

 

Initialization:

This block is fairly straight forward.  We gather arguments, enforce a cscript execution (for cleanliness more than anything), generate our first log entry, load the configuration file, and write a LastRun entry to HKLM\Software\SccmHealth for tracking of changes and repair mechanisms later.

The only potential repair function during this phase would be to the XMLDom (and all the script will attempt to do is register the component).  If OS version checks fail, or the XML file cannot be read then the script will close with an error in the log.

System Check:

The system check is also fairly straight forward.  We first check the admin account if one is configured, we check the admin shares, we check the list of services defined in the config, and finally we verify that the root/cimv2 is accessible in WMI.

Repairs that would occur in this phase are the enabling of admin shares via service and registry values.  Services are configured per the config file if they are not presently in that state. And finally if it’s enabled, an attempted wmi rebuild would be performed if wmi fails its check (there are two distinct repair types determined by the version of windows).

SCCM Check:

Now things get a bit more confusing, but I’ll keep it high level since I have a bit of an election system in the script on what repair method is the best option.

Check the CM namespace in WMI, then the service, then the executable, and finally the setup files.  If all 4 fail or 3 of 4 then a standard installation will occur.  If only the namespace fails then a reinstallation is attempted provided that option is allowed, if not then a wmi repair is attempted if it is allowed.  There are other checks that manipulate the outcome such as your configuration options obviously and when the last repair date was attempted on the asset.

SCCM Configuration:

This section is very straightforward.

Check the Site code, and check the cache size, if they don’t match the config, we change them to match.

Close Out:

As our final phase we load any additional scripts identified in the config file, generate our System Check, SCCM Check, and SCCM Configuration check report card.  If remote logging is enabled we write the final output there as well, and finally we deconstruct our objects and  terminate the script with or without errors depending on the outcome of course.

Tips for Extending:

The two custom objects being used here in this script are cls_Logging and cls_Dict which are instantiated as Logging and Config respectively.

A list of these classes and how they work can be found here (logging) and here (config).

I’ve also included a test.vbs that extends the script to give you an idea of some of very basic examples of extended functionality.  I would recommend you avoid adding anything to the primary script, but instead extend it all as a separate script and have it performed at the end of the script, unless of course it’s an entirely new object that you wish to build into this tool then by all means have at it.

 

If you have any questions, suggestions, or if you find bugs please comment so I can answer them or repair them, thanks.

Download:

Version 2.1.3

AD Asset Management tool…

Alright, so Active Directory Asset Management.  What is it?

Well a, not so, unique problem facing every enterprise large or small, is asset management.

Now asset management is not a one dimensional issue, there are requirements and facets to it that shift depending on the person you ask.  From an engineering and maintenance standpoint at my company we have needs of tying important information as closely to the asset as possible, yet removed enough that it’s accessible even when the asset is not.  So what does that mean?

I want to have information tied to the machine but not dependent on the machine.  Something that contains properties that can be modified by the machine, yet retrievable apart from the machine.  Well that’s a relatively simple solution, LDAP, or Active Directory as the case may be.

In this case, my co-worker David Renfrow has opted to utilize the AD Computer Object Description property to store the strings that uniquely identifies our asset.  At present the tool is used to search for specific values in objects, to get/set the string values, and lastly to export findings from the search to a csv report bundled into a single self contained HTA.

image

For the next release I intend to implement error handling, and a potential DB write out function as well as domain search base targeting. At present it only pulls from the Domain of the querying asset, so in a multi domain forest that can be a problem.

Current Version Code Below:

<html>
	<head>
		<title>Active Directory Asset Manager (ADAM)</title>
<!--<description>
	Tool:		Active Directory Asset Manager
	
	Authors: 	David Renfrow, Daniel Belcher 
	
	Tool Info: 	The tools purpose is to retrieve, query, and 
				set system specific information	to a string in 
				the ADO Description property.  This string is 
				specially formatted	to retrieve in a specific way:
				
		<Server>;<Sixdot>;<Purpose>;<Location>;<Domain>;<SLA>;
	<SrvContact>;<SrvManager>;<SGPrimary>;<SGBackup>;<DBAPrimary>;<DBABackup>
				
</description>-->
	<HTA:APPLICATION 
		ID="ADAM" 
		APPLICATIONNAME="ADAM"
		BORDER="thin"
		SINGLEINSTANCE="yes"
	>

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="VBScript">
'-----------Application Initialization-----------------------------------------
'On Error Resume Next
Dim oConn, oCmd, item, oComputer, strDomain, Dict

Sub Window_onLoad
	window.resizeTo 625,725
	
	Set oConn = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
		oConn.Provider = "ADsDSOObject"
	Set oCmd =  CreateObject("ADODB.Command")
	Set Dict = New cls_Dict

	strDomain = Dict.DistinguishedDomainName
	
	
End Sub 
'----------------Controls------------------------------------------------------
Sub getproc()
	On Error Resume Next

	strComputer = ServerName.Value
	ADLookUp(strComputer)
	Description = oComputer.Get("Description")
	If Err.Number <> 0 Then
		Err.Clear
		Description = ";;;;;;;;;;;"
	End If
	strOut = Split(Description,";")

	DataArea.innerHtml =	"<table border=""""1"""">" & "<tr>" & _
		"<td>Server</td>"&"<td>"&UCase(strComputer)& "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>SixDot</td><td>"&strOut(1) & "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>Purpose</td><td>"&strOut(2) & "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>Location</td><td>"&strOut(3) & "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>Domain</td><td>"&strOut(4) & "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>SLA</td><td>"&strOut(5) & "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>Srv Contact</td><td>"&strOut(6) & "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>Srv Manager</td><td>"&strOut(7) & "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>SG Primary</td><td>"&strOut(8) & "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>SG Backup</td><td>"&strOut(9) & "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>DBA Primary</td><td>"&strOut(10) & "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>DBA Backup</td><td>"&strOut(11) & "</td>" & "</tr><tr>" & _
		"<td>Last Updated</td><td>"&strOut(12) & "</tr></table>"
			
	servername.value = UCase(strComputer)
	sixdot.value = strOut(1)
	purpose.value = strOut(2)
	loc.value = strOut(3)
	domain.value = strOut(4)
	sla.value = strOut(5)
	srvcontact.value = strOut(6)
	srvmanager.value = strOut(7)
	sgprimary.value = strOut(8)
	sgbackup.value = strOut(9)
	dbaprimary.value = strOut(10)
	dbabackup.value = strOut(11)

	oConn.Close
End Sub

Sub setproc()
	strComputer = ServerName.Value
	ADLookUp(strComputer)
	if sixdot.value = "" then sixdot.value = "NA"
	if purpose.value = "" then purpose.value = "NA"
	if loc.value = "" then loc.value = "NA"
	if domain.value = "" then domain.value = "NA"
	if sla.value = "" then sla.value = "NA"
	if srvcontact.value = "" then srvcontact.value = "NA"
	if srvmanager.value = "" then srvmanager.value = "NA"
	if sgprimary.value = "" then sgprimary.value = "NA"
	if sgbackup.value = "" then sgbackup.value = "NA"
	if dbaprimary.value = "" then dbaprimary.value = "NA"
	if dbabackup.value = "" then dbabackup.value = "NA"
	oComputer.Put "Description", servername.value&";"&sixdot.value&";"& _
			purpose.value&";"&loc.value&";"&domain.value&";"&SLA.value&";"& _
			srvcontact.value&";"&srvmanager.value&";"&sgprimary.value&";"& _
			sgbackup.value&";"&dbaprimary.value&";"&dbabackup.value&";"&date
	oComputer.SetInfo
	oConn.Close
End Sub

Sub clearproc
	dataarea.InnerHTML = ""
	servername.value = ""
	srvcontact.value = ""
	sixdot.value = ""
	srvmanager.value = ""
	purpose.value = ""
	sgprimary.value = ""
	loc.value = ""
	sgbackup.value = ""
	domain.value = ""
	dbaprimary.value = ""
	sla.value = ""
	dbabackup.value = ""
End Sub

Sub searchproc()

	If Dict.Exists("ADRecords") Then
		Dict.Remove("ADRecords")
	End If
	
	msg = Null
	
	Call ADSearch(search.value)
	For Each item In Dict.ReturnArray("ADRecords")
		temp = Split(item,"|x|")	
		msg = msg &"<b>Name:</b><em> " & UCase(temp(0)) & "</em><br>" _
				& "<b>Description:</b><em> " & temp(1) & "</em><br><br>"
	Next
	
	dataarea.innerhtml = "<input type="&Chr(34)&"button"&Chr(34)&" value="& _
	Chr(34)& "Export to CSV"&Chr(34)&" onclick="&Chr(34)&"export"&Chr(34)& _
	"/><br>" & msg
	
End Sub

Sub export()

	Dim oFso, FileHandle
	Set oFso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
	temp = Split(Date,"/")
	sDate = temp(0)&temp(1)&temp(2)
		
	Set FileHandle = oFso.OpenTextFile _
		(Dict.CurrentDir&"ServerOut-"&sDate&".csv", 2, True)
		FileHandle.WriteLine "Server,SIXDOT,Purpose,Location,Domain,SLA," & _
"Srv Contact,Srv Manager,SG Primary,SG Backup,DBA Primary,DBA Backup,Modified"
		
		For Each item In Dict.ReturnArray("AdRecords")
			temp = Split(item,"|x|")
			strWrite = Replace(temp(1),",","-")
				strWrite = Replace(strWrite,";",",")
					strWrite = Replace(strWrite,"-",";")
			FileHandle.WriteLine strWrite
		Next
	FileHandle.Close
	
	dataarea.innerhtml = "<p>Report written to:<br>" & _
					"<em>"&Dict.CurrentDir&"serverout-"&sDate&".csv</em></p>"
End Sub

'-----------------Working Functions--------------------------------------------
Public Function ADLookUp(strComputer)

	oConn.Open "Active Directory Provider"
	Set oCmd.ActiveConnection = oConn
	oCmd.CommandText = _
		"Select * from 'LDAP://"&strDomain&"' " _
        & "Where objectCategory='computer' AND name = '"& strComputer &"'" 
	oCmd.Properties("searchscope") = 2
	oCmd.Properties("Page Size") = 1000
	Set oRecord = oCmd.Execute

	For Each item In oRecord.Fields
		Set oComputer = GetObject(item)
	Next
End Function

Public Function ADSearch(strProperty)

	oConn.Open "Active Directory Provider"
	Set oCmd.ActiveConnection = oConn
	oCmd.CommandText = "Select Name, Description, DistinguishedName from " &_
	"'LDAP://"&strDomain&"' Where objectCategory='computer'" 
	oCmd.Properties("Page Size") = 1000
	oCmd.Properties("searchscope") = 2
	Set oRecord = oCmd.Execute
	oRecord.MoveFirst
	
	Do Until oRecord.EOF
	On Error Resume Next 
		Set oComputer = GetObject _
		("LDAP://" & orecord.Fields("distinguishedName").value)
			Description = oComputer.Get("Description")
			If InStr(1,LCase(Description), LCase(strProperty)) <> 0 Then
				Call Dict.ItemList("ADRecords",orecord.Fields("name").value& _
				"|x|" & Description)
			End If
		Description = Null
		oRecord.MoveNext
	Loop
	oConn.Close
End Function
'----------------Class Objects-------------------------------------------------

Class cls_Dict
'Class wrapper for the scripting.dictionary
	Private oDict, oNet, Comparemode, strSplit, oFso, oWShell, oADSI

'---------------------------------------------------------

Private Sub Class_Initialize()
'Dictionary class init subroutine    
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
		Set oDict 	= CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
		Set oNet	= CreateObject("Wscript.Network")
		Set oFso	= CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
		Set oWShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
		Set oADSI = CreateObject("ADSystemInfo")
		
		Dim strUserDomain : strUserDomain = oADSI.DomainDNSName
		Dim strDomain : strDomain = Split(strUserDomain,".")
		For Each item In strDomain
			strDNDomain = strDNDomain & "DC="&item&","
		Next
		oDict.CompareMode = 1
			strSplit = "|:|"
		Call oDict.Add("CurrentDir",oWShell.CurrentDirectory&"")
		Call oDict.Add("computername", oNet.Computername)
		Call oDict.Add("Windir",LCase(oWShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings _
			("%windir%")))
		Call oDict.Add("CurrentUser",LCase(oNet.UserName))
		Call oDict.Add("Domain",LCase(oNet.UserDomain))
		Call oDict.Add("DomainDN",Left(strDNDomain,(Len(strDNDomain)-1)))
		Call SetOsVer
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Private Sub Class_Terminate()
'Dictionary class termination subroutine
	If IsObject(oDict) then Set oDict = Nothing
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Property Get CurrentDir
'Returns Current Directory for the script
	CurrentDir = oDict.Item("CurrentDir")
End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Property Get ComputerName
'Returns the machine name for the current machine
	ComputerName = oDict.Item("computername")
End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Property Get CurrentUser
'Returns the machine name for the current machine
	CurrentUser = oDict.Item("CurrentUser")
End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Property Get Domain
'Returns the machine name for the current machine
	Domain = oDict.Item("Domain")
End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Property Get DistinguishedDomainName
'Returns the Distinguished Name for the Domain
	DistinguishedDomainName = oDict.Item("DomainDN")
End Property

Public Property Get Windir
'Returns the windows directory for the local machine
	Windir = oDict.Item("windir")
End Property

Public Property Get SystemRoot
'Returns the appropriate system directory system32 or syswow64

	If InStr(StrReverse(oDict.Item("CurrentOsVer")), "46x") <> 0 Then 
		SystemRoot = Windir & "syswow64"
	Else
		SystemRoot = Windir & "system32"
	End If

End Property
'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Sub Add(strKey,strValue)
'Method to Add a key and item
	If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

    Dim EnvVariable, strSplit

    	strSplit = Split(strValue, "%")
	If IsArray(strSplit) Then 
    	EnvVariable = oWShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings _
    		("%" & strSplit(1) & "%")
    	strValue = strSplit(0) & EnvVariable & strSplit(2)
    			If strValue = "" Then
    				strValue = strSplit(0)
    			End If
    End If
	If oDict.Exists(strKey) Then
		oDict(strKey) = Trim(strValue)
	Else
		oDict.Add strKey, Trim(strValue)
	End If
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Function Exists( strkey)
'Method to check existance of a key
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	
	If oDict.Exists(strKey) then 
		Exists = True
	Else
		Exists = False
	End If

End Function

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Function Keys()
'Method to retrieve an array of keys
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

	If IsObject(oDict) Then
		Keys = oDict.Keys
	End If
End Function

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Function Items()
'Method to retrieve an array of items
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

	If IsObject(oDict) Then
		Items = oDict.Items
	End If
End Function

'---------------------------------------------------------
Private Sub SetOsVer()
'Sets a comparable OSVer key item into the dictionary
		If DebugMode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

		Dim x, VersionCheck	
		
	VersionCheck = owShell.RegRead("HKLMsoftwaremicrosoft" _
					& "windows ntcurrentversionproductname")

			If ofso.folderexists("c:windowssyswow64") Then
				x = "x64"
			Else
				x = "x86"
			End If
		Call oDict.Add("CurrentOsVer",VersionCheck & " " & x)
End Sub
	Public Property Get OsVer()
		OsVer = oDict.Item("CurrentOsVer")
	End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------
Public Property Get AppName()

	AppName = Left(WScript.ScriptName, Len(WScript.ScriptName) - 4)
End Property 

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Property Get Key( strKey)
'Property to retrieve item value from specific key
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

		Key = Empty
	If IsObject(oDict) Then
		If oDict.Exists(strKey) Then Key = oDict.Item(strKey)
	End If
End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Sub ItemJoin(strKey, strItem)
'Method to concactenate new items under one key at the end of the string
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	Dim concat
	If Not oDict.Exists(strKey) Then
		Call oDict.Add(strkey, stritem)
	Else
		concat = oDict.Item(strKey)
		concat = concat & " " & strItem
			oDict.Remove(strKey)
		Call oDict.Add(strKey,concat)
	End If
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Sub ItemList( strKey,  strItem)
'Method to concactenate new items under one key at the end of the string
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	Dim concat
	If Not oDict.Exists(strKey) Then
		Call oDict.Add(strkey, stritem)
	Else
		concat = oDict.Item(strKey)
		concat = concat & "|:|" & strItem
			oDict.Remove(strKey)
		Call oDict.Add(strKey,concat)
	End If
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Sub ItemJoinRev( strKey,  strItem)
'Method to concactenate new items under one key at the start of the string
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	Dim concat
	If Not oDict.Exists(strKey) Then
		Call oDict.Add(strkey, stritem)
		Exit Sub
	Else
		concat = oDict.Item(strKey)
		concat = strItem & " " & concat
			oDict.Remove(strKey)
		Call oDict.Add(strKey,concat)
	End If
End Sub
	
'---------------------------------------------------------	

Public Function ReturnArray( strKey)
'Method to return an item as an array
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	
	Dim ItemToSplit, ItemArray
	
	ItemToSplit = oDict.item(strKey)
	
	ItemArray = Split(ItemToSplit, strSplit)
	
	ReturnArray = ItemArray	
	
End Function
	
'---------------------------------------------------------	

Public Sub Remove( strKey)
'Method to remove a key value
	oDict.Remove(strKey)
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Sub RemoveAll()
'Method to remove all data from the dictionary
	oDict.RemoveAll
End Sub

End Class
'------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</script>

<body bgcolor="silver">
	<table>
	<tr>
	<td>Server</td><td><input type="text" name="servername" size="30"></td>
	<td>Srv Contact</td><td><input type="text" name="srvcontact" size="30"></td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
	<td>SIXDOT</td><td><input type="text" name="sixdot" size="30"></td>
	<td>Srv Manager</td><td><input type="text" name="srvmanager" size="30"></td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
	<td>Purpose</td><td><input type="text" name="purpose" size="30"></td>
	<td>SG Primary</td><td><input type="text" name="sgprimary" size="30"></td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
	<td>Location</td><td><input type="text" name="loc" size="30"></td>
	<td>SG Backup</td><td><input type="text" name="sgbackup" size="30"></td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
	<td>Domain</td><td><input type="text" name="domain" size="30"></td>
	<td>DBA Primary</td><td><input type="text" name="dbaprimary" size="30"></td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
	<td>SLA</td><td><input type="text" name="sla" size="30"></td>
	<td>DBA Backup</td><td><input type="text" name="dbabackup" size="30"></td>
	</tr>
	</table>
	<p>
	<input type="button" value="Get" onclick="getproc"/>
	<input type="button" value="Set" onclick="setproc"/>
	<input type="button" value="Clear" onclick="clearproc"/>
	<input type="button" value="Search" onclick="searchproc"/>
	<input type="text" value="keyword" name="search">
	</p>
	<hr>
	<div id = "DataArea"></div>
</body>

</html>

So I had a drug test today…

I’ve got to say, I really hate all the formality surrounding urination into a cup.  I’m just glad they don’t require a stool sample.

Has anyone ever NOT felt awkward while taking one of these tests?  A normal process that is in and out becomes an entire convoluted process of cup examination, documentation, and a general desire for direction on how to do something that comes as naturally as well, going.  Not to mention the fun mind games that you start to go through such as: “how many poppy seed muffins have I had lately?  Oh lord, they are going to think I’m a heroine addict… great”.

3592fv

 

Anyway, I’ve got a few things I plan on posting surrounding an AD property lookup and inventory tool a friend of mine at work and I have been shooting back and forth as well as the promised CMLogonFramework (cm7).

MMS 2012 and distributed responsibility…

MMS was a blast. The amount of information, and networking possible is just staggering. I was also pleasantly surprised to find strong brothers in the faith while I was out in Vegas as well.

I’m excited about the future with CM12, Intune, App-v, Powershell, Server 12, Hyper-v, and Ops Man. I had an interesting conversation today over lunch about the essential folly of strict delegated authority and technology specialization that happens inside corporations. I would like to hit a few of the high points I was arguing to substantiate my claim that smaller work forces with broader skill sets offered a stronger IT work force as a whole. In terms of retention, satisfaction, cost of operation, and potential for innovation.

Employee retention and satisfaction will increase.

As I had posted on here previously, money does not serve as a motivational tool for cognitive tasks; which we can all agree on is where most IT engineering level jobs reside. Give enough money that money is not an issue, and you’ve essentially reached the end of money’s power of motivation over your employees. So then how do we motivate these employees to do more? Essentially, give them more to do; or give them diversity in their work and more to solve.

So? What can we conclude from that?

That a highly technical person (who is paid appropriately) will become a more productive (and one could read loyal) employee if given more opportunities to work.

What does delegated authority, and technology specialization teach us? Don’t give them enough money to make money NOT an issue, but instead give them a fixed growth path, and limit their technical involvement to one area. Generally this breeds a mercenary type behavior born of a loss of interest resulting in poor production. This WILL result in higher turn over as employees seek better opportunities, generally using a skill set they cultivated on the previous company’s dime… So why isn’t retention an issue? That’s lost revenue in training, hiring, terminations, and man hours to complete the tasks involved with all of this.

Reduced headcounts, with improved availability

Doing more with less, or less with more. Lets just look at this for a minute and really think this through.

t*(e^x)=c

Technologies that need to be supported (t) times the total number of employees (e) required for each piece (x) then I can get a rough estimate of my required headcount. To keep it simple lets assume that ideally these technologies can be supported 1 for 1. If I find myself in a specialized state the value of x will have to be 2. In some cases you could get away with 1, but if this is a tier 2 or higher item you are at a serious risk in terms of support availability. This is a problem with specialization, you can cross train, but rarely does that cross training work appropriately for hand off in a crisis situation.

However if your standard mode of operation allows for covering multiple areas then workloads will delegate themselves between employees evenly. When one leaves another can step in line to carry that workload without any impact. You have effectively reduced your required workload by 1 per technology. Now of course this is very basic, and doesn’t account for a lot of variables that would exist such as synergies that already exist, but if one adopts distributed responsibility more synergies will be found and that head count will reduce. Salaries will be released to go back into the company, and to the salaries of your remaining talent.

You’ve now found the way to take the subject of money off the table, and increased your support availability. When I talk about availability, I don’t just mean in terms of support, but even in project through put and time lines. You won’t be hit as hard by your “so and so guy”‘s vacation in terms of project completion.

Innovation’s will be found more frequently

I’m not going to go too deep on this as it’s a pretty simple benefit to identify. You have more eyes on something, the greater the chance is you find an improvement to that.

You will have an increasingly more motivated work force

By establishing a distributed responsibility system you have also given your employees two of the 3 fundamental keys for motivation.

  1. Autonomy
  2. Mastery

How so, you might ask? By exposing your employees to more technology and work you have given, or even forced them into a state of self governance. They are given the reigns to see what is needed and respond accordingly to those needs which in turn will result in mastery of the technologies that they support. Look, we can spend as much time as we want discussing how people learn and what makes the best teacher, but inevitably we all know that experience is king.

Great, I’m sold, so what are the pitfalls?

You need to identify the right talent, and you need to always evaluate service level requirements and demand.

These are areas that require strong management to be able to identify. In truth, you could spend a lot finding a solid recruiter for talent selection, but I think your current teams should be more involved in selecting their peers. The reality is, they are your source that should let you know if the new person will have the technical chops and personality to fit in and do the work.

Anyway, I could go on further extolling the merits of this model, but I feel most my points would just be beating a dead horse so I’ll stop now.

Have a good one.

Edit:

So valve’s employee handbook and business model serves as an excellent (and humorous) example for what I’m talking about.

Starting to sound like a broken record….

yea, that is hppening

For those who are closely involved in my life, and I have not told yet… Yes, I still have a job.

However, with this splash of good news comes the realization that I am about to enter into a whirlwind of intense workloads and even more intense deadlines. I still intend to post my logon framework here (hopefully within the month) so there is still that to look forward too. I apologize to anyone who has or is checking this on a fairly regular basis that I’ve been so flakey this year on posting.

Oh, and I’m going to Vegas next week for MMS!

vegas

Failing MP.MSI repair 1603 SCCM 2007…

Ran into this on a failing MP repair in our DMZ.  The error was a 1603, and according to the mp.msi logs it was unable to create the virtual directories for the MP to function.  What was looking like a complete IIS rebuild turned out to be a known issue surrounding BITS; and a far simpler solution then I had originally imagined.

The long and short or it; uninstall and reinstall the BITS feature, then reinstall the MP site component and bam.

 

Sick as a dog…

I’ve got a fairly large amount of content I’d like to post and discuss:

  • Current workout/diet regiment, and results so far
  • SCCM health check script and logon framework I’ve been working on
  • Theological view on harmony, and mans self importance

However, between my work schedule, and workout schedule I’ve had little free time and now I’m fighting a sinus infection. Instead of just blowing off my blog completely I wanted to of course post this, as perhaps more an outline for subjects I wish to cover this coming month.

Until then, take care.

SCCM Install Script…

A simple vbscript I use for manual client installation. It does some basic quick checks and fixes before begining an install. One could feasibly use this for health checking, but it’s not nearly as robust as my actual logon framework or other scripts from people like Jason Sandys or Dan Thompson.

The variables strAdmin (local admin service account), strCcmSetup (path to folder with the ccmsetup.exe), and strArguement (install string) need to be defined before running the script. It’s worth mentioning that strCcmSetup is just the path to ccmsetup.exe, there is no need to actually type ccmsetup.exe into the path and it’s best if you don’t since I didn’t bother writing anything in to verify if it is or isn’t. The script will auto append the executable to that variable so ccmsetup.exe in the path will give you ccmsetup.execcmsetup.exe

'Author Daniel Belcher             ||
'CCMsetup Function                 ||
'Date 2/11/2011 rev 5/20/2011      ||
'==================================||
'|Objects, Variables, and Constants ********************************************
'=============================================================================||
'|| Non-Standard Installer Variables - Please define them                     ||
'|| Admin Account
	strAdmin = "domain\user"
'|| Path to ccmsetup.exe
	strCcmSetup = "\\path\where\ccmsetup.exe\resides\"
'|| Install string
	strArguement = "/noservice SMSSITECODE=ABC SMSSLP=SERVER.ADDRESS " _
				& "SMSFSP=SERVER.ADDRESS"
'                                                                             ||
'=============================================================================||
Const DEBUGMSG = False 'Boolean to use for testing False = Silent True = Verbose
Const ForAppending = 8
Dim oWShell
Set oWShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Dim oFSo
Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Dim oNet
Set oNet = CreateObject("Wscript.Network")
ComputerName = oNet.ComputerName
Dim Target
Target = "."
Dim oWMISvc
Set oWMISvc = GetObject("winmgmts:\\"&Target)
'|Main Run *******************************************************************||
'=============================================================================||
WriteLog "Starting "&Wscript.Scriptname&" on "&ComputerName,2
PreReq
CCMSetup
Report
'SubRoutines *****************************************************************||
'=============================================================================||
Sub WriteLog(msg,mtype)
'Subroutine for writing the log
logname = wscript.scriptname&".log"
if not oFSo.FileExists(logname) then
oFSo.CreateTextFile(logname)
end if

msgline = "<![LOG["&msg&"]LOG]!><time="&""""&DatePart("h",Time)
msgline = msgline &":"&DatePart("n",Time)&":"&DatePart("s",Time)
msgline = msgline &".000+0"""&" date="""&Replace(Date,"/","-")
msgline = msgline &""""&" component="""&WScript.ScriptName
msgline = msgline &""" context="""" type="""&mtype
msgline = msgline &""" thread="""" file="""&WScript.ScriptName& """>"

Set oLogFile = oFSo.OpenTextFile(logname, ForAppending, True)
    oLogFile.WriteLine msgline
oLogFile.Close
if DEBUGMSG then wscript.echo msg&" "& mtype
End Sub
'*******************************************************************************
Sub SvcStart(service)
'Attempts to start a service
Set WMIServices = oWMISvc.ExecQuery _
("Select * from Win32_Service where name = '"&service&"'")
     For Each item in WMIServices
         if lcase(item.startmode) <> "automatic" then
                             item.ChangeStartMode("Automatic")
         end if
         start = item.startservice()
         wscript.sleep 4000
           if start <> 0 Then
                   WriteLog "ERROR: Failed to start the "&service&" Service, " _
                   & "investigation required", 3
                             wscript.quit(0)
                    else
                    WriteLog "Succesfully started "& service &" Service",1
           end if
     next
End Sub
'|Functions ******************************************************************||
'=============================================================================||
Function PreReq
'Prerequisite check for client installation
Set WMIServices = oWMISvc.ExecQuery _
("Select * from Win32_Service")
strService = "lanmanworkstation"
regAdminSPath = "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\LanmanServer\" _
				& "Parameters\"
 For Each item in WMIServices
          if lcase(item.name) = strService then
             if lcase(item.state) <> "running" then
                writelog "Warning: "&strService&" was not running, " _
                & "attempting to start...", 2
                SvcStart strService
             else
                 writelog strService& " was found running, OK", 1
             end if
          end if
 next
if not oFSO.FolderExists("\\"&computername&"\admin$") then
WriteLog "Warning: Admin shares not available, attempting to add " _
		& "registry key...", 2
    On Error Resume Next
oWShell.RegWrite regAdminSPath & "AutoShareWKS", 1, "REG_SZ"
              if err.Number <> 0 then
WriteLog "ERROR: "&regAdminSPath&"AutoShareWKS, 1 failed to write, or " _
		&"already exists.", 3
                  else
WriteLog regAdminSPath&"Notice: AutoShareWKS, 1 written succesfully. " _
					& " Restart required to take effect.", 2
              end if
Wscript.Echo "AutoShareWKS key was written to: " &vbcrlf _
          &regAdminSPath & vbcrlf _
          &"Please restart the machine, and rerun this script"
else
WriteLog "Admin$ shares found, and working.", 1
end if
Set AdminCheck = GetObject("WinNT://" & oNet.ComputerName _
							& "/Administrators,group")
if AdminCheck.IsMember("WinNT://"& strAdmin) then
WriteLog "User "&strAdmin&" found in Local Adminstrators group", 1
        else
WriteLog "Warning: User "&strAdmin&" not found in Local Administrators group",2
        on Error Resume Next
           AdminCheck.Add("WinNT://"&strAdmin)
        if Err.Number <> 0 then
WriteLog "ERROR: Unable to add "&strAdmin&" to the Local Administrators group",3
           Wscript.Echo "Unable to add "&strAdmin&" to local Admins." & vbcrlf _
           &"Please do so manually and rerun this script."
           Wscript.Quit(0)
        end if
end if

End Function
'*******************************************************************************
Function CCMSetup
'Client detection and installation
Set WMIServices = oWMIsvc.ExecQuery _
("Select * from Win32_Service where name ='ccmexec'")
boorun = true
   for each objservice in WMIServices
       strservice = lcase(objservice.name)
           if strservice = "ccmexec" then boorun = "False"
   next
if not boorun then
For Each service in WMIServices
  if lcase(service.state) <> "running" then
     svcStart "ccmexec" 'Attempt to start service if stopped
WriteLog "Warning: CcmExec service found, but was not running, " _
		& "attempting to start...", 2
  end if
next
WriteLog "SCCM client service, CcmExec found, closing script", 1
	exit function
end if
if boorun then
oWShell.run strCcmsetup&"ccmsetup.exe " & strArguement
        WriteLog "CcmSetup has begun using: ccmsetup.exe"& strArguement,1
end if

End Function
'******************************************************************************
Function Report
 If DEBUGMSG then msgbox "Complete" 'Set for popup on script complete
End Function
'End *************************************************************************||
'=============================================================================||

As has become my standard, the logs are written in a markup that works with trace32.

Dictionary class object vbs…

So similarly to the logging class object I posted back on December 16th; I’m posting a dictionary wrapper object I’ve built to enhance it’s (scripting.dictionary) usage for creating indexed arrays, concatenating strings, etc…

As with the Logging class object, it must be instantiated to use, so…

Dim Dict
Set Dict = New cls_Dict
 
Call Dict.Add("stuff","my message")
	Wscript.Echo Dict.Key("stuff") 

Wscript.Quit(0)

The object code is below, I’ll give a walkthrough on it’s usage after the code.

'============================================================================
'Dictionary Class ===========================================================
'============================================================================

Class cls_Dict
'Class wrapper for the scripting.dictionary
	Private oDict, oNet, Comparemode, strSplit, oFso, oWShell

'---------------------------------------------------------

Private Sub Class_Initialize()
'Dictionary class init subroutine    
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
		Set oDict 	= CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
		Set oNet	= CreateObject("Wscript.Network")
		Set oFso	= CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
		Set oWShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
		oDict.CompareMode = 1
			strSplit = "|:|"
		Call oDict.Add("CurrentDir",Left(WScript.ScriptFullName, _
			(Len(WScript.ScriptFullName)-Len(WScript.ScriptName))))
		Call oDict.Add("computername", oNet.Computername)
		Call oDict.Add("Windir",LCase(oWShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings _
			("%windir%")))
		Call oDict.Add("CurrentUser",LCase(oNet.UserName))
		Call SetOsVer
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Private Sub Class_Terminate()
'Dictionary class termination subroutine
	If IsObject(oDict) then Set oDict = Nothing
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Property Get CurrentDir
'Returns Current Directory for the script
	CurrentDir = oDict.Item("CurrentDir")
End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Property Get ComputerName
'Returns the machine name for the current machine
	ComputerName = oDict.Item("computername")
End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Property Get CurrentUser
'Returns the machine name for the current machine
	CurrentUser = oDict.Item("CurrentUser")
End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Property Get Windir
'Returns the windows directory for the local machine
	Windir = oDict.Item("windir")
End Property

Public Property Get SystemRoot
'Returns the appropriate system directory system32 or syswow64

	If InStr(StrReverse(oDict.Item("CurrentOsVer")), "46x") <> 0 Then 
		SystemRoot = Windir & "\syswow64"
	Else
		SystemRoot = Windir & "\system32"
	End If

End Property
'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Sub Add(strKey,strValue)
'Method to Add a key and item
	If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

    Dim EnvVariable, strSplit

    	strSplit = Split(strValue, "%")
	If IsArray(strSplit) Then 
    	EnvVariable = oWShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings _
    		("%" & strSplit(1) & "%")
    	strValue = strSplit(0) & EnvVariable & strSplit(2)
    			If strValue = "" Then
    				strValue = strSplit(0)
    			End If
    End If
	If oDict.Exists(strKey) Then
		oDict(strKey) = Trim(strValue)
	Else
		oDict.Add strKey, Trim(strValue)
	End If
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Function Exists( strkey)
'Method to check existance of a key
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	
	If oDict.Exists(strKey) then 
		Exists = True
	Else
		Exists = False
	End If

End Function

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Function Keys()
'Method to retrieve an array of keys
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

	If IsObject(oDict) Then
		Keys = oDict.Keys
	End If
End Function

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Function Items()
'Method to retrieve an array of items
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

	If IsObject(oDict) Then
		Items = oDict.Items
	End If
End Function

'---------------------------------------------------------
Private Sub SetOsVer()
'Sets a comparable OSVer key item into the dictionary
		If DebugMode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

		Dim x, VersionCheck	
		
	VersionCheck = owShell.RegRead("HKLM\software\microsoft\" _
					& "windows nt\currentversion\productname")

			If ofso.folderexists("c:\windows\syswow64") Then
				x = "x64"
			Else
				x = "x86"
			End If
		Call oDict.Add("CurrentOsVer",VersionCheck & " " & x)
End Sub
	Public Property Get OsVer()
		OsVer = oDict.Item("CurrentOsVer")
	End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------
Public Property Get AppName()

	AppName = Left(WScript.ScriptName, Len(WScript.ScriptName) - 4)
End Property 

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Property Get Key( strKey)
'Property to retrieve item value from specific key
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

		Key = Empty
	If IsObject(oDict) Then
		If oDict.Exists(strKey) Then Key = oDict.Item(strKey)
	End If
End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Sub ItemJoin(strKey, strItem)
'Method to concactenate new items under one key at the end of the string
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	Dim concat
	If Not oDict.Exists(strKey) Then
		Call oDict.Add(strkey, stritem)
	Else
		concat = oDict.Item(strKey)
		concat = concat & " " & strItem
			oDict.Remove(strKey)
		Call oDict.Add(strKey,concat)
	End If
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Sub ItemList( strKey,  strItem)
'Method to concactenate new items under one key at the end of the string
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	Dim concat
	If Not oDict.Exists(strKey) Then
		Call oDict.Add(strkey, stritem)
	Else
		concat = oDict.Item(strKey)
		concat = concat & "|:|" & strItem
			oDict.Remove(strKey)
		Call oDict.Add(strKey,concat)
	End If
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Sub ItemJoinRev( strKey,  strItem)
'Method to concactenate new items under one key at the start of the string
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	Dim concat
	If Not oDict.Exists(strKey) Then
		Call oDict.Add(strkey, stritem)
		Exit Sub
	Else
		concat = oDict.Item(strKey)
		concat = strItem & " " & concat
			oDict.Remove(strKey)
		Call oDict.Add(strKey,concat)
	End If
End Sub
	
'---------------------------------------------------------	

Public Function ReturnArray( strKey)
'Method to return an item as an array
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	
	Dim ItemToSplit, ItemArray
	
	ItemToSplit = oDict.item(strKey)
	
	ItemArray = Split(ItemToSplit, strSplit)
	
	ReturnArray = ItemArray	
	
End Function
	
'---------------------------------------------------------	

Public Sub Remove( strKey)
'Method to remove a key value
	oDict.Remove(strKey)
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Public Sub RemoveAll()
'Method to remove all data from the dictionary
	oDict.RemoveAll
End Sub

End Class

 

So let’s look at the exposed functionality added to or exposed from the scripting dictionary by this object. 

Methods:

 

  • Add

Modified to resolve and accept environment variables, and is also the sole method for adding and replacing keys and their item values

  • ItemJoin

Concatenates the item value to the end of the existing key item

  • ItemJoinRev

Concatenates the item value to the beginning of the existing key item

  • ItemList

Creates an array under an existing key or creates if it doesn’t exist

  • ReturnArray

Returns an array if array exists under the key

  • Exists

Checks if key exists, returns boolean value

  • Items

Returns all items in an array

  • Keys

Returns all keys in an array

  • Remove

Remove a key and item value

  • RemoveAll

Dump entire contents of the dictionary object

 

Properties:

 

  • Key

This is modified from the original usage, and returns the item for the given key. Add is used to modify the key only.

  • AppName

Returns script name, minus extension value

  • ComputerName

Returns the netbios name of the machine

  • CurrentDir

Returns the current working directory of the script

  • CurrentUser

Returns the current logged on user ID (or executing id)

  • OsVer

Returns a OS Version and arch

  • SystemRoot

Returns the environment path for the system root

  • Windir

Returns the environment path for the Windows directory

Feel free to hit me up about usage or any other questions you might have regarding why I did things a certain way, or with any changes you might have made to improve this code.

Logging class object vbs…

Ok, so I’ve not posted anything for a few days and I felt the need to throw a brief technical post up with a code snippet from a current project I’m working on. I’m building a health check logon script and as part of that framework I wanted to build a logging object. Since the target format has to be vbscript for what I’m doing, I’ve built it as such, and in a format that views nicely inside of trace32 and trace64.

The idea was to build an object that would perform a simple task, write a log file…. then write a log file, or an event, then write only error events, but could also buffer and dump a final error or success log as a split log to another remote location. All configurable via properties, but with only two exposed methods to control it all (write & writeremote). This object is instantiated by:

Dim Logging
Set Logging = New cls_Logging

Call Logging.Write("my message",1)

Wscript.Quit(0)

Simple enough, no? It’s also worth mentioning I wrote the code so that a constant could be set within the instantiating script of DEBUGMODE and if TRUE it will error, else suppresses all error output.

Here’s the code:

'=================================================================================
'Logging Class ===================================================================
'=================================================================================

'Not required for WSF, but is when in standard VBS
Const ForAppending = 8

'Log and Event writer object
Class cls_Logging
'Class for logging to file and event viewer

Private oWShell,oNet,oFSo,Filehandle,rFilehandle
Private fPath,strRFPath,fMaxSize,fLogname,strRemoteErr,BoolEvent,BoolRemote,oDict

Private Sub Class_Initialize()
    'Object Init subroutine
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
    Set oWShell 	= CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
	Set oNet 		= CreateObject("Wscript.Network")
	Set oFSo 		= CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
	Set oDict		= CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
		LogEvent 	= False
		RemoteLog	= False
		Path 		= Left(WScript.ScriptFullName,(Len(WScript.ScriptFullName)_
						-Len(WScript.ScriptName)))
		File 		= LCase(oNet.ComputerName)
		MaxSize = 2
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------

Private Sub Class_Terminate()
	'Object Termination subroutine
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	If bOpen Then
		Filehandle.close
	End If
		Set oWShell = Nothing
		Set oNet = Nothing
		Set oFSo = Nothing
		Set Filehandle = Nothing
		Set fPath = Nothing
		Set fMaxSize = Nothing
		Set fLogname = Nothing
		Set BoolEvent = Nothing
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------
'File name properties, for changing and retrieving the log file name
Public Property Let File(strFile)
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	If (InStr(StrReverse(strFile),"gol.")) <> 0 Then
		fLogname = strFile
	Else
		fLogname = strFile & ".log"
	End If
End Property
		Public Property Get File()
		    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
				File = fLogname
		End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------
'Path name properties, for changing and retrieving the path to logs
Public Property Let Path(strPath)
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
		If (InStr(StrReverse(strpath),"\")) <> 1 Then
			fPath = strPath & "\"
		Else
			fPath = strPath
		End If
End Property
		Public Property Get Path()
		    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
			Path = fPath
		End Property
		
'---------------------------------------------------------
'Fully concatenated file name property for retrival.
		Public Property Get FullFileName()
			FullFileName = Path & File
		End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------
'Property for setting maximum file size of log file
Public Property Let MaxSize(strVal)
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	fMaxSize = Cint(strVal) * 1048576
End Property
		Public Property Get MaxSize()
    		If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
			MaxSize = fMaxSize
		End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------
'Boolean property to determine if the filehandle is in use
Private Property Get bOpen()
	If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next	
		If IsObject(Filehandle) Then
			bOpen = True
		Else
			bOpen = False
		End If
End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------
Public Property Let LogEvent( blValue)
'Bool property that dictates event viewer rights
	BoolEvent = blValue
End Property
	Private Property Get LogEvent()
		LogEvent = BoolEvent
	End Property
	
Public Property Let RemoteLog( blValue)
'Bool property that dictates if logging occurs to remote location
	BoolRemote = blValue
End Property
	Private Property Get RemoteLog()
		RemoteLog = BoolRemote
	End Property
Public Property Let RemotePath( strPath)
		If (InStr(StrReverse(strpath),"\")) <> 1 Then
			strRFPath = strPath & "\"
		Else
			strRFPath = strPath
		End If
End Property
	Public Property Get RemotePath()
		RemotePath = strRFPath
	End Property

'---------------------------------------------------------
Private Sub RemoteErrBuffer( strKey,  strItem)
'Method to concactenate new items under one key at the end of the string
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
		Dim concat

	If Not oDict.Exists(strKey) Then
		Call oDict.Add(strkey, stritem)
	Else
		concat = oDict.Item(strKey)
		concat = concat & "|:|" & strItem
			oDict.Remove(strKey)
		Call oDict.Add(strKey,concat)
	End If

End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------
Public Function ErrBuffer()
'Method to return contents of the error buffer
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
    
    Dim ItemToSplit, ItemArray, item
	
	ItemToSplit = oDict.item("remotelog")
	
	ItemArray = Split(ItemToSplit, "|:|")
	
	ErrBuffer = ItemArray
	
End Function
'---------------------------------------------------------
Public Sub WriteRemote(strVal)
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
    	
	If Not CreateRemote Then
		Exit Sub
	End If

		rFilehandle.WriteLine strVal

End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------
'Subroutine for creating the remote log file and instantiating the handle
Private Function CreateRemote()
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

	Dim FileProperty,Logsize

	CreateRemote = False

	If Not oFso.FolderExists(RemotePath) Then 
		Call Write(RemotePath & " Does not exist, or is unreachable.",3)
			Exit Function
	End If 

	If Not oFSo.FileExists(RemotePath & File) Then
		oFso.CreateTextFile(RemotePath & File)
	Else
		oFSo.DeleteFile(RemotePath & File)
			oFso.CreateTextFile(RemotePath & File)
	End If    
		If Not IsObject(rFilehandle) Then
	       	Set rFileHandle = oFSo.OpenTextFile(RemotePath & File, _
	       	 ForAppending, True)
	    End If
	If oFSo.FolderExists(RemotePath) Then
		CreateRemote = True
	End If
End Function

'---------------------------------------------------------
'Subroutine for writing log entries
Public Function Write( msg,  mtype)
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	Dim msgline, etype
		Call Create()

		If Not bOpen Then
			Call Create()
		End If
    msgline = "<![LOG["&msg&"]LOG]!><time="&""""&DatePart("h",Time) _
    &":"&DatePart("n",Time)&":"&DatePart("s",Time)&".000+0"""&" date=""" _
    &Replace(Date,"/","-")&""""&" component="""&Left(WScript.ScriptName, _
    Len(WScript.ScriptName)-Len(".vbs"))&""" context="""" type="""&mtype _
    &""" thread="""" file="""&Left(WScript.ScriptName,Len(WScript.ScriptName)_
    -Len(".vbs"))& """>"

	Filehandle.WriteLine msgline


		Select Case Mtype
			Case 1
				etype = 0
			Case 2
				etype = 2
						If LogEvent Then
					oWShell.LogEvent etype, msg
						End If 
					Call RemoteErrBuffer("remotelog", msg  & "," & "2")
			Case Else
				etype = 1
						If LogEvent Then
					oWShell.LogEvent etype, msg
						End If
					Call RemoteErrBuffer("remotelog", msg  & "," & "1")
		End Select
	
End Function

'---------------------------------------------------------
'Subroutine for rolling over log file at file size limit
Private Sub Rollover()
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next
	If bOpen Then
		Filehandle.Close
	End If
	oFso.CopyFile FullFileName, Left(FullFileName,(Len(FullFileName)-1)), True
		oFSo.DeleteFile FullFileName
	Set FileHandle = oFSo.OpenTextFile(FullFileName, ForAppending, True)			
End Sub

'---------------------------------------------------------
'Subroutine for creating the log file and instantiating the handle
Private Sub Create()
    If Debugmode Then On Error Goto 0 Else On Error Resume Next

	Dim FileProperty,Logsize

	If Not oFSo.FileExists(FullFileName) Then
		oFSo.CreateTextFile(FullFileName)
	End If    
		If Not bOpen Then
	       	Set FileHandle = oFSo.OpenTextFile(FullFileName, ForAppending, True)
	    End if
	Set FileProperty = oFSo.GetFile(FullFileName)
				Logsize = FileProperty.size
	If Logsize > MaxSize Then
			Filehandle.WriteLine "\\\\\\\\\\File Size Reached//////////"
		Call Rollover()
	End If
End Sub
End Class

I built a scripting dictionary wrapper as well which was inspired by work from Dan Thomson in his health check script. I’ll most likely post it next after I feel it’s complete.

If you found this object helpful, or otherwise, I would appreciate it if you rated it on script center.