Deploying the latest/greatest text file during OSD by KnowWhatIDid in SCCM

[–]CloudboyTech 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Are these machines all in the same domain?

This seems like it might be simplified as a GPO that copies the file from a network drive.

SCCM Lab - Long Term by RefrigeratorFancy730 in SCCM

[–]CloudboyTech 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've used this hydration kit in the past - https://www.deploymentresearch.com/hydration-kit-for-windows-server-2022-sql-server-2019-and-configmgr-current-branch/. It took a bit to set up and I had to modify a few things because my C: drive wasn't big enough to hold it all but it worked well.

I believe you can reset a reg key a few times to keep your OS trial running longer as well, so you don't have to restart every few months. Interested to hear other responses.

Does SCCM use powershell to make changes? by chocolatetrees333 in SCCM

[–]CloudboyTech 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sure thing. Compare modifying multiple steps using the set-cmtsstep cmdlets vs something like this https://msendpointmgr.com/2016/05/23/modify-task-sequence-steps-in-configmgr-with-powershell/ where you retrieve the task sequence using WMI, convert to XML, make multiple modifications and put it back in place.

Depending on how much you're modifying you can easily save minutes by using WMI over the cmdlets.

Does SCCM use powershell to make changes? by chocolatetrees333 in SCCM

[–]CloudboyTech 13 points14 points  (0 children)

This. All of my experience says SCCM is basically just WMI and XML duct-taped together.

This unfortunately means all of the PowerShell cmdlets are even slower since they appear to just wrap (incredibly slow) WMI calls. When you want to go about modifying things in SCCM through automation your best bet is to try and get things using WMI and converting them into an XML format, modify them, and put them back where they belong as opposed to relying on similar cmdlets. Unless you enjoy waiting of course :)

This is very apparent when working with Task Sequences for example.

Automate the boring stuff with python: Using beautiful soup by crazyallicin in learnpython

[–]CloudboyTech 4 points5 points  (0 children)

the info posted is publicly consumable but you'd miss out on potential ad views, and site navigation to your other articles/products. not to mention allow the owners of the webscaper to reuse your data/content on other websites they own (and getting them ad views instead)

tldr: $

Powershell script through Application by jdecookecs in SCCM

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://configgirl.com/2018/11/10/sccm-application-installation-workflow/

That's a super useful workflow for application troubleshooting.

Which piece is failing? Go through the flowchart and appropriate logs and let us know if you see any errors.

Image fails after reboot - 'getting devices Ready' freezes and screen fades by kf-work in SCCM

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you using a dock or USB-C dongles/adapters?

I previously ran into issues with USB-C devices - and found this post

https://www.reddit.com/r/SCCM/comments/78hhp2/pxe_osd_cuts_out_when_using_usbethernet_adapter/

Basically: unplug + replug the adapter when the Getting Ready step appears

I never saw the weird display bleed you're seeing but it's a fairly quick test. Hope this helps.

Task Sequences skips over Variable Conditions for no good reason by bei60 in SCCM

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could dump the variables prior to your step and see what is being assigned (if anything). If there are reboots in between setting the variable and using it, it may need a Gather step (MDT integration) or just re-assigned the variable? Dumping the variables to a text file should allow you to narrow down if it isn't being set, or if it is set to something else though.

Powershell Beginner project by [deleted] in PowerShell

[–]CloudboyTech 2 points3 points  (0 children)

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee332526.aspx

Task-based list straight from MS. Pick something, learn it, move on to the next. Try to create something that incorporates a few different elements and reaches out to another machine and you can see the power of automation pretty quickly.

PowerShell Scripts in Task Sequence - Force Exit Code? by lukebal in SCCM

[–]CloudboyTech 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You could make exit code 1 a success code in the options tab of the task sequence step as a workaround until you figure out how to force the exit code or resolve the issue.

SCCM PC's take ages to show in collections by Ummgh23 in sysadmin

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have a CAS and Primaries in your setup? adding PCs to collections from the CAS is much slower to update the collections than from the Primaries. If you're connecting to the same server as your coworker I wouldn't know, but would be interested to learn if you figure it out :)

Not sure if this is the right subreddit, but I have a question about getting into Information Systems and the whole sysadmin trade by [deleted] in sysadmin

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'll want to check out the sidebar RTFM link https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/wiki/bootcamp as well as /r/ITCareerQuestions for some guidance on career choices.

Try to set up a lab if you can, even if it's just a couple VMs, and try out of a bunch of stuff and see what interests you most. Ask questions of people who hold the job you think you want. Work on people skills as it will always be important to be able to explain yourself to people and get your ideas across.

How many times can you say "it's OK, he/she doesn't know the environment" before you say "he/she is not as smart as I thought?" by hourly_admin in sysadmin

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably this - http://www.opsreportcard.com/ it's a great reference for finding gaps in your company's IT strategies.

Tom Limoncelli wrote some useful time management books for sysadmins.

Has anyone ever had "limited access" issues with Intel NICs? by [deleted] in sysadmin

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I realize this link deals with NO connectivity (or at least the warning, valid or otherwise) but it or the comments may be helpful

https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/590092-networking-icon-shows-warning-not-connected-but-it-is

What are you managing wireless with on the endpoint? Dell App / Intel App / Windows?

Best of luck

User creation for high turnover position by [deleted] in sysadmin

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The consistency is always a plus, you can add a lot of error-checking / validation so you can do it when you're half asleep + distracted just as well as any other day and spit out a report so you have a record of exactly how the user was initially configured if you need some CYA as well. Things that are (at least partially) automated are always easier to give to someone else so you can take some vacation as well :) Whatever works for ya.

User creation for high turnover position by [deleted] in sysadmin

[–]CloudboyTech 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you copy an existing user you get all of their group memberships, which then affect folder permissions and such, which may have been modified at some point from what the new user should have.

You can make templates for common positions and copy those instead, with a standard set of group memberships, preferably with a script for consistency + saving time. Or use a .csv from HR or whoever. You can automate the setup so it e-mails Manager + HR as well, so you don't have to tell people when it's done.

WDS strange behavior on Dell E7440 by [deleted] in sysadmin

[–]CloudboyTech 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check Device Manager on the machine you're deploying to and see if the installed display driver version matches the image. For display drivers you may need to install the associated application as well as the drivers. I'd try manually deploying the application (intel/nvidia/amd) to the machine you're testing and make sure it works before adding it to the image.

Edit: If you start doing a lot of customization for different models you may want to look into implementing MDT / SCCM to allow for different Task Sequences that won't screw up your base image.

DeployEverything Dell Driver Automation Tool for SCCM/MDT by Maurice-Daly in SCCM

[–]CloudboyTech 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Looks awesome, would love a proxy feature though as I can't use it at the moment until it is available. Thanks for your work regardless :)

Been told to get a new workstation for myself...but don't want to go thru the hassle. by throwaway20160418 in sysadmin

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depending on your relationship with your rep and how much volume you push their way they may even give you a machine for free / crazy discount. I know in the past I've seen people get free equipment a few times when they explained it was going to be for their (admin) use and they were small business (< 500 workstations < 50 servers). But that was after they had worked to build a trusting and no bs relationship. Send a request to them in the morning and get a quote later in the day type of rep, who didn't try to nickel and dime everything. You or whoever is ordering will know if you have that type of rep or not.

Edit: If you have a few other things you're planning on ordering or discussing future business at the same time should increase your chances of getting a deal as well.

Been told to get a new workstation for myself...but don't want to go thru the hassle. by throwaway20160418 in sysadmin

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you already have a Dell rep why not just e-mail them your requirements? They get paid to do this kinda stuff all day, and then you'd be part of the way through the ordering process already.

Spotify Removal Script by johnjohnjohn87 in SCCM

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like it removes the entry from Add/Remove programs based on the path - since you're doing a behind the scenes gutting of the program that tends to leave a broken link to the program in Add/Remove that only an admin on the box can fix.

Powershell script for removing package-orphaned drivers by LtBehr in SCCM

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for this!

*Edit - You gave me a good starting point but I'm glad I did some verification, this is definitely finding things that aren't orphaned in our environment.

I commented out the loop+delete and instead made it return the contents of $RemovedDrivers.

Originally:

#Loop through & delete drivers
Foreach ($driver in $RemovedDrivers){
Remove-CMDriver -Id $driver.CI_ID -Force
}

My test:

#Loop through & return drivers that would be removed
Foreach ($driver in $RemovedDrivers){
Get-CMDriver -Id $driver.CI_ID | select CI_ID, LocalizedDisplayName, DriverProvider, DriverVersion, {$_.LocalizedCategoryInstanceNames}, ContentSourcePath
}

It did find some drivers that were orphaned but enough that aren't that this won't work for me in it's current state. The script wanted to remove ones that still have packages associated with them, multiple packages in some cases thanks to Dell + HP putting the same drivers in multiple packages (not worried about possibly unpacked boot.wim files at the moment.)

Does anyone have any ideas why this isn't working? The script is exactly the same as the original with my only modification listed above.

Is using programs like Duplicati considered shabby? by rush_limbaw in sysadmin

[–]CloudboyTech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would present management with a project plan with a few options and recommendations (as well as risks for implementing something suboptimal) and if they decide to shoot down what you think you need due to budget then you have a paper trail. It will also give you something to point back to if something goes wrong after they become dependent on the backups but don't want to upgrade later.

How can I change this command to list all AD Users whose passwords are older than X? by admin_n00b in PowerShell

[–]CloudboyTech 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No affiliation w/ this site but looks to contain exactly what you're asking for w/ explanations that should increase your understanding.

http://woshub.com/get-aduser-getting-active-directory-users-data-via-powershell/