invoke-command cannot validate argument...

PowerShell Help
1

Hello,

I’m writing a script that will loop through all Exchange Mailbox servers to determine if a particular set of services related to backups are not running. If the services are not running, the script will attempt to start the services and send an email indicating if the services were started or not.

I am getting the following error: “Invoke-Command: Cannot validate argument on parameter ‘Computername’. The argument is null or empty. Provide and argument that is not null or empty, and then try the command again.”

Here’s the script that I created:

Add-PSSnapin  Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.E2010

$servers = Get-MailboxServer | sort Name
$servicearray = 'sdmgmtsvc','snapdriveservice','snapmanagerservice','swsvc';

foreach ($server in $servers)
{
    $services = Get-Service -ComputerName $servers -Include $servicearray |
                Format-Table Status,Name,DisplayName,MachineName -AutoSize
    
        foreach ($service in $services)
        {
                if ($service.status -ne 'Running')
                {
                    $servername = $service.MachineName
                    $servicename = $service.Name
                    $result = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $servername -ScriptBlock {Start-Service -Include $servicename} -ArgumentList $servicename                                          

                    if ($result -match "Service Started")
                    {   $body = "Started $servicename on $servername"
                        $from = "noreply@domain.com"
                        $to = "username@domain.com"
                        $subject = "SnapDrive and SnapManger Service Alert"
                        $smtpserver = "servername@domain.com"}

                    if ($result -match "Service Failed to Start")
                    {   $body = "Failed to Start $servicename on $servername.  Please start $servicename to ensure backup jobs execute."
                        $from = "noreply@domain.com"
                        $to = "username@domain.com"
                        $subject = "SnapDrive and SnapManger Service Alert"
                        $smtpserver = "servername@domain.com"}

                    if ($body)
                    {   Send-MailMessage -From $from -To $to -Subject $subject -Body $body -SmtpServer $smtpserver -BodyAsHtml}
                   
                }        
                
        }    
        
}

Thanks,

Richard

2

1st thing I see and probably the issue is that your foreach statement says ($server in $servers) but then use $servers for the computername so you send the entire array as opposed to just a single computer name & that will blow up.

foreach ($server in $servers)
{
$services = Get-Service -ComputerName $servers

It’s been a few years since I did PowerShell with Exchange, but from other stuff I have been working on you may want to add a $result option if the service is maybe stuck in the starting state or similar. There is success, failure & something in the middle which if you don’t cover you might miss an issue.

3

James Bernie,

Thanks for the suggestions. Although, changing the ComputerName value did not resolve the problem. I’m still getting the “argument is Null or empty” error message regarding the ComputerName parameter.

Richard

4

Your problem not computername, but $services variable
$services = Get-Service -ComputerName $servers -Include $servicearray |
Format-Table Status,Name,DisplayName,MachineName -AutoSize
Format-Table used only to display information on screen(host) but should never be assigned to variable
but after it you try to use it as object
foreach ($service in $services) and so on

5

Max Kozlov,

Sorry I had to step away from this for a minute. But your suggestion worked. Piping to FT in the services variable was the problem.

Thanks,

Richard