Workflow Question(s)

Hey guys -

Just a question about workflows. Reading more and more about them I’m trying to figure out a basic requirement. I know that in order to initiate the workflow I need PowerShell v3 - however I’m wondering what the requirements are for the targets.

Basically here is what I’m looking to do. I want to write a workflow that will discover servers in a subnet and collect data on them. The Operating Systems can be anything - Windows 2000 all the way up to 2012 R2 - I basically want to write a workflow that will invoke CIM cmdlets to discover this info and write it to a DB. (Side note - kind of unrelated - has anyone been able to define multiple different credentials? So for example you try with the first cred - it doesnt work - it then moves to the next one to see if that one works.)

What do you guys think? Will a Workflow work?

Thanks

Jake

Hi Jake,

Remoting is possible to any system with PowerShell v2.0 onwards. However, it is not enabled by default on systems prior to Win2K12 if I recall right, so you will need to enable this on the targets. Taking a look at powerhell.orgs community book, Secrets of PowerShell Remoting (accessible via Resources tab on the header of the page) is a good way to get to grounds with requirements and how to enable it for use.

In PowerShell Workflows, native PowerShell code can be embedded within an InlineScript, so in real terms you can always use a workflow provided your other requirements are met. However, Workflows have some specific things to bear in mind before considering if they are appropriate for use. Don’s written some articles which are good to look at before deciding if this is really the direction you want to go in. You can find them at [url]https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff628337.aspx?sdmr=windowspowershell&sdmi=columns[/url].

Might also help if you can give some more specifics about what information you are requiring to get, size of subnet, and so on.

Tim - thanks for the response!

I’m really liking the possibility of using a workflow / remoting for the tasks I’m taking on. I currently do alot of work with the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit but unfortunately that application doesnt capture all the information I need to capture during a consultation. I have really enjoyed Don’s work on the PowerShell 3 CBT Nuggets series and I attribute most of my success to his teaching in that series. In fact I recommend his work to all the colleagues who ask me about PowerShell. I’ am currently on month 6 of his Workflow series and I’m really enjoying the content.

The idea Don speculates about with the SQL server and persistence in the workflow. Has anyone done this that you know of? I’m really intrigued by this and I believe I would find it beneficial as I’m currently working on a Data Model myself. Just an example of somebody who implemented this would be awesome.

Thanks again!

Jake