Dmitry Sotnikov provides the steps to get PowerShell — and of more general interest, .NET 2.0 — running on Windows Server 2008 Server core.
While this is a stopgap until Microsoft officially supports this configuration, it could still be useful.
Now the question for me is, will this work for running Digipede components?
Tags: .NET, Digipede, PowerShell, Server 2008, Server Core
Last week, Bart de Smet wrote about calling the Task Scheduler in Windows Vista (and Windows Server 2008) from managed code. In his usual style, he does a great job diving into the topic.
It reminded me of something I did last year for Windows Server 2008 Certification: write code to start an unprivileged task in Windows 6 specifically written for installers.
If you are familiar with UAC, you know that applications identify their least required privilege level in their manifest. Applications that don’t require elevation identify themselves with the level="asInvoker" tag (the value may be confusing, but makes sense).
This creates a bit of complexity for installations that launch applications when they finish. If your installation required elevation, but the launched application does not, what should you do? Windows UAC guidelines say that you should launch them unprivileged. This makes sense: you don’t want an application to run elevated as a side-effect of the installation.
And you do this by starting the task in the Windows 6 task scheduler.
The UAC guidelines contain some C++ code for this, and Bart has a managed version, but for reasons of maintainability and consistency, we wanted VB Script. I was able to find some pieces of this online, but the following code is basically a port of the UAC Guidelines version with a check for Windows version too.
' Arguments
set args = WScript.Arguments
if args.Count >= 1 then
strCommand = args(0)
end if
if args.Count >= 2 then
strArguments = args(1)
end if
' Determine the version of Windows
set objWMI = GetObject("winmgmts:\\.\root\cimv2")
set colOS = objWMI.InstancesOf("Win32_OperatingSystem")
for each objOS in colOS
version = split(CStr(objOS.Version), ".", 2)
next
if CInt(version(0)) < 7 then
' pre Vista / Server 2008. Just run the task directly
set objShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
set objProc = objShell.Exec(strCommand & " " & strArguments)
else
' Vista / Server 2008 or later. Schedule it for immediate execution
scheduleTask strCommand, strArguments
end if
' Schedule a task for immediate execution; requires Windows 6 or later
private sub ScheduleTask(strCommand, strArguments)
' Some constants we need
TASK_TRIGGER_REGISTRATION = 7
TASK_ACTION_EXEC = 0
TASK_CREATE = 2
TASK_LOGON_GROUP = 4
on error goto 0
' Get the TaskService class
set pService = CreateObject("Schedule.Service")
' Connect to the task service.
pService.Connect
' Get pointer to root task folder.
set pRootFolder = pService.GetFolder("\")
Randomize(20000)
taskName = "MyBackgroundTask " & CStr(Rnd(1000))
' See if task exists, delete it if it does.
on error resume next
pRootFolder.DeleteTask taskName, 0
on error goto 0
' Create task
set pTask = pService.NewTask(0)
set pSettings = pTask.Settings
pSettings.StopIfGoingOnBatteries = false
pSettings.DisallowStartIfOnBatteries = false
' Create trigger
set triggerCollection = pTask.Triggers
set trigger = triggerCollection.Create(TASK_TRIGGER_REGISTRATION)
' Create a new action
set actionCollection = pTask.Actions
set action = actionCollection.Create(TASK_ACTION_EXEC)
action.Path = strCommand
action.Arguments = strArguments
' Register the task using users group
set registeredTask = pRootFolder.RegisterTaskDefinition(taskName, pTask, TASK_CREATE, "S-1-5-32-545", null, TASK_LOGON_GROUP, "")
' give 10 seconds for the task to start
for i = 0 to 100
state = registeredTask.State
if state = TASK_STATE_RUNNING then
break
end if
WScript.Sleep 100
next
' delete the task
pRootFolder.DeleteTask taskName, 0
end sub
You can see it takes arguments for the application and an argument to pass to the application. Also note that the VBS must be run elevated in Windows 6, otherwise tasks cannot be scheduled.
Ah, VB Script. You gotta love it. Or not, but I wish someone else had posted this!
Note to Microsoft: you would have saved a lot of people time if you had included a VBS version in your guidelines document.
[tags]VBS, UAC, Server 2008, Vista, Windows 6, Task Scheduler[/tags]
Tags: Server 2008, Task Scheduler, UAC, VBS, Vista, Windows 6
Heroes who happen by our booth at the Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008, and SQL Server 2008 launch will get a chance to win an XBOX-360. OK, you don’t have to be hero, but you do have to be spotted wearing a Digipede sticker sporting our mascot, Deatle.
Come on by and see us.
BTW: I won’t be at this event, but I’ll be at the one in SF on March 13th. No Digipede booth or give-away there.
Tags: Deatle, Digipede, Launch, Microsoft, Server 2008, XBOX
Mary Jo Foley writes there’s no Windows Server 2008 SP1 in the works.
Why? Because the first RTM of Server 2008 is called Windows Server 2008 SP1. This is due to Server 2008 and Vista sharing the same core code and components.
Hmm.
This makes only marginal sense, and then only if Microsoft commits to keeping the service packs synchronized across the Windows 6 product family. I think this will be less confusing to customers. We’ll see if this synchronization happens.
Regardless of Microsoft’s plans, the SP1 designation on Server 2008 is misleading. Most of the server components of Windows 6 will remain without a service pack until SP2.
Customers who like to wait for initial service packs still will — unless they are duped into thinking they’ve already got it.
Tags: Microsoft, Server 2008, SP1, Vista, Windows
We just received our certification for Windows Server 2008. Or we are about to — it probably isn’t “official” yet. Anyway, congratulations to the Digipede team and thanks to everyone at Microsoft and Veritest who helped us through the process.
Getting the logo was arduous. This has less to do with the technical logo requirements and more to do with the complexities of the process itself. Some of the complexity is inherent in such a process, but much was due to the program itself being a sort of “work in process”. But hey, that’s why we early certifiers got the testing fees waived. I think those who begin the process now will find the test requirements and tools are better written and more robust.
As I said, passing the technical requirements was not arduous for us (we were already very close), but passing the tests did require some minor improvements to the Digipede Network that were motivated by the test:
Some of these changes have already made their way into the shipping product, though others won’t be available until the Digipede Network 2.1 (which, while a minor upgrade, contains many features beyond the improvements mentioned above — I think the feature set will be announced soon).
So now we’re ready for the big launch of Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008, and SQL Server 2008 in Los Angeles on February 27th. If you are going to be there, come see us at the Partner Pavilion. I’m pushing for some kind of Digipede swag — but I’m not in marketing ;).
[tags]Server 2008, VS2008, SQL, Certified, Digipede[/tags]
Tags: Certified, Digipede, Server 2008, sql, VS2008
FriendFeed Status
About me
Main feed
Email subscriptions