Microsoft Windows Scripting with WMI: Self-Paced Learning Guide [Paperback]

Ed Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0735622310 | ISBN-13: 978-0735622319

Go beyond simple queries and get the inside track on how to write system administration scripts with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)—straight from a Microsoft scripting expert. With labs and lessons you complete at your own pace, this definitive tutorial helps you build your scripting expertise and provides the professional guidance you need to automate Windows administrative tasks.

Teach yourself how to write and run scripts to:

• Configure WMI—without editing the registry
• Audit and inventory software on local or remote desktops and servers
• Manage system components, including keyboards, motherboards, disk drives, and printers
• Monitor and report on real-time changes in system performance and respond to critical events
• Configure network components
• Test security access rights and make changes to one or multiple systems

And learn how to:

• Test, diagnose, and resolve errors with WMI
• Back-up and restore the registry
• PLUS—Get more than 900 script samples that you can use to help simply the management of your system resources

CD-ROM features:

• More than 900 sample scripts to adapt for your own work
• Time-saving scripting tools—including Script-o-Matic 2.0 and WMIcheck
• Fully searchable eBook

A Note Regarding the CD or DVD

The print version of this book ships with a CD or DVD. For those customers purchasing one of the digital formats in which this book is available, we are pleased to offer the CD/DVD content as a free download via O'Reilly Media's Digital Distribution services. To download this content, please visit O'Reilly's web site, search for the title of this book to find its catalog page, and click on the link below the cover image (Examples, Companion Content, or Practice Files). Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to [e-mail].

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The definitive self-paced tutorial for WMI scripting, featuring 140 script samples, timesaving scripting tools, and 500+ bonus scripts on the CD.

Key Book Benefits:

Delivers hundreds of WMI scripts that administrators can put to work right away. Covers WMI in depth, so you can learn how to manage all aspects of your Windows environment. Features hands-on labs and quizzes to help you assess your progress as you learn. Includes a bonus eBook—Microsoft Windows Scripting Self-Paced Learning Guide—in PDF format.

About the Author

Ed Wilson is a Microsoft Senior Consultant and a scripting specialist in the Premier Support group at Microsoft. Ed’s Windows Scripting classes, based on his book Microsoft Windows Scripting Self-Paced Learning Guide (Microsoft Press), have been taught to hundreds of Microsoft customers and employees. Ed has authored or contributed to eight computer books and holds nearly two dozen industry certifications including MCSE, CISSP, and Microsoft Certified Trainer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (November 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735622310
• ISBN-13: 978-0735622319
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #715,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ed Wilson, MCSE, MSCBA, MCT is the Microsoft Scripting Guy. As such, he writes the popular Hey Scripting Guy blog for Microsoft, speaks at conferences such as TechEd and TechReady. He is very active in the community and has spoken to numerous user groups around the world via Live Meeting and in person. Ed has written numerous books about VBScript, WMI, and Windows PowerShell scripting and his latest release is Windows PowerShell 2.0 Best Practices. In addition he wrote all the scripts for the Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7 Resource kits. Ed lives in York, South Carolina and Ed has been with Microsoft since 2001. Prior to becoming the writer of the Hey Scripting Guy blog Ed taught scripting workshops worldwide to Microsoft Premier customers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Stongly advise against this book, July 6, 2006

By 

J. Carroll (NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Windows Scripting with WMI: Self-Paced Learning Guide (Paperback)

I don't like being so harsh, but I strongly advise you NOT purchase this book. My reason for this is the poor coverage of the material presented.

The first three chapters were fine. The author was building logically, presenting material in a logical fashion. He demonstrated some simple queries, and described them clearly. The examples were pretty basic, and served no signifcant purpose.

Chapter 4 is where the wheels started to come off (and continued through to chapter 6). With no explanation, or background material, terms and undocumented examples began to show up everywhere. By the time the author got to event queries, it was obvious this was a lost cause.

For example, page 70 of the book used an query example that included the additional clause "WITHIN 10". I skipped around through pages, checked the indexed (and non existant glossary), but couldn't find an explanation. Eventually a check of MSDN explained what it was.

The section describing 'associators' on page 83 and 'references of' on page 85 were ambigious. The code examples provided no clarity, nor explanation.

I'm an experienced developer and administrator with 17 years in system's level programming. I had picked up this book to help get my hands around the topic of WMI -- to assist our administrative staff managing DFS-Replication services.

After two days, I've given up on the text, and purchased another more substantive manual "Developing WMI Solutions: A Guide to Windows Management Instrumentation".

BTW: So as not to completely trash this book, it does provide an excellant CD. There are a terrific number of tools, sample source code and script templates. In addition, the CD includes an electronic version of the book, and an electronic copy of "Microsoft Windows Scripting Self-Paced Learning Guide". Also, the later chapters develop some more useful scripts. If you need a cook-book to drop in one of these, you may find it useful.

In my advice, you'd be better off purchasing something else.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally an excellent, well written indpeth wmi book, May 5, 2006

By 

Leo "Leo" (Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Windows Scripting with WMI: Self-Paced Learning Guide (Paperback)

Over the years, I have purchased at least 5 wmi books. These books fall into two categories: the ones that never seem to go beyond the basics of running simple wmi queries, and those that are so far advanced, as to be virtually meaningless to a mere mortal. Now comes this book. This book is well written, with loads of analogies. It breaks the subject of WMI in to small enough chunks of information (each chapter is around 25 pages or so) so you can sit down read the book, and then do re-inforce the material by doing the labs. The fact that the person who wrote the book is a consultant, means the labs have real world application. I have taken many of the scripts from the book, and with only a few small changes, made them perform usefull work for me on my network. High points of the book: excellent coverage of WMI event driven scripts, and associators of type of queries. This has open new horizons for my scripts. Low points of the book: the labs for chapter one are lame ... I do not get this one. Every other chapter has awesome labs, but somehow chapter one kind of missed out. There are labs for chapter one, they just are not all that interesting. Would I buy this book again? You bet. In fact, I purchased 10 copies for the other network administrators at my company! I liked it that well.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for IT PROs, May 1, 2007

By 

Georges M (Ottawa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Windows Scripting with WMI: Self-Paced Learning Guide (Paperback)

What a great book! I resolved a complex problem I had in less than 12 lines of code when I discovered the power of Associators on page 83. I have been using consumer events in other languages for many years, until I read Ed's book, I had no idea they could be used with WMI. This book is a very nice complement to chapters 8, 9 and 10 from his Microsoft Windows Scripting Self-Paced Learning Guide.

Although Ed's book is not a technical reference book (MSDN already provides syntax information), the appendixes provide all the key information required to search MSDN, SDK, CIM studio and other tools presented in the book. Rather than being focused on syntax and formal grammar, Ed's approach is to show IT PROs how to use WMI to resolve real life problems that need to be addressed on a daily basis. The CD contains many scripts that can be put to work with no or little modifications for your environment.

Ed's book goes further. It has a complete chapter on configuring and administering WMI, material which is typically not found in manuals but that are key for understanding and working with WMI.

Being a consultant, I consult the printed book on a regular basis and I have a copy of the electronic version on my laptop.