Bohack

During the day I always have a command window open on my desktop. It helps get simple tasks done; like reseting a password for a user or opening an ssh session with a remote box. I have a multitude of Windows command or cmd scripts that help me through out the day. Often I may want to change or tweak a script and then the hunt is on… Which directory was it created in? I know that it is in the path; because I can just execute it without typing it’s full path, but where is it?

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I think we have all rebooted a server and then asked ourselves “Did it actually reboot?”. So we hunt through the logs for the event and then move on or reboot it again. During patch day for the servers this can be a real nag, knowing when something is back online so you can finish patching it; is key to getting the job done. So I wrote this little batch script a while ago to help keep track.

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Mass software installation is generally done with imaging of machines. The process is simple: a reference image is created and then software is installed onto it. Along the way we test the software, QC check the software installation against our environment, then regression test the software against accounts that will be used by our users. Finally ‘sysprep the image’ and then push out a gigantic image to the all the PC’s in the field and cross our fingers.

Some software just does not want to be imaged, so we find ourselves reverse engineering the software to make it work; licensing is usually to blame. This can sometime take weeks because it breaks other functionality. Many times we simply don’t have the time to image a PC and go through the entire process or it may be something that’s just not worth the time. Bohack’s rule of thumb is: less than 40 PC’s in the same location just sit down and manually install!

However that doesn’t mean we need to give up on automation. So I wrote what I call the ‘Automated Installation Framework’. It’s a simple VBScript with common subroutines and often just saves time behind the keyboard. It uses a VB command called sendkeys and saves us from clicking next, next, next…

To use it I recommend using a ‘Vanilla’ install of your current environment; so use the image in place you will be installing to. Virtualization undo disks help speed this process up, because you will find that you will be installing over and over again for the perfect rollout. Next start practice installing the program, as you write the keystrokes down required moving the install through its steps. Keep track of the time it takes and estimate the time for the slowest computer you have. Next create a domain account that is a local administrator or domain admin for the machines you need to install to. Create a simple profile for the user and drop the finished VBScript into the profile’s startup section (base of the profile\Start Menu\Programs\Startup). Now all you need to do is login as that user and as the profile loads and the startup section runs, your install will begin. Cross your fingers and watch the install!

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