Quick Deployment Analysis: Monitor from systray

 

In this post, I will show you a new tool I created that allows you to monitor your computers  deployments directly from the systray or toolbars. It'll open some different options and a main GUI as above to list current installations.

Starts WPF with PowerShell from scratch

In this post I will try to show you how to start with WPF with PowerShell.

This is a post for my other blog, PowerShell-WPF.

Create an MDT Task sequence Template

In this post I will show you how to create a easily a template for your MDT Task Sequence in order to reuse it quickly.

Unblock your downloaded files with a right-click and PowerShell

In this post, I will show you a quick way to unblock automatically files in one shot.

Powershell tool: MDT Light Monitor - New version

In this post I will show you the new version of my tool MDT Light monitor that allows you to monitor easily your deployment from any computer of your network.
One year ago I created the first version of the tool. This one used the mdt module and cmdlet get-mdtmonitordata to connect to view deployment status.
In the new version I decided to work with the monitoring host that you can find in your deploymetn share properties. 
In my previous post, I did the same but through a web report.

What you can do with it ?
- See your current deployment (installed, running, failed)
- Be notified when a computer is installed (Mail, Cortana, GUI, windows notif)
- Remote control on a computer
- Export deployment list in CSV format


Prerequisites

As you may understand the first step is to find your Monitoring Host.
To do that proceed as below:
1 / Do a right-click, on your Deployment Share
2 / Select Properties
3 / Go to the Monitoring tab and remember the Monitoring host value.

How to get it ?

• DOWNLOAD

How to use it ?

Run the tool

1 / Run the EXE file
Or
1 / Run the Sources\MDT_Light_Monitor.ps1 as below
2 / The below GUI will be opened

3 / Now use the Monitoring host we have seen above.
4 / Type it in the Monitoring host part

5 / Then click on the search button
6 / Your deployment list will appears in the datagrid, see below

Remember my monitoring host

By default when you open the tool, you have to type each time your Monitoring host.
If you want the tool top remember this one selected the first time, just check Remember host, as below:

Remember monitoring host button

Now when you open the tool again, your deployment list will automatically appear. 

Automatic refresh

By default the tool list just once your deployment list status.
If you want to refresh the deployment status you have four buttons.

- The first one, will refresh the list every time you clicked on it.
- The second, will refresh your deployment status every 10 seconds.
   To stop the timer, just click again on the button, see below.
-The third will help you to configure the mail part, in order to send mail notification when a computer is installed, as below:

- The last button allows you to export your deployment list in CSV format.


Computer options

For each computer, some options are available, see below:

View all properties

To view all properties of a specific computer, just click on the properties button in the datagrid, as below.
See below the Properties GUI.

The more options will open the below Flyout with other options.

View logs
The view logs part allow you to connect on the target computer using c$ connection, if available. 
Type credentials to access and click on the View logs button.

Remote connection
The Connect button from the Remote connection part will run an mstsc window on the target computer.

Deployment status notification
This part allows you to receive to kind of notifications about the deployment status of the selected computer. Those notifications will appear when deployment of the computer is finished.
Check Display a message to receive a message, as below:
Check Send a mail to receive a mail
Then click on the Notify me and click on OK, on the below window:


Remote connect

The second button, allows you to do a remote connection on the computer. 
After clicking on the button, it'll run a  mstsc on the selected computer name.

End GUI notification

The third button allows you to display a WPF GUI on your computer once deployment on the selected computer is completed successfully or failed.
Click on the button in the datagrid.
Then on the confirmation message click on OK.

The script below will be opened. Do not close it, it'll analyze your deployment.

Once deployment is finished with success, the below GU will be displayed

If deployment failed, the below GUI will be displayed

Send mail

You can configure the tool to receive a mail when a computer is installed.
Click on the #00a300button in the datagrid.
Then on the confirmation message click on OK.

The script below will be opened. Do not close it, it'll analyze your deployment.

However you can close the main GUI.

Resize the main WPF window dynamically

In this post I will explain you how to resize dynamically the size of your main WPF GUI.

Powershell-WPF Website

If you usually read my blog, you may know that I like all that is relative to Powershell and WPF and how to create cool GUI with PowerShell. That's why I decided to create a website fully dedicated to that subject. 

MVP 2018 Cloud and Datacenter Management

About one year ago, I have been awarded from Microsoft as a Most Valuable Professional (MVP). Today I received this famous mail from Microsoft that informs me I have been awarded as MVP for 2018-2019.
This day, fisrt of July was the renewal day. Every MVPs finally knew if there were renewed for the next year 2018-19. During this day we were kicking the F5 in our mailbox to know if the mail from Microsoft came. 

It's a real pleasure to be a part of the team again.

A big thanks to Kevin, Steven, Jérôme, Sébastien, Hervé, Laurent, Nicolas for their good advices and all my new colleagues.

A big thanks also to Jérôme BT, Octavio, Harjit, JF, Alex, Mimi and my others ponctual readers (sorry for those one I forget) and also Martine for her patience.

To others MVP, congrats and see you in Redmond.

To those one who want to become (Dan, Jérôme BT, Prateek...) don't give up.

MDT Monitoring - Web report with Powershell and bootstrap

In this post I will show you how to generate cool web reports, with powershell and bootstrap, for your MDT deployments.

MDT Monitoring Web with Bootstrap - Part 1

In this post I will show you how to build  cool reports to monitor your MDT deployment installations from the Web.