Using PowerShell scripts with MDT

To have a nice solution, create a PowerShell wrapper for your commands, and then run that as an application or run command line action in MDT. In the wrapper I also do some additional logging for good measure.

Example: Here is a PowerShell script I use to create sites and subnets in Active Directory. As you can see below, I'm tapping into MDT variables to read the log path MDT is using, but you can obviously access any MDT property.

<#
Solution: Hydration
 Purpose: Used to create AD Sites and Subnets
 Version: 1.2 - January 10, 2013

This script is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, confers no rights and
 is not supported by the authors or Deployment Artist.

Author - Johan Arwidmark
    Twitter: @jarwidmark
     Blog   : https://deploymentresearch.com
 #>


 # Determine where to do the logging
 $tsenv = New-Object -COMObject Microsoft.SMS.TSEnvironment
 $logPath = $tsenv.Value("LogPath")
 $logFile = "$logPath$($myInvocation.MyCommand).log"

# Start the logging
 Start-Transcript $logFile
 Write-Output "Logging to $logFile"

# Start Main Code Here

# Create Empty AD Sites (sites with no domain controllers, for lab purpose only)
 Write-Output "Creating AD Sites"
 New-ADReplicationSite -Name Stockholm
 New-ADReplicationSite -Name Liverpool

# Create AD Subnets
 Write-Output "Creating AD Subnets"
 New-ADReplicationSubnet -Name "192.168.1.0/24" -Site NewYork
 New-ADReplicationSubnet -Name "192.168.2.0/24" -Site Stockholm
 New-ADReplicationSubnet -Name "192.168.3.0/24" -Site Liverpool

# Stop logging
Stop-Transcript

To run this script via the task sequence, I simply create a run command line action, with the following command line:

Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -File "%SCRIPTROOT%\Configure-CreateADSubnets.ps1" 

Here is another example with parameters:

 Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -File "%SCRIPTROOT%\TestScriptWithParameter.ps1" -Message "Testing Parameters"

You can also create more complex commands. Here is running the script as an application, but also copy it locally first.

Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Copy-Item '%DEPLOYROOT%\Applications\Configure - Create AD subnetsConfigure-CreateADSubnets.ps1' -destination C:\Windows\Temp; C:\Windows\Temp\Configure-CreateADSubnets.ps1; Remove-Item C:\Windows\temp*.ps1 -Force"

The above line runs Powershell.exe with the ExecutionPolicy set to bypass, then and a series of PowerShell commands run that does the following:

1. Copies the Configure-CreateADSubnets.ps1 script locally

2. Runs Configure-CreateADSubnets.ps1

3. Deletes the script

After the wrapper has completed you can review the log file in the MDT standard locations.

Written by Johan Arwidmark