I'm aware this topic has been answered quite a few times already, however, no solutions seem to work for me. When I use the following command:
Import-Module SkypeOnlineConnector
AND any/every combination of the following suggested solutions appended to the end of that command:
-DisableNameChecking
-WarningAction SilentlyContinue
-WarningAction Ignore
3>$null
| Out-Null
I get the following error message every single time:
WARNING: The names of some imported commands from the module 'tmp_ivxfpxoe.td2' include unapproved verbs
that might make them less discoverable. To find the commands with unapproved verbs, run the
Import-Module command again with the Verbose parameter. For a list of approved verbs, type Get-Verb.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Related
I need the ability to have users run a script that requires the ActiveDirectory module. I copied over the following:
"C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\ActiveDirectory", "Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.resources.dll", "Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.dll".
The script runs two Get-ADUser commands, 1 without the -Server parameter and the other with. The issue is that the former is working but the latter is not.
Is there another module that I need to copy over?
I don't like the idea of installing administrative tools for non-admins. Even if you could get away with copying files and not doing the full-blown RSAT installation. Not the least of reasons is you are dramatically increasing the attack surface for malicious actors. The better solution is (Just Enough Administration) JEA, or a philosophically similar approach.
JEA / Contrained endpoints can get complicated, but a summary of what you can do looks something like this:
New-PSSessionConfigurationFile -Path 'C:\PSSessionConfigs\DemoPSEndpointConfig.pssc' -ModulesToImport ActiveDirectory -VisibleCmdlets "Get-ADUser"
Register-PSSessionConfiguration -Path 'C:\PSSessionConfigs\DemoPSEndpointConfig.pssc' -ShowSecurityDescriptorUI -Name DemoPSEndPoint
Run these commands on a system that has the ActiveDirectory module (likely the whole RSAT component) installed, it doesn't need to be a Domain Controller. It will create a new PowerShell remoting endpoint configuration that exposes only the commands you wish. The Register-PSSessionConfiguration command will display a security dialog where you can permission which users you want to allow to connect, you want to grant them read & execute permission. Once that's done, you can get the results with an Invoke-Command command like this:
Invoke-Command -ComputerName <ServerName> -ConfigurationName DemoPSEndPoint -ScriptBlock { Get-ADUser <UserName> }
You can add the -Server parameter in the command without issue. You can expand the cmdlets you are allowing in the New-PSSessionConfiguration command.
Again this is very much a summary of a more complex topic but should be enough to get what you want.
Personally, I don't use configuration files as much as I use startup scripts. I think the latter is more flexible. You can get some information about that here. If you really want to dig into this there are references at the end of the article including a link to the PowerShell JEA documentation. There's also a link to some of the MVP articles I used to develop my own endpoints.
The ActiveDirectory module is dependent on the RSAT (remote server administration tool). This is avalible to install/activate through powershell: https://mikefrobbins.com/2018/10/03/use-powershell-to-install-the-remote-server-administration-tools-rsat-on-windows-10-version-1809/
With this installed you automatically also get the Activedirectory module installed.
For presenting the problem, I have this simple script saved as PowerShell module (test.psm1)
Write-Verbose 'Verbose message'
In real life, it includes command to import additional functions, but that is irrelevant at the moment.
If I run Import-Module .\test.psm1 -Verbose -Force I get only
VERBOSE: Loading module from path 'C:\tmp\test.psm1'.
My Write-Verbose is ignored 😟
I tried adding cmdletbinging but it also did not work.
[cmdletbinding()]
param()
Write-Verbose 'Verbose message'
Any clue how to provide Verbose output while importing the PowerShell module?
P.S. I do not want to display Verbose information always, but only if -Verbose is specified. Here would be my expected output for these two different cases:
PS C:\> Import-Module .\test.psm1 -Verbose -Force # with verbose output
VERBOSE: Loading module from path 'C:\tmp\test.psm1'.
VERBOSE: Verbose message
PS C:\> Import-Module .\test.psm1 -Force # without verbose output
PS C:\>
That is an interesting situation. I have a theory, but if anyone can prove me wrong, I would be more than happy.
The short answer: you probably cannot do what you want by playing with -Verbose only. There may be some workarounds, but the shortest path could be setting $VerbosePreference.
First of all, we need to understand the lifetime of a module when it is imported:
When a module is imported, a new session state is created for the
module, and a System.Management.Automation.PSModuleInfo object is
created in memory. A session-state is created for each module that is
imported (this includes the root module and any nested modules). The
members that are exported from the root module, including any members
that were exported to the root module by any nested modules, are then
imported into the caller's session state. [..] To send output to the host, users should run the Write-Host cmdlet.
The last line is the first hint that pointed me to a solution: when a module is imported, a new session state is created, but only exported elements are attached to the global session state. This means that test.psm1 code is executed in a session different than the one where you run Import-Module, therefore the -Verbose option, related to that single command, is not propagated.
Instead, and this is an assumption of mine, since I did not find it on the documentation, configurations from the global session state are visible to all the child sessions. Why is this important? Because there are two ways to turn on verbosity:
-Verbose option, not working in this case because it is local to the command
$VerbosePreference, that sets the verbosity for the entire session using a preference variable.
I tried the second approached and it worked, despite not being so elegant.
$VerbosePreference = "Continue" # print all the verbose messages, disabled by default
Import-Module .\test.psm1 -Force
$VerbosePreference = "SilentlyContinue" # restore default value
Now some considerations:
Specifying -Verbose on the Import-Module command is redundant
You can still override the verbosity configuration inside your module script, by using
Write-Verbose -Message "Verbose message" -Verbose:$false
As #Vesper pointed out, $false will always suppress the Write-Verbose output. Instead, you may want to parameterized that option with a boolean variable assigned in a previous check, perhaps. Something like:
if (...)
{
$forceVerbose=$true
}
else
{
$forceVerbose=$false
}
Write-Verbose -Message "Verbose message" -Verbose:$forceVerbose
There might be other less invasive workarounds (for instance centered on Write-Host), or even a real solution. As I said, it is just a theory.
Marco Luzzara's answer is spot on (and deserves the bounty in my opinion) in regards to the module being run in its own session state, and that by design you can't access those variables.
An alternative solution to setting $VerbosePreference and restoring it, is to have your module take a parameter specifically for this purpose. You touched on this a little bit by trying to add [CmdletBinding()] to your module; the problem is you have no way to pass in named parameters, only unnamed arguments, via Import-Module -ArgumentList, so you can't specifically pass in a $true for -Verbose.
Instead you can specify your own parameter and use it.
(psm1)
[CmdletBinding()]param([bool]$myverbose)
Write-Verbose "Message" -Verbose:$myverbose
followed with:
Import-Module test.psm1 -Force -ArgumentList $true
In the above example, it would apply only to a specific command, where you were setting -Verbose:$myverbose every time.
But you could apply it to the module's $VerbosePreference:
[CmdletBinding()]param([bool]$myverbose)
$VerbosePreference = if ($myverbose) { 'Continue' } else { 'SilentlyContinue' }
Write-Verbose "Message"
That way it applies throughout.
At this point I should mention the drawback of what I'm showing: you might notice I didn't include -Verbose in the Import-Module call, and that's because, it doesn't change the behavior inside the module. The verbose messages from inside will be shown purely based on the argument you passed in, regardless of the -Verbose setting on Import-Module.
An all-in-one solution then goes back to Marco's answer: manipulating $VerbosePreference on the caller's side. I think it's the only way to get both behaviors aligned, but only if you don't use -Verbose switch on Import-Module to override.
On the other hand, within a scope, like within an advanced function that can take -Verbose, setting the switch changes the local value of $VerbosePreference. That can lead us to wrap Import-Module in our own function:
function Import-ModuleVerbosely {
[CmdletBinding()]
param($Name, [Switch]$Force)
Import-Module $Name -Force:$Force
}
Great! Now we can call Import-ModuleVerbosely test.psm1 -Force -Verbose. But... it didn't work. Import-Module did recognize the verbose setting but it didn't make it down into the module this time.
Although I haven't been able to find a way to see it, I suspect it's because the variable is set to Private (even though Get-Variable seems to say otherwise) and so that value doesn't make it this time. Whatever the reason.. we could go back to making our module accept a value. This time let's make it the same type for ease of use:
(psm1)
[CmdletBinding()]param([System.Management.Automation.ActionPreference]$myverbose)
if ($myverbose) { $VerbosePreference = $myverbose }
Write-Verbose "message"
Then let's change the function:
function Import-ModuleVerbosely {
[CmdletBinding()]
param($Name, [Switch]$Force)
Import-Module $Name -Force:$Force -ArgumentList $VerbosePreference
}
Hey now we're getting somewhere! But.. it's kind of clunky isn't it?
You could go farther with it, making a full on proxy function for Import-Module, then making an alias to it called Import-Module to replace the real one.
Ultimately you're trying to do something not really supported, so it depends how far you want to go.
I am working on Windows Server 2003 and I need to get something like the following by using this command Get-WinEvent -ListLog Application, Security, System
LogMode MaximumSizeInBytes RecordCount LogName
------- ------------------ ----------- -------
Circular 33554432 15188 Application
Circular 201326592 298459 Security
Circular 33554432 10074 System
I need the result of the property MaximumSizeInBytes but Get-WinEvent is not supported on Server 2003
I see that Get-EventLog has a property called MaximumKilobytes but the result I get is different
I would like to know if there is a command can be ran locally to get the same result
First why are you still on WS2K3? --- ;-}
Before you respond, I know, I know, some orgs... right!? ;-}
Yet, unless someone on this site has WS2K3, there is no way for them to validate stuff.
This cmdlet not supported on WS2K3 is not a bug or missing thing. cmdlets are OS version and PowerShell version specific.
All that being said. Just because a command does not exist on your system, does not mean you cannot try use it.
This is why implicit PSRemoting exists.
Remoting the Implicit Way
Using implicit PowerShell remoting to import remote modules
Mostly you see this used for ADDS, Exchange, O365 cmdlets and the like, but you can do it for any module / cmdlet on a remote host to use on your local session. Using implicit remoting the cmdlet really does not run on your system it is proxied. Just be sure to use the -prefix argument so to not end up with duplicate cmdlets being listed.
Example
$RemoteSession = New-PSSession -ComputerName 'RemoteHost' -Credential (Get-Credential -Credential "$env:USERDOMAIN\$env:USERNAME")
Import-PSSession -Session $RemoteSession -Prefix RS
So, no you call the cmdlets using the prefix when you want to use one from that session.
Get-RSWinEvent
Now, as I said, I have no WS2K3 boxes to mess with as I am all WS2K12R2/16/19. Yet, give it a shot.
As no one has provided a satisfying answer yet I will just post the answer I found online here. The following command saved my life:
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NTEventLogFile | Select-Object -Property MaxFileSize, LogfileName, Name, NumberOfRecords
I will not choose my own answer as the final answer just yet so if you can think of a better solution please feel free to add it :)
Thank you for viewing my post and tried to help
In the past week I have been looking at some Powershell best practices. One of these is to re-use Powershell parameter names so commands feel more intuitive.
Does anyone have a function for retrieving parameter names for all functions?
You can use the Get-Command cmdlet to retrieve all commands and select the parameter names:
get-command | % { if ($_.Parameters) {$_.Parameters.Keys }} | select -Unique | sort
jisaak's post will get you a list of commands as requested; the best practices I read recommended re-using the Powershell verbs which you can get by:
Get-Verb
Modules containing modules that don't use the standard verbs generate a nice error:
WARNING: The names of some imported commands from the module '***' include
unapproved verbs that might make them less discoverable.
To find the commands with unapproved verbs, run the Import-Module command again
with the Verbose parameter. For a list of approved verbs, type Get-Verb.
We have an internal application that utilizes PowerShell. In my profile (Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1) I have added references to various snap-ins that we've created:
#
# Profile for Joe Blow
#
Add-PSSnapIn CompanySnapin
Add-PSSnapin PowerShellTestTools
Add-PSSnapin SqlServerCmdletSnaps -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
The problem I'm having is that when I start this internal application, the above lines of code, throw errors.
My question is, is there a way (in my profile script) where I can test WHO or WHAT is trying to open the profile and do things accordingly ?
Example might be:
if (!internalApplication)
{
Add-PSSnapIn CompanySnapin
Add-PSSnapin PowerShellTestTools
Add-PSSnapin SqlServerCmdletSnaps -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
so I get the snapins if I launch the PowerShell command line utility. Otherwise, nothing is "added".
Thanks !
It depends on custom app/ host implementation, really. It also means there are at least few ways to skin the cat.
You can start with checking if $Host.Name differs.
Next - check if certain properties are present/ set (like $Host.UI.RawUI.BackgroundColor).
Once you know the difference - you just need to put any code that causes issues in if {} else {} and you should be good to go.