Skip to main content

Navy Chief Aiding the Marines with PowerShell

By
I love this job.  I’m not only talking about what I do in the civilian world as an IT Trainer, but also as a Navy Chief Petty Officer.  I received a Facebook message from a Marine at Camp Pendleton a few nights ago in need of some assistance with PowerShell. Below is his line of code and his error
Get-User -organizationalunit test.local.net/users -RecipentTypeDetails

Get-ADUser : A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'organizationalunit'.
At line:1 char:12
+ Get-ADUser -organizationalunit PowerIT.com/users
+            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (:) [Get-ADUser], ParameterBindingException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NamedParameterNotFound,Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.GetADUser

Being both a PowerShell enthusiast and a Navy Chief, I helped him see what was wrong with his code, but I also had to correct his bad habits.

The error on Get-ADUser is because there is not an –OrganizationalUnit parameter. (there is also not a –RecipentTypeDetails parameter.)  I directed him to look up the help file for Get-ADUser and I gave him the address (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee617241.aspx).  I even told him the correct parameter name, –SearchBase. 

The root cause of the error is this Marine is have is “assuming” parameter names and not actually looking them up.  I find this in every PowerShell class that I teach.  Despite the first lesson of each class explains how to prevent you from making this mistake, someone always does.  Never assume a parameter is present.  Check the help file for the Cmdlet being used and verify.


The correction came when he did the same thing again for his next cmdlet. PowerShell is an incredible technology, but if you are not willing to read the help files, do not work in this Chief’s work center.  Reading the help files is not an option, but a requirement to effectively utilize PowerShell.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sticky Key problem between Windows Server 2012 and LogMeIn

By
This week I instructed my first class using Windows Server 2012 accessed via LogMeIn and discovered a Sticky Key problem every time you press the Shift key. Here is my solution to resolve this.  First off, in the Preferences of LogMeIn for the connection to the Windows Server, click General . Change the Keyboard and mouse priority to Host side user and click Apply at the bottom. On the Windows 2012 server, open the Control Panel – Ease of Access – Change how your keyboard works . Uncheck Turn on Sticky Keys . Click Set up Sticky Keys . Uncheck Turn on Sticky Keys when SHIFT is pressed five times . Click OK twice. If you are using Windows Server 2012 as a Hyper-V host, you will need to redo the Easy of Use settings on each guest operating system in order to avoid the Sticky Key Problem. Updated Information: March 20, 2013 If you continue to have problems, Uncheck Turn on Filter Keys .
6 comments
Read more

Where did a User’s Account Get Locked Out?

By
Updated: May 15, 2015 When this article was originally published, two extra carriage returns were add causing the code to malfunction.  The code below is correct.   My client for this week’s PowerShell class had a really interesting question. They needed to know where an account is being locked out at. OK, interesting. Apparently users hop around clients and forget to log off, leading to eventual lock out of their accounts. The accounts can be unlocked, but are then relocked after Active Directory replication. This problem is solved in two parts. The first one is to modify the event auditing on the network. The second part is resolved with PowerShell. The first part involves creating a group policy that will encompass your Domain Controllers. In this GPO, make these changes. Expand Computer Configuration \ Policies \ Windows Settings \ Security Settings \ Advanced Audit Policy Configuration \ Audit Policies \ Account Management Double click User Account Management C...
18 comments
Read more

How to run GPResult on a remote client with PowerShell

By
In the past, to run the GPResult command, you would need to either physically visit this client, have the user do it, or use and RDP connection.  In all cases, this will disrupt the user.  First, you need PowerShell remoting enabled on the target machine.  You can do this via Group Policy . Open PowerShell and type this command. Invoke-Command –ScriptBlock {GPResult /r} –ComputerName <ComputerName> Replace <ComputerName> with the name of the target.  Remember, the target needs to be online and accessible to you.
Post a Comment
Read more