powershell run a batchfile or ps1 file on remote pc

Question

I have some trouble to start a batchfile or ps1 file on a remote system with invoke-command. I know that when starting such a script or batch in powershell on a networkshare that there is some problems with double hop. So i first copy the files to the local system, that is a challenge already because i the copy command is in the batchfile or script that i want to execute on the remote pc or server.

What i have tried is directly read the batch or ps1 from a networkshare but that gives me a access denied, i think double hop. So then next:
$computerName = 'testpc'
Copy-Item -path \share\uninstalsp.bat -Destination \$computername\c$\temp\uninstallsp.bat
Copy-Item -path \share\bas.bat -Destination \$computername\c$\temp\bas.bat
invoke-command -computername $computerName -scriptblock{Start-Process "C:\temp\uninstallsp.bat"}
invoke-command -computername $computerName -scriptblock{Start-Process "C:\temp\bas.bat"}

After this there is no error but nothing happens on the remote system. I have already had this before with other files, no error but nothing happens. In this example i try to uninstall a program, in the batchfile there are some registry keys changed and the uninstall certain software is executed so the last batchfile must wait for the first.

What am i doiing wrong? And how can i run this without copy the files to the local system and complicated double hop?

Answer 1

In addition to Andreas's comments, you are issuing a Start-Process but you are not waiting for it to finish. You would need to add -Wait to the command. But you would still be wondering what happened because you are not capturing stdout or stderr.

Try this.

$sb = {
    "Calling uninstall"
    cmd.exe /c "C:\temp\uninstallsp.bat" 2>&1
    ""
    "Calling bas"
    cmd.exe /c "C:\temp\bas.bat"  2>&1
}
$computerName = 'testpc'
Copy-Item -path \\server\share\uninstalsp.bat -Destination \\$computername\c$\temp\uninstallsp.bat
Copy-Item -path \\server\share\bas.bat -Destination \\$computername\c$\temp\bas.bat
invoke-command -computername $computerName -scriptblock  $sb

Answer 2

Thanks!, it looks like it is working now, the log file that is created is presented on the screen and installation is done on the remote machine..

Answer 3

Hi, this is sophosuninstall.bat. I have added the echo commands and will check it tommorrow with the right command for the install.

I thought it would be much easier to execute a msi or exe of bat with powershell on a remote machine. But there are much caches to go. When you look simple at for instance the command invoke-command -computername somesystemname c:\temp\starten.msi(or.exe of.bat) amd the path c:\temp\starten.msi/exe/bat is from my local system of the other method is enter-pssession somepc and then execute the msi,exe or bat but it's not that wasy though..
Then the file must be on the remote system and cannot be simple on a networkshare because of the double hop etc...

This is the uninstall.bat, downloaded from the internet.

net stop "SAVService"
net stop "Sophos AutoUpdate Service"
net stop "Sophos Anti-Virus"
"C:\Program Files\Sophos\Sophos Endpoint Agent\uninstallcli.exe"
:Sophos AutoUpdate XG Endpoint (6.0.457.0) Server (6.0.457.0)
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{72E136F7-3751-422E-AC7A-1B2E46391909} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{7CD26A0C-9B59-4E84-B5EE-B386B2F7AA16} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{BCF53039-A7FC-4C79-A3E3-437AE28FD918} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{9D1B8594-5DD2-4CDC-A5BD-98E7E9D75520} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{AFBCA1B9-496C-4AE6-98AE-3EA1CFF65C54} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{E82DD0A8-0E5C-4D72-8DDE-41BB0FC06B3E} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos Anti-Virus Endpoint 10.8.3.441
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{85F78DA7-8E8E-49C9-969F-A62D2B43C046} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{8123193C-9000-4EEB-B28A-E74E779759FA} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{36333618-1CE1-4EF2-8FFD-7F17394891CE} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{DFDA2077-95D0-4C5F-ACE7-41DA16639255} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{CA3CE456-B2D9-4812-8C69-17D6980432EF} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{CA524364-D9C5-4804-92DE-2800BDAC1AA4} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{3B998572-90A5-4D61-9022-00B288DD755D} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{4BAF6F55-FFE4-4A3A-8367-CC2EBB0F11C3} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{BA8752FE-75E5-43DD-9913-23509EFEB409} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos Anti-Virus Server 10.8.4.227
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{01423865-551B-4C59-B44A-CC604BC21AF3} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{72E30858-FC95-4C87-A697-670081EBF065} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{66967E5F-43E8-4402-87A4-04685EE5C2CB} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{2519A41E-5D7C-429B-B2DB-1E943927CB3D} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{6654537D-935E-41C0-A18A-C55C2BF77B7E} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos System Protection
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{934BEF80-B9D1-4A86-8B42-D8A6716A8D27} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{1093B57D-A613-47F3-90CF-0FD5C5DCFFE6} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos Network Threat Protection Endpoint (1.8.1555) Server (1.8.1555)
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{604350BF-BE9A-4F79-B0EB-B1C22D889E2D} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos Health Endpoint (2.1.0.33) Server (2.0.6.828)
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{80D18B7B-8DF1-4BCA-901F-BEC86BAE2774} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{A5CCEEF1-B6A7-4EB4-A826-267996A62A9E} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{D5BC54B8-1DA1-44F4-AE6F-86E05CDB0B44} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{E44AF5E6-7D11-4BDF-BEA8-AA7AE5FE6745} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos Diagnostic Utility Endpoint (1.24.0.2) Server (1.24.0.2)
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{4627F5A1-E85A-4394-9DB3-875DF83AF6C2} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Heartbeat
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{DFFA9361-3625-4219-82C2-9EF011E433B1} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos Management Communications System Endpoint (4.10.423.0) Server (4.10.423.0)
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{A1DC5EF8-DD20-45E8-ABBD-F529A24D477B} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{1FFD3F20-5D24-4C9A-B9F6-A207A53CF179} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{D875F30C-B469-4998-9A08-FE145DD5DC1A} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{2C14E1A2-C4EB-466E-8374-81286D723D3A} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Sophos\Management Communications System\Endpoint\Uninstall.exe" /uninstall /quiet
:Sophos Endpoint UI Endpoint (1.7.452.0) Server (1.7.452.0)
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{D29542AE-287C-42E4-AB28-3858E13C1A3E} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos Endpoint Firewall Endpoint (1.1.0.0) Server (1.1.0.0)
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{2831282D-8519-4910-B339-2302840ABEF3} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos Endpoint Self Help Endpoint (2.2.17.0) Server (2.2.17.0)
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{B9C2F07D-1137-4E3D-B22B-05144293EF42} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{4EFCDD15-24A2-4D89-84A4-857D1BF68FA8} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{BB36D9C2-6AE5-4AB2-BC91-ECD247092BD8} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos Lockdown 7.1.2
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{77F92E90-ED4F-4CFF-8F60-3E3E4AEB705C} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos Exploit Prevention Endpoint (3.7.14.40) Server (3.7.14.40)
"C:\Program Files (x86)\HitmanPro.Alert\Uninstall.exe" --quiet
:Sophos File Scanner Endpoint (1.5.15.0) Server (1.5.15.0)
"C:\Program Files\Sophos\Sophos File Scanner\Uninstall.exe"
:Sophos Standalone Engine Endpoint (1.2.24) Server (1.2.24)
"C:\Program Files\Sophos\Sophos Standalone Engine\Uninstall.exe"
:Sophos ML Engine Endpoint (1.2.16) Server (1.1.149)
"C:\Program Files\Sophos\Sophos ML Engine\Uninstall.exe"
:Sophos Endpoint Agent Endpoint (2.4.1) Server (2.2.7)
"C:\Program Files\Sophos\Sophos Endpoint Agent\uninstallgui.exe"
:Sophos Clean Endpoint (3.8.6.1) Server (3.8.6.1)
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Sophos\Clean\uninstall.exe"
:Sophos Endpoint Defense Endpoint (2.1.3.26) Server (2.1.3.44)
"C:\Program Files\Sophos\Endpoint Defense\uninstall.exe"
:HitmanPro.Alert 3 (managed by Sophos) Endpoint (3.7.14.40) Server (3.7.14.40)
"C:\Program Files (x86)\HitmanPro.Alert\hmpalert.exe" /uninstall /quiet
:HMPA 1.0.0.699
"C:\Program Files (x86)\HitmanPro.Alert\uninstall.exe" --quiet
:HMPA 3.7.14.265
"C:\Program Files\HitmanPro\HitmanPro.exe" /uninstall /quiet
:Sophos File Integrity Monitoring Server (1.0.1.11)
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{425063CE-9566-43B8-AC61-F8D182828634} REBOOT=ReallySuppress
:Sophos Managed Detection and Response Endpoint (1.0.1.44)
"C:\Program Files\Sophos\Managed Detection and Response\SophosMDRUninstall.exe"
MsiExec.exe /qn /X{FED1005D-CBC8-45D5-A288-FFC7BB304121}
@set rc=%errorlevel%
@Echo Sophos.exe ended RC=%rc%
@Echo Sophosuninstall.bat is ending. %date% %time%

Answer 4

take a look to psexec from sysinternal tool. You can execute a script on remote computer with one/two lines

Answer 5

The echo commands need to go in the .bat files, not the PS script.

Edit C:\temp\Sophosuninstall.bat What statements are in it? Does it call msiexec, or some Sophos.exe?

 @echo  Sophosuninstall.bat is starting. %date% %time% 
 Sophos.exe /uninstall  /someotherswitch
 @set rc=%errorlevel%
 @echo Sophos.exe ended RC=%rc% 
 @echo Sophosuninstall.bat is ending. %date% %time% 

Your start-process is wrong.

$sb = {
    "Calling uninstall"
    cmd.exe /c "C:\temp\uninstall-sophos-bas.bat" 2>&1
    ""
    "Calling Sophoszap"
    cmd.exe /c "C:\temp\Sophosuninstall.bat" 2>&1
    ""
    "Uninstall old software."
    Get-Package -Name Sophos | Uninstall-Package
    ""
    "Install new software"
    start-process -Wait -filepath msiexec.exe -argumentlist "/i c:\temp\sophos_X64.msi /qn /lv c:\temp\Sophos.log"
    "Msiexe RC={0}" -f  $LASTEXITCODE
    "**************** Sophos Install Log********************"
    get-content c:\temp\Sophos.log
}
$computerName = 'testpc'
Copy-Item -path \\server\path\Sophos_X64.msi -Destination \\$computername\c$\temp\sophos_X64.msi
Copy-Item -path \\server\path\Sophoszap.exe -Destination \\$computername\c$\temp\Sophoszap.exe
Copy-Item -path \\server\path\sophos\Sophosuninstall.bat -Destination \\$computername\c$\temp\Sophosuninstall.bat
Copy-Item -path \\server\path\uninstall-sophos-bas.bat -Destination \\$computername\c$\temp\uninstall-sophos-bas.bat
invoke-command -computername $computerName -scriptblock $sb

You could also use:

start-process -Wait msiexec.exe "/i c:\temp\sophos_X64.msi /qn /lv c:\temp\Sophos.log"