As part of this project the following modules have been implemented: - wakeonlan - wait_for_connection - win_defrag - win_product_facts - win_shortcut - win_wakeonlan
The following actions have to be taken to enable WinRM Powershell remoting.
Start Powershell (Run as Administrator) and run the following command:
WinRM qc
Answer yes on each question asked.
Start Powershell (Run as Administrator) and run the following command:
Set-ExecutionPolicy
Enter the policy to be used: Bypass
Answer yes when asked to change the policy.
(Or use proper client certificates, which we plan to do)
Start Powershell (Run as Administrator) and run the following command:
ConfigureRemotingForAnsible.ps1 -CertValidityDays 3650 -EnableCredSSP
In order to automatically turn on systems when doing maintenance, we configured the systems to support Wake-on-LAN. Most systems are configured this way automatically, however in some cases they need specific changes to make them work as we like.
Boot the system using the F1 key pressed to enter the BIOS.
Inside the (Lenovo) BIOS go to Startup > Automatic Boot Sequence and move the Network entries down using the minus key (-). Ensure that the first entry is the local boot disk.
Save the configuration using the F10 key and select Yes.
More information is available from: https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/intro_windows.html
The following things we can manage using Ansible today:
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Turn on systems (using Wake-On-Lan)
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Collect information from the system (e.g. Name, MAC address, IP addres, hardware) into a CSV
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Manage energy settings
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Apply system updates
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Installing and removing software (incl. everything from Ninite)
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Enable/disable system services
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Apply/merge registry settings
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Setting up International(ization) and Keyboard Layout
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Customize desktop icons
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Defragment filesystem(s)
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Install printer drivers and configure printers
Still need to be implement:
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Missing automation
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Customize start menu (disable tiles, change start menu settings)
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Customize task bar (pinning apps in task bar in specific order)
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Customize system tray
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Customize desktop icons (position desktop icons)
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Missing facts
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Disk information (size, free-space) using win_disk_facts
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Security
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Limit headphone loudness for children
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Run applications as another user with unknown password (should be possible now)
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Existing Ansible playbooks are available from: https://github.com/crombeen/ansible
Here is a list of problems today:
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Often command line desktop management was an afterthought in Windows, not designed with it in mind.
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A lot of (desktop) manipulations require registry edits because out-of-the-box cmdlets do not exist.
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Hard to predict how registry modifications will survive Windows 10 updates.
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Powershell is a big improvement over cmd.exe, however it feels like Perl 4 (1993) more than anything modern (encountered various inconsistencies and design issues).
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Since we have Windows 10 Home OEM licenses, Microsoft’s solution (Active Directory and Group Policies) is not an option, and we prefer open tooling and manageable actions.
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Microsoft disables WinRM on every Windows 10 upgrade (every 6 months)
More resources related to Powershell and Ansible-integration below:
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Powershell DSC modules - DSC community auto-generated modules