VMware VIEW MANAGER 4.X - EXTENDING VIRTUAL MACHINE DELECTION WITH... User manual

Technical Note
VMware, Inc. 1
Extending Virtual Machine Deletion
with Scripts
View Manager 4.x
WhenyoudeleteavirtualmachinefromtheVMware®View™environment,youmightwanttorunyourown
scriptstoremoveActiveDirectoryordatabaseentriesthatreferencethedeletedmachine.Thistechnicalnote
describeshowtoconfigureViewManagertorunsuchdeletionscriptsautomaticallywhenyoudeleteavirtual
machine.
Toenableadeletionscript,youaddanentryforthescripttotheWindowsRegistry,configuretheaccountof
theuserwhohastheappropriateprivilegestorunthescript,andenabletheVMwareViewScriptHostservice.
YoumustconfigureallViewConnectionServerhoststhatneedtorundeletionscripts.Thereisnomechanism
topropagateregistrychanges,VMwareViewScriptHostserviceconfigurationchanges,anddeletionscripts
betweenViewConnectionServerhosts.
Environment Variables
Deletionscriptscannotruninteractively.AdeletionscriptrunsinanenvironmentcreatedbyViewManager,
andthescriptmustobtainitsinputdatafromthisenvironment.Table 1showstheenvironmentvariablesthat
youcanuse.Youshouldensurethatadeletionscriptvalidatestheexistenceofanyenvironmentvariablethat
ituses.

ThefollowingVisualBasiccodefragmentshowshowtoaccesstheenvironmentvariablefortheMACaddress
ofthefirstnetworkinterfaceofavirtualmachinethatisbeingdeleted.
Dim shell
set shell = WScript.CreateObject( "WScript.Shell" )
macAddr0 = shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%VDM_DeleteVm_VmMac.0%")
Table 1. Environment Variables for Deletion Scripts
Environment Variable Description
VDM_DeleteVm_VmName Nameofthevirtualmachinebeingdeleted.
VDM_DeleteVm_VmDnsName DNSnameofthevirtualmachinebeingdeleted.
VDM_DeleteVm_VmDn Distinguishednameofthevirtualmachinebeingdeleted.
VDM_DeleteVm_VmPath PathintheVMwarevCenter™serverthatmanagesthevirtualmachinebeingdeleted.
VDM_DeleteVm_PoolDn Distinguishednameofthepoolthatcontainsthevirtualmachinebeingdeleted.
VDM_DeleteVm_VcDn DistinguishednameofthevCenterserverthatmanagesthevirtualmachinebeingdeleted.
VDM_DeleteVm_VmMac.<N> MACaddressforthenetworkinterfacenumberofthevirtualmachinebeingdeleted.
VDM_DeleteVm_Error Stringthatdescribesaproblemthatoccurredwhiledeletingthevirtualmachine.

VMware, Inc. 2
Extending Virtual Machine Deletion with Scripts
Thenextexampleshowshowyoucouldextractthenameofthevirtualmachine,andusethisvaluetodelete
thecorrespondingentryfromActiveDirectory.
Dim shell
set shell = WScript.CreateObject( "WScript.Shell" )
set vmName = shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%VDM_DeleteVm_VmName%")
set machineObj = GetObject("LDAP://CN=" & vmName & ",CN=Desktops,DC=MYDOMAIN,DC=COM")
machineObj.DeleteObject(0)
ThisexampleassumesthatthescriptrunswiththeadministrativerightstoupdateentriesinActiveDirectory.
YoumustmodifythescripttocorrespondtotheconfigurationofyourlocalsystemsinActiveDirectory.
Add a Windows Registry Entry for a Deletion Script
Tomakeadeletionscriptavailableforexecution,youmustaddittotheWindowsregistry.Youmustcreatean
entryoneachViewConnectionServerinstancewhereyouwantViewManagertorunthedeletionscriptwhen
youdeleteavirtualmachine.
To add an entry for a deletion script to the registry on a View Connection Server instance
1StarttheWindowsRegistryEditorbyenteringregeditatthecommandprompt.
2Intheregistry,navigatetoHKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware VDM\ScriptEvents.
3Inthenavigationarea,right‐clickScriptEvents,selectNew>Key,andcreateakeynamedDeleteVm.
4Inthenavigationarea,right‐clickDeleteVm,selectNew>StringVa l ue,andcreateastringvaluethat
identifiesthedeletionscripttoberun.
Torunmorethanonedeletionscript,createastringvalueentryforeachscriptundertheDeleteVmkey.
Youcannotspecifytheorderinwhichthesescriptsrun.Ifthescriptsmustruninaspecifiedorder,invoke
themfromasinglecontrolscript.
5Inthetopicarea,right‐clickontheentryforthenewstringvalue,andselectModify.
6InValue data,enterthecommandlinethatinvokesthedeletionscript,andclickOK.
Specifythefullpathofthedeletionscriptandanyfilesthatitrequires.
7IfyouwanttheVMwareViewScriptHostservicetotimeoutthedeletionscript,rightclickontheDefault
key,selectModify,enterthetimeoutvalueinmilliseconds,andclickOK.
8ExittheRegistryEditor,andrestartthesystem.
Configure the VMware View Script Host Service
YoumustconfiguretheVMwareViewScriptHostserviceoneachViewConnectionServerinstancewhereyou
wantViewManagertorunthedeletionscript.Bydefault,theVMwareViewScriptHostserviceisdisabled.
To configure the VMware View Script Host service
1StarttheWindowsServicestoolbyenteringservices.mscatthecommandprompt.
2Inthedetailspane,right‐clickontheVMwareViewScriptHostserviceentry,andselectProperties.
3OntheGeneraltab,inStartuptype,selectAutomatic.
4Ifyoudonotwantthelocalsystemaccounttorunthedeletionscript,selectThisaccount,andenterthe
detailsoftheaccounttorunthedeletionscript.
5ClickOK,andexittheServicestool.
CAUTIONRunningadeletionscriptunderthelocalsystemaccountcouldcompromisethesecurityoftheView
ConnectionServerhost.Ifyouconfigureanaccountotherthanthelocalsystemaccounttorunadeletionscript,
verifythattheaccounthasreadpermissionontheregistrykeyforthescript.Youshouldalsolimitthe
administrativerightsofadeletionscripttothoserightsthatallowittoperformitsfunction.

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Extending Virtual Machine Deletion with Scripts
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