Knowledge Base

Automating Updates to Local Groups on Member Servers

Article ID: 180546

Article Last Modified on 2/27/2007

APPLIES TO

This article was previously published under Q180546

SUMMARY

Batch files can be used to remotely add user accounts to local groups on all computers running Windows NT or Windows 2000 in a domain environment.

MORE INFORMATION

This article demonstrates how to create a batch file system that will add a user to all local administrators groups located on every computer running Windows NT or Windows 2000 within a domain environment.

The batch file system uses Netdom.exe from the Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit to create a list of computers running Windows NT that are operating as member servers or workstations in a domain. After the list is created, each computer from the list is pinged to determine if the computer is currently online. If the computer is online, Addusers.exe will be called to place a new user in the computer's local administrators group. If a computer was online, its name will be placed in a temporary file. After all computers have been processed, the temporary file will be compared to the list of computers from the domain, to create a new list of computers that have not yet been updated. This batch file system can be run multiple times to target only the computers that still need to be processed. Copy NETDOM.EXE, ADDUSERS.EXE, and REG.EXE from the Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit to the folder where the scripts are.

To create these batch files, perform the following steps:

  1. Create the following batch files from the listing below:

    INSUSER.BAT, SUB1.BAT, SUB2.BAT, SUB3.BAT, SUB4.BAT,
    SUB5.BAT, and ADDUSERS.DAT.

  2. Edit the first line of INSUSER.BAT to reflect the domain name where the target computers are located.
  3. Change the <domain\user> in the second line in Addusers.dat to reflect the name of the user you wish to add to each computer's local administrators group. Make sure there is one blank line at the top of the Addusers.dat file.
  4. Log on into the network with domain administrator credentials for the domain you wish to modify. Make sure the Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit has been installed, and is accessible through the system path. This system uses Netdom.exe and Addusers.exe from the resource kit.
  5. Run the INSUSER.BAT. This batch file may take many hours to complete.
  6. Examine the contents of Complete.txt and Working.txt. The Complete.txt file contains the names of the computers that were updated, the Working.txt file contains the names of the computers that still need processing.
Repeat Steps 5 & 6 as necessary.

If you need to start the entire process over from scratch, delete all .txt files, then start at Step 1.

Filename: INSUSER.BAT 
set CurrentDomain=mydomain
echo off
cls
if (%CurrentDomain%) == (mydomain) echo Edit the first line of
INSUSER.BAT.
if (%CurrentDomain%) == (mydomain) echo then rerun INSUSER.BAT
if (%CurrentDomain%) == (mydomain) goto verybottom
if not exist addusers.dat goto DisplayAddUsers
rem *** Display current variable settings ***
echo Current domain is %CurrentDomain%.
echo.
rem *** Determine if working list is present ***
If exist working.txt echo Working list detected, resuming batch process.
If exist working.txt goto SkipCreateList
echo Creating a list of member servers in %CurrentDomain%.
echo.
netdom /d:%CurrentDomain% member > working.txt
rem *** Remove NETDOM formatting from server names ***
if exist temp.txt del temp.txt
for /F "skip=6 delims=\ tokens=2" %%a in (working.txt) do call sub1.bat
%%a
del working.txt
ren temp.txt working.txt
:SkipCreateList
rem *** Determine if machine is online ***
if exist online.txt del online.txt
for /F "delims=\\ tokens=1" %%a in (working.txt) do call sub2.bat %%a
rem *** Remove servers that have been processed from WORKING.TXT ***
if not exist online.txt goto NoServersOnline
echo.
echo Updating list of servers that need to be processed.
for /F "delims=  tokens=1" %%a in (online.txt) do call sub4.bat %%a
echo List complete.
goto Bottom
:DisplayAddUsers
Echo.
Echo. You must modify the contents of ADDUSERS.DA, then rename the
Echo. file to ADDUSERS.DAT.  Then re-run this batch file.
goto verybottom
:NoServersOnline
Echo.
Echo There are no servers currently online that can be processed.
:Bottom
echo.
echo ------------------------------------
echo --- Finished processing servers. ---
echo ------------------------------------
:verybottom

Filename: SUB1.BAT 
rem *** Remove formatting from Netdom output ***
echo %1 >> temp.txt

Filename: SUB2.BAT 
echo Pinging %1...
ping %1 > PING.TXT
for /F "skip=6 tokens=4" %%a in (PING.TXT) do call sub3.bat %%a %1
del PING.TXT

Filename: SUB3.BAT 
rem *** If server is online it will be logged in online.txt for ***
rem *** processing later.                                       ***
rem ***    %2 is a bogus variable, thrown away.
if not (%1) == (bytes) goto NotOnline
echo %3 >> ONLINE.TXT
echo [%3 is online.]
rem ***********************************************
rem *** Put per-server processing commands here ***
rem ***********************************************
rem *** The following section determines if *******
rem *** Workstation or Server is running    *******
rem ***********************************************

REM Next Line wrapped by text editor for readability, it should all be on one line
for /F "delims=	 tokens=3" %%i IN ('reg query hklm\system\currentcontrolset\control\ProductOptions\ProductType \\%3') DO set product_type=%%i
REM End single line

if "%product_type%"=="" goto Undetermined
if "%product_type%"=="WinNT" goto Workstation
if "%product_type%"=="ServerNT" goto Server
if "%product_type%"=="LanmanNT" goto DomainController

:Undetermined
echo Unable to determine Windows NT Product Type, check the following
echo registry key for product type
echo.
echo hklm\system\currentcontrolset\control\ProductOptions\ProductType
echo.
echo Expected values
echo.
echo ProductType   Product
echo ----------------------------------------------------
echo WinNT         Windows NT Workstation is running
echo ServerNT      Windows NT Server is running
echo LanmanNT      Windows NT Domain controller
echo.
echo %3 >>undetermined.txt
goto Sub3bot

:DomainController
echo %3 >>dc.txt
goto sub3bot

:Server
echo %3 is a Server, skipping...
echo %3 >>server.txt
goto adduser

:Workstation
echo %3 is a Workstation, processing %3
echo %3 >> wks.txt
goto adduser

:adduser
ECHO Adding new user to local administrators group on %3.
ECHO *** \\%3 *** >> local.log
rem Add a user to each member servers local administrators group
ADDUSERS \\%3 /C addusers.dat > nul
rem *****************************************************
rem net send %3 "it worked"
rem *** Put per-server processing commands above here ***
rem *****************************************************
goto Sub3Bot
:NotOnline
:Sub3Bot
Filename: SUB4.BAT 
rem *** loop thru each name in working.txt and remove servers that were
***
rem *** in online.txt.
***
echo Removing %1 from list.
if exist temp.txt del temp.txt
for /F "tokens=1" %%a in (working.txt) do call sub5.bat %%a %%1
del working.txt
if exist temp.txt ren temp.txt working.txt

Filename: SUB5.BAT 
rem *** Filter out servers that have been updated ***
rem %1 is name from working.txt
rem %2 is name from online.txt
if (%1) == (%2) echo %1 >> complete.txt
if not (%1) == (%2) echo %1 >> temp.txt

Filename: ADDUSERS.DAT 
[Local]
Administrators,Members can fully administer the computer,<domain\user>,

Additionally, you can configure these batch files to execute the single command on workstations or servers only, see Specifying Servers or Workstations.

Specifying Servers or Workstations

By replacing the SUB3.BAT with the following batch file, REG.EXE from the reskit is used to check the product type in the registry (server, workstation or domain controller). By changing the goto command in the :server and :workstation sections, you can control if the command is run against server or workstations as follows:

GOTO Sub3bot - This product type will be skipped. GOTO Adduser - Commands in :addusers section will be processed against this product type.

Currently, only workstation is selected. The contents of complete.txt can be ignored when using this modified sub3.bat. Check LOCAL.LOG to determine which machines have been updated. Here's a description of the log files that may be generated.

LOCAL.LOG - Machines that have been updated.

WKS.TXT - Machines that have been identified as workstations.

SERVER.TXT - Machines identified as SERVERS.

UNDETERMINED.TXT - Machines that are identified in server manager as a server or workstation but do not have the product type defined in the registry. Or the registry could not be read remotely.

DC.TXT - Machines that are identified in server manager as a server or workstation but the product type defined in the registry indicates this is a domain controller. These system will not be processed.

WORKING - Contains a list of machines that are listed in server manager but did respond to PING. This list is used when running the batch files a second or third time.

Filename SUB3.BAT 
rem *** If server is online it will be logged in online.txt for ***
rem *** processing later.                                       ***
rem ***    %2 is a bogus variable, thrown away.
if not (%1) == (bytes) goto NotOnline
echo %3 >> ONLINE.TXT
echo [%3 is online.]
rem ***********************************************
rem *** Put per-server processing commands here ***
rem ***********************************************
rem *** The following section determines if *******
rem *** Workstation or Server is running    *******
rem ***********************************************

REM Next Line wrapped by text editor for readability, it should all be on
one line
for /F "tokens=3" %%i IN ('reg query
hklm\system\currentcontrolset\control\ProductOptions\ProductType \\%3') DO
set product_type=%%i
REM End single line

if "%product_type%"=="" goto Undetermined
if "%product_type%"=="WinNT" goto Workstation
if "%product_type%"=="ServerNT" goto Server
if "%product_type%"=="LanmanNT" goto DomainController

:Undetermined
echo Unable to determine Windows NT Product Type, check the following
echo registry key for product type
echo.
echo hklm\system\currentcontrolset\control\ProductOptions\ProductType
echo.
echo Expected values
echo.
echo ProductType   Product
echo ----------------------------------------------------
echo WinNT         Windows NT Workstation is running
echo ServerNT      Windows NT Server is running
echo LanmanNT      Windows NT Domain controller
echo.
echo %3 >>undetermined.txt
goto Sub3bot

:DomainController
echo %3 >>dc.txt
goto sub3bot

Keywords: kbinfo KB180546


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