Overview

By Peter Costantini, the Microsoft Scripting Guys

Windows scripting technologies enable system administrators to automate many common tasks involved in managing TCP/IP network clients. This paper discusses scripting techniques and shows scripting examples for:

•  Retrieving TCP/IP client settings.
•  Working with remote hosts.
•  Configuring DHCP and static IP addresses.
•  Managing DNS client settings.
•  Working with NetBIOS and WINS.

Also included are scenarios that combine basic techniques to create sample solutions for more complex networking tasks.

• Part 1: Introduction

  Introduces the scope and organization of the paper, assumptions about technical level of readers, information on how to use the example scripts, and system requirements.

• Part 2: Scripting Basic TCP/IP Networking on Clients

  Compares using the Windows graphical user interface, command-line tools, and scripting to retrieve and display TCP/IP client data.

• Part 3: Scripting Remote Network Management

  Illustrates scripting techniques for working with TCP/IP settings on multiple remote clients with WMI.

• Part 4: Scripting IP Address Allocation on Clients

  Illustrates how to manage DHCP and static IP address settings on clients with scripting.

• Part 5: Scripting DNS on Clients

  Illustrates how to manage DNS settings on clients with scripting.

• Part 6: Scripting WINS on Clients

  Illustrates how to manage NetBIOS and WINS settings on clients with scripting.

• Part 7: Scripting Other Network Protocols

  Illustrates how to manage TCP/IP filtering, other TCP/IP settings, IPX, and network protocols on clients with scripting.

• Part 8: Using Advanced Scripting Techniques to Manage Networks

  Illustrates how to use advanced scripting techniques on clients to manage time settings and change other TCP/IP settings in the registry.

• Part 9: Scenario for Adding New

  ClientsAnalyzes a script that can add, remove and change network clients and their TCP/IP settings.

• Part 10: Resources for Scripting Network Management

  Describes useful books and Internet resources for scripting TCP/IP settings on network clients.

Download the complete article as a Word document

Automating TCP/IP Networking on Clients (803 Kb Zip archive)

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following people for their contributions and support:
My fellow Scripting Guys: Greg Stemp, Dean Tsaltas, Bob Wells, Ethan Wilansky, and Mary Gray
Writing Manager: David Mills
Publishing Team: Chris Blanton, Jody Ivy, Jon Billow, and Kim McGhee
Testing: Richard Min and Larry Petersen
Content Testing: Bob Thingwold and Richard Rice

A special thanks for their valuable comments and suggestions to:
Ross Carter
Joseph Davies
Steve Lee
Scott McNairy
David Meyer
Michael Murgolo
Mike Poulson
David Powell
Ben Shy
Levi Stevens
Don Marshall, Attachmate Corporation
Randy Brown, Attachmate Corporation
Bill Duncan, Attachmate Corporation
Steve Cathersall, Vulcan, Inc.
J.C. Warren, Vulcan, Inc.
Greg Katsel, Vulcan, Inc.