Update-VMs

Snapshot, patch, health-check, and potentially roll-back Windows VMs

Overview

This script inventories all VMs in VCenter specified and rolls out patches within defined patch windows to all systems over the course of 1 week.

When a machine is in its patching window, the script takes a snapshot of the VM (and removes any old snapshots created by the script), installs Windows patches, and then runs a healthcheck script (if it exists) at C:\scripts\healthcheck.ps1. If the healthcheck is not succesful or if the system is not accessible for a period of time after patching, the script rolls the VM back to the snapshot taken prior to patching and sends an email to alert administrators.

Getting Started

Tag all of your VMs that you want patched with the following attributes:

• "Patching - Schedule" in format of Daily 0000 for patching at midnight, Daily 1200 for patching at noon, etc.
• "BetaGroup" in format of 1,2,3,4 to define the sequence in which VMs are patched (see below for more details)

Run the script with the -Install flag to inventory all VMs that can be patched based on the above attributes.

Detailed Process

• Initial Run (-Install Flag)

  • Get all Systems from source (default: VCenter)
  • Creates beta groups based on patching windows and criticality (if defined in VM properties)
  • Installs scheduled task to run patching jobs starting on the next Patch Tuesday and running every 30 minutes to patch any system in a patching window

• Scheduled Task

  • Executes on Patch Tuesday at midnight for initial run patching against Beta1 Systems whenever they are in their patch windows (as defined in VCenter)
  • Every 30 minutes run through list to check if Beta1 systems are in patching window
  • If in patching window, apply latest patches
  • Wait 1 day
  • Patch all Beta 2 systems in their windows
  • Wait 1 day
  • Patch all Beta 3 systems in their windows
  • Wait 2 days
  • Patch all Beta 4 (all remaining) systems in their windows

Switches

-Install

-Inventory VMs from VCenter and build patch beta groups

-Installs self as a scheduled task to run every 30 minutes and patch systems according to beta schedule and patch windows  

-Audit

-Takes -VMName as argument and queries for available patches

-RegularPatch

-Apply patches based on patching windows and according to beta group schedule (Should be run in scheduled task) 

-OnDemandPatch

-Takes -VMName as argument and immediately applies available patches 

-VMName

-Name of single VM to patch or audit

-VMList

-Filename containing individual VM names line by line

OR

-"-VMList all" will patch or audit all VMs in VCenter

-KBs

-List of specific patches to apply when running OnDemandPatch

-Verbose

-Print detailed logging of script activities