Issue running PowerCLI script

[Mpell]

Hello all,

I am very new at PowerCLI and I am looking for someone who can help me with a PowerCLI script I am trying to run. I found the below script online created by a person named Ben on Geekynetworks.

When I try and run the script it errors out at the New-VM part:

New-VM : A positional parameter cannot be found that accepts argument '-'.

At C:\VCBScripts\clonetest.ps1:18 char:8

Here is the script, can someone tell me what is wrong in it?

Thanks in advance!

}

#To allow script to be run as batch job
add-pssnapin VMware.VimAutomation.Core

#declare array of VM names to clone
$src_vm_names = @("VM_1", "VM_2")

#connect to server
Connect-VIServer "vcenter" -User username -Password password

#Get current date in YYYYMMDD format
$date = get-date -uformat "%Y%m%d"
  
foreach($src_vm_name in $src_vm_names){

  $src_vm = Get-VM $src_vm_name

  #create a new clone of the VM
  New-VM -Name ($src_vm_name+"_clone_"+$date) -VM $src_vm -Datastore "remote_datastore" -VMHost "remote_host" -notes $date

  #Permanently delete all clones older than 7 days
  $clones = get-VM ($src_vm_name+"_clone_*")
  $expirydate = Get-date (Get-date).addDays(-7) -uformat "%Y%m%d"
  foreach($clone in $clones){
  if($clone.notes -lt $expirydate){
  Remove-VM $clone -DeletePermanently -confirm:$false
  }
}

}

[markdjones82]

Are you running this from powercli window or from powershell?  The commands look ok and I even tested some of it in my lab.

Try running it from powercli command prompt

[Mpell]

Markdjones82,

Thanks for taking a look. I am invoking this via commandline using powershell.exe -file path\filename.ps1

Is there a way to do the same to envoke PowerCLI directly from the command line. I would need to run this via a task scheduler.

Thanks in advance.

[MKguy]

It should be fine with the add-pssnapin you have there, besides it doesn't choke on the Get-VM cmdlet you execute earlier, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Make sure you run in a 32bit Powershell. The New-VM cmdlet (as well as a handful of others) will only work within a 32bit Ppowershell. See:

https://www.vmware.com/support/developer/PowerCLI/PowerCLI51R2/powercli51r2-releasenotes.html

The following PowerCLI features are supported only on the 32-bit version of Windows PowerShell.

    New-OSCustomizationSpec and Set-OSCustomizationSpec

    New-VM and Set-VM (only when used for applying customization specifications)

When running against vCenter Server or ESX/ESXi versions earlier than 5.0, the following PowerCLI features are supported only on the 32-bit version of Windows PowerShell.

    Invoke-VMScript

    Copy-VMGuestFile

    New-VMGuestRoute, Get-VMGuestRoute, and Remove-VMGuestRoute

    Get-VMGuestNetworkInterface and Set-VMGuestNetworkInterface

    Set-HardDisk (only when used for resizing guest disk partitions)

If you just run "powershell.exe -file path\filename.ps1" from a cmd on a 64bit OS, it will run the 64bit Powershell by default.

Run "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe file path\filename.ps1" instead to invoke a 32bit Powershell.

[Mpell]

MKguy & Markdjones82,

Running it via 32bit worked like a charm. Thanks to both of you for the help, my life just got easier.

Cheers!