New-Folder and New-TagAssignment

5. RE: New-Folder and New-TagAssignment

Recommend

rgp982

Posted Mar 18, 2025 11:54 AM
Edited by rgp982 Mar 18, 2025 11:55 AM

Thanks for the tip.

I set it up this way because I was hoping many people could use the script without having to update it depending on which vCenter the VM is located.

Would that be the cause to both of the issues I'm seeing? It would make sense because my home lab is just a single vCenter whereas I manage several at work.

Do you have a suggestion to make this work without someone who may not exactly know what they are doing having to update the script per the vCenter?

Original Message

Original Message:
Sent: Mar 18, 2025 10:33 AM
From: ITSavant
Subject: New-Folder and New-TagAssignment

Anytime you are connected to multiple vCenters simultaneously, you should ALWAYS use the -server "vCentername" on all of your cmdlets. In fact, I always use it just to stay in the habit because I manage an uncommonly large environment. NOTE: in most cases this should be a single vCenter targeting the one managing the specific object you are working on, unless you don't know where it is.

Get-Folder -Name "DECOM" -Location (Get-Folder vm) -Server "vCenterName" <-SINGULAR NAME
New-Folder -Name "DECOM" -Location (Get-Folder vm) -Server $vCenterServers <- THIS IS WRONG, SHOULD BE 1 vCENTER

$vmObject = Get-VM -Name $vm.Name -Server "vCenterName" <-SINGULAR NAME

New-TagAssignment, Stop-VM, Set-VM, and Move-VM do not require -Server, because the $vmObject contains a reference to it's own vCenter, although for habit and consistency, not a bad idea to provide it anyhow.

You will save yourself a LOT of potentially unwanted consequences and red errors on screen

Original Message:
Sent: Mar 17, 2025 11:05 AM
From: rgp982
Subject: New-Folder and New-TagAssignment

Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -Confirm:$false

$vCenterServers =@("vCenter1","vCenter2","vCenter3","vCenter4","vCenter5","vCenter6")

Connect-viserver -server $vCenterServers

$csvpath = "F:\Scripts\Decom-vms\vmnames.csv"

$vms = Import-csv $csvpath

$decomDate = (Get-Date).AddDays(30).ToString('yyyy-MM-dd')

$sam = Get-ADUser ($env:USERNAME)

$name1 = $sam.Name

$changeRecord = Read-Host "Enter Change Record"

$note = "Decom Per $changeRecord -" + "$name1 -" + " Delete no earlier than $decomDate"

$tagname = "Excluded"

# Looks for DECOM folder, if it doesn't exist it will create

if (!(Get-Folder -Name "DECOM" -Location (Get-Folder vm))) { New-Folder -Name "DECOM" -Location (Get-Folder vm) -Server $vCenterServers }

foreach ($vm in $vms) {

$vmObject = Get-VM -Name $vm.Name

# Assigns new backup tag so you're not backing up a machine that is off

New-TagAssignment -Tag $tagname -Entity $vmObject

# Turns the VM off

Stop-VM -vm $vmObject -Confirm:$false

# Sets the VM notes with Change Number, your name, and when it can be deleted

Set-VM -vm $vmObject -Notes $note -Confirm:$false

# Moves the VM to the DECOM folder

Move-VM -vm $vmObject -Destination DECOM

}

Disconnect-VIServer -Server $vCenterServers

Original Message:
Sent: Mar 14, 2025 06:11 PM
From: Luc Dekens
Subject: New-Folder and New-TagAssignment

What exactly is in the variable $vCenterServers ?
Same for $tagname.

When you launch a cmdlet against multiple vCenters, the cmdlet will be executed on each of these vCenters.
If that Tag doesn't exist on one of the vCenters, you will get a similar error message.

It could be helpful to include the full error message.
And perhaps try to use the New-TagAssignment in a Try-Catch construct, where you examine what is in $error[0] in the Catch block.

------------------------------

Blog: lucd.info Twitter: @LucD22 Co-author PowerCLI Reference

Original Message:
Sent: Mar 14, 2025 11:34 AM
From: rgp982
Subject: New-Folder and New-TagAssignment

I have a much larger VM decom script that I've tested on my home lab and works just fine in 8.0.

However, running the same exact script at work in an 7.0.3 environment fails throws errors on the following lines.

if (!(Get-Folder -Name "DECOM" -Location (Get-Folder vm))) { New-Folder -Name "DECOM" -Location (Get-Folder vm) -Server $vCenterServers } - This actually doesn't error. It just doesn't create the folder in a 7.0.3 environment. The hope is it looks for the DECOM folder and if it doesn't exist, creates it.

New-TagAssignment -Tag $tagname -Entity $vmobject - This throws the following: The TagCisImpl - 'Excluded' must be managed by the same VC Server that you are using to invoke this operation. This error very much appears to be saying that the tag I'm attempting to assign doesn't actually exist. It does. I'm connecting to about 10 vCenters to run this command and I haven't verified it's in all of them but it's certainly there with the specific vCenter my test VM is located.

I cant post the entire thing if need as I know some of these are variables but the script works perfectly in my home environment as previously stated.

6. RE: New-Folder and New-TagAssignment

Recommend

LucD

Posted Mar 18, 2025 01:00 PM

You could do something like this

Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -Confirm:$false

$vCenterServers = @("vCenter1", "vCenter2", "vCenter3", "vCenter4", "vCenter5", "vCenter6")
Connect-VIServer -Server $vCenterServers

$csvpath = "F:\Scripts\Decom-vms\vmnames.csv"
$vms = Import-Csv $csvpath
$decomDate = (Get-Date).AddDays(30).ToString('yyyy-MM-dd')
$sam = Get-ADUser ($env:USERNAME)
$name1 = $sam.Name
$changeRecord = Read-Host "Enter Change Record"
$note = "Decom Per $changeRecord -" + "$name1 -" + " Delete no earlier than $decomDate"
$tagname = "Excluded"

# Looks for DECOM folder, if it doesn't exist it will create

if (!(Get-Folder -Name "DECOM" -Location (Get-Folder vm))) { 
    New-Folder -Name "DECOM" -Location (Get-Folder vm) -Server $vCenterServers 
}
foreach ($vm in $vms) {
    $vmObjects = Get-VM -Name $vm.Name

    # Loop over all VMs, just in case VMs with the same DisplayName exist on multiple vCenters
    foreach ($vmObject in $vmObjects) {
        
        # Find vCenter to which the VM belongs
        $vc = ([System.Uri]$vmObject.ExtensionData.Client.ServiceUrl).Host 

        # Assigns new backup tag so you're not backing up a machine that is off
        New-TagAssignment -Tag $tagname -Entity $vmObject -Server $vc

        # Turns the VM off
        Stop-VM -VM $vmObject -Confirm:$false -Server $vc

        # Sets the VM notes with Change Number, your name, and when it can be deleted
        Set-VM -VM $vmObject -Notes $note -Confirm:$false -Server $vc

        # Moves the VM to the DECOM folder
        Move-VM -VM $vmObject -Destination DECOM -Server $vc
    }
}

Disconnect-VIServer -Server $vCenterServers

------------------------------

Blog: lucd.info Twitter: @LucD22 Co-author PowerCLI Reference

------------------------------

Original Message

Original Message:
Sent: Mar 18, 2025 11:53 AM
From: rgp982
Subject: New-Folder and New-TagAssignment