PowerCLI Script to Change Tag Assignment
I have an environment where, using tags, unused VMs are automatically shutdown. This is done by creating a Tag Category called “Suspend Date” and when the current value is in the past, your VM gets shutdown. I don’t have many VMs that I own in this “test” environment, but the ones that I DO have there, I want to be available when I need them.
I TRY to login once every week or so and change the tag manually, but then I thought to myself… I should find a way to automate this! So I sat around for a while thinking about automating it… The problem is, I need to connect to the VPN first. Until today, that was a process that involved manual intervention. I had to launch the VPN program (in this case, Shrewsoft VPN Client for Windows), Select the profile, Enter the Username/Password, and click CONNECT.
Upon doing some research, I found I can use the IPSECC.exe command from Shrewsoft to connect to the VPN from the command line! HINT, the following services MUST be running for this to work.
Now that I can automate connecting to the VPN, the rest is SIMPLE! It’s a matter of listing the VMs that are mine, getting / removing the tag assignment, and assigning a new one. 🙂 I even added a section at the end to prompt to ask if I want to disconnect from the VPN or not. If not, it’ll stay connected! 🙂
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# PowerCLI Script to Remove the old Suspend Date
# tag and Assign the latest one.
# Script Created by Ben Liebowitz on 3/12/2021
#
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# Assign variables
# The tag format is 2021.03.12. The command below will use the get-date cmdlet to create the tag in this format.
$tag = ((get-date).AddDays(14)).ToString("yyyy.MM.dd")
# The tag category is Suspend Date
$category = "Suspend Date"
# Check to see if already connected to VPN
$process = Get-Process | Where {$_.Name -match "ipsecc"}
if (-not ($process)) {
Write-host "Connecting to the VPN..."
C:\"Program Files"\ShrewSoft\"VPN Client"\ipsecc.exe -r VPN -u ben.liebowitz -p PASSWORD -a
}
else {
Write-host "already connected"
}
# Sleep for a few seconds while the VPN connects
sleep 10
# Connect to lab vCenter
connect-viserver vcenter.demo -user ben.liebowitz -password "PASSWORD"
# Get each VM with my name in it, get the tag for the Suspend Date category, and Remove It
Get-VM | Where {$_.Name -match "Ben Liebowitz"} | Get-TagAssignment -category $category | Remove-TagAssignment -confirm:$false
# Assign the latest tag to each VM.
Get-VM | Where {$_.Name -match "Ben Liebowitz"} | New-TagAssignment -tag $tag -confirm:$false
# Disconnect from lab vcenter
disconnect-viserver vcenter.demo -confirm:$false
# Ask if you want to disconnect from the VPN
# If yes, disconnect
$vpn = read-host 'Do you want to disconnect from the VPN?'
If ($vpn -match "yes") {
Get-Process |Where {$_.Name -match "ipsecc"} | Stop-Process }
else {
exit }
Thanks, Ben Liebowitz, VCP, vExpert NJ VMUG Leader
