Get SQL Server Windows Cluster Information

Problem

I have already identified that there is a SQL Server installed on a server. Using PowerShell, I wanted to know if the server is using windows clustered WITHOUT connecting the database instance.

This is an option that system administrators since they have admin rights on the Operating System but don't have access to the SQL Server instance.

I need to know the following:

1. I need to know if the server is clustered or not.

2. If the server is clustered, I need to know why type of clustering is configured on the server.

SQL Server have 2 types of Windows Clustering:

Failover Cluster Instance
Availability Group

You can also combine Failover Cluster Instance with Availability Group.

I also wanted to know if this type of configuration is configured on the server.

3. If the server is clustered, I also need to know if the server is active or passive node

Solution

One of the requirements to be able to get windows clustering information is to ensure that you have FailoverClusters PowerShell module installed on the machine that you are using to run the PowerShell commands that are specified below.

Let us step through the requirements:

1. How to check if the server is clustered or not?

Using HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE check if there is a "Cluster" entry in the registry

PowerShell

Get-ItemProperty -Path Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Cluster}

To check a server remotely you need to use Invoke-Command

PowerShell

Invoke-Command -Computer $servername -ScriptBlock {Get-ItemProperty -Path Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Cluster}

If no value is returned, the SQL Server is standalone.

If the command returns a value, then SQL Server is clustered using windows clustering.

2. How to check what type of clustering is configured on the server?
   This is where the FailoverClusters module will come-in handy.
   We need to get/check the following:
   a. Check WMIObject MSCluster_ResourceGroup for root\mscluster namespace
   b. Get-Cluster information of the server
   c. Get-ClusterResource information of the server

Check root\mscluster namespace

PowerShell

Get-WMIObject -Class MSCluster_ResourceGroup -Namespace root\mscluster}

To check a server remotely you need to use Invoke-Command

PowerShell

Invoke-Command -Computer $servername -ScriptBlock {Get-WMIObject -Class MSCluster_ResourceGroup -Namespace root\mscluster}

Get the cluster and cluster resource information of the server

PowerShell

Get-Cluster -Name $servername | Get-ClusterResource

If both root\mscluster namespace and cluster resource does not return a value then the server is configured as a "single node" cluster.

If both root\mscluster namespace and cluster resource returns a value, we need to figure out what type of SQL Server windows clustering is configured.

3. How to check if "Availability Group" is configured?
Using the cluster resource information, check if there is a resource type called "SQL Server Availability Group".

PowerShell

Get-Cluster -Name $servername | Get-ClusterResource | Where-Object ResourceType -eq 'SQL Server Availability Group'

If no results were returned then, the server is configured with "Failover Cluster Instance".

If one result is returned, the server is configured with "Availability Group/Listener".
If more than one result is returned, the server is configured with multiple "Availability Group/Listener".

4. How to check if "FCI with Availability Group" is configured?
First you need to make sure that the server is configured with "Availability Group".
Using the cluster resource information, check if there is a resource type called "SQL Server Availability Group" or resource type called "Network Name" and resource name that starts with "SQL Network Name".

PowerShell

Get-Cluster -Name $servername | Get-ClusterResource | Where-Object { (($_.ResourceType -eq 'Network Name') -and ($_.Name -Like 'SQL Network Name *')) -or ($_.ResourceType -eq 'SQL Server Availability Group')  }

If 2 different resource types are returned, the server is configured with "FCI with Availability Group".

NOTE: Ensure that you filter the uniqueness of the returned resource type value.

5. How to check if the server is the active or passive node?
Using the cluster resource information, get the OwnerNode for resource type called "SQL Server".

PowerShell

Get-Cluster -Name $servername | Get-ClusterResource | Where-Object ResourceType -eq 'SQL Server' | Select-Object OwnerNode

If the returned OwnerNode value is the same as the $servername, then it is the "active" node, otherwise it is the passive node.

Now you can combine all of the commands above to create a function that will return the SQL Server Windows Cluster Information.

You can now download the Get-SQLServer-WindowsClusterInfo function from github.

Check Installed Windows Operating System Patch On Servers Using Powershell

Problem

Do you always patch your Windows Operating System every month?

We do this regularly in our servers. But this task is being done by the server administrator.

In short, for us to know what patches were installed we have to go into each server and verify them.

We should be able to do this using powershell.

The script should ask the user to provide the server name or server list file.

It also should ask the user to enter the patch information they want to search for.

Below are some of the information that I immediately wanted to know after the servers are patched:

When did the Windows OS patching happened?
What patches were installed?
Were the patches successfully installed?
Does the server require a reboot after the patching?
If the latest patch were not installed, when was the last Windows OS patching happened and what patches were last installed?
If the server doesn't have the latest patch, the server name needs to be stands out from the list.

Solution

I will try to explain the sections of the script that I used for each requirements.

I need the user to provide the search string information and the server name and server list.

Recently, Microsoft have started naming their Windows OS Patch with YYYY-MM prefix on the patch name/title/description.

Example title for one of the September patches:

2018-09 Update for Windows Server 2016 (1803) for x64-based Systems (KB4100347).

Now we can just provide the string 2018-09 if we want to know what September patches were installed on the server.

To get this information we need to add a parameter in our script:

PowerShell

Param( 
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)] 
    [string]$KBNumber_or_TitleString, 
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)] 
    [string]$ServerName_or_ServerList 
)

I also added the Mandatory argument to force the user to provide this information.

Now lets see how we can get the other script requirements:

1. When did the Windows OS patching happened?
2. What patches were installed?
3. Were the patches successfully installed?

I was able to find the example to get all these three information from this URL:

http://community.idera.com/powershell/ask_the_experts/f/learn_powershell_from_don_jones-24/18493/last-windows-update-except-definitionupdate-for-microsoft-endpoint-protection

The ResultCode to know if the patches were installed successfully is being returned as numbers.
I have to transpose them to human readable values in the script below.

PowerShell

$Session = New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session 
$Searcher = $Session.CreateUpdateSearcher() 
$HistoryCount = $Searcher.GetTotalHistoryCount() 
if ($HistoryCount -gt 0) 
{ 
    $Searcher.QueryHistory(0,$HistoryCount) | ForEach-Object -Process { 
    $Title = $null 
    $Title = $_.Title 
    $Result = $null 
    Switch ($_.ResultCode) 
    { 
        0 { $Result = 'NotStarted'} 
        1 { $Result = 'InProgress' } 
        2 { $Result = 'Succeeded' } 
        3 { $Result = 'SucceededWithErrors' } 
        4 { $Result = 'Failed' } 
        5 { $Result = 'Aborted' } 
        default { $Result = $_ } 
    } 
}

I also found out that not all the Windows Updates are stored on Microsoft.Update.Session.

Some of the Windows Patch information are installed as Hotfix.

I have to use the powershell Get-Hofix command to get the Hotfix information.

PowerShell

Get-Hotfix | Sort-Object InstalledOn,HotFixID -Descending

4. Does the server require a reboot after the patching?

When a patch needs a reboot, its ResultCode value will be 1 (In Progress) until the machine is rebooted.

This can be confirmed and verified by querying the Windows Registry Settings.

There are 3 different settings that will indicate that reboot is required but not all of them exists in the registry.

This is the reason why I used -ErrorAction Ignore in the script below.

PowerShell

$PendingRebootStatus = $null 
if ($Result -eq 'InProgress') 
{ 
    if (Get-ChildItem "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\RebootPending" -EA Ignore) { $PendingRebootStatus=$true } 
    if (Get-Item "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update\RebootRequired" -EA Ignore) { $PendingRebootStatus=$true } 
    if (Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager" -Name PendingFileRenameOperations -EA Ignore) { $PendingRebootStatus=$true } 
    try {  
        $util = [wmiclass]"\\.\root\ccm\clientsdk:CCM_ClientUtilities" 
        $status = $util.DetermineIfRebootPending() 
        if(($status -ne $null) -and $status.RebootPending) 
        { 
            $PendingRebootStatus = $true 
        } 
        } 
    catch{} 
} 
 
if ($PendingRebootStatus -eq 'True') 
{ 
    $Result = 'Pending restart' 
}

5. If the latest patch were not installed, when was the last Windows OS patching happened and what patches were last installed?

6. If the server doesn't have the latest patch, the server name needs to be stands out from the list.

These 2 requirements will have the same process as requirements 1,2, and 3. But this just needs to return the last Windows OS patching information.

For the servers to be easily identifiable, I placed an * (astirisk) in front of the server name when the report gets generated.

It is now time to merge them all together in one script.

NOTE: If you are interested in making it a GUI based script you can refer to my previous posts.

- Additonal information that can be added are cluster status and Operating Systems version.

UPDATE: Technet Gallery has been closed by Microsoft, you can view the archived version on Technet Gallery Archive

PowerShell

Param( 
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)] 
    [string]$KBNumber_or_TitleString, 
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)] 
    [string]$ServerName_or_ServerList 
) 
 
clear 
 
'Microsoft Windows Server Patch Number or Part of Patch Title String: ' + $KBNumber_or_TitleString  
 
if (($ServerName_or_ServerList.Contains("\") -eq $True) -or ($ServerName_or_ServerList.Contains(".") -eq $True)) 
#-eq $True) -or (($ServerName_or_ServerList.Contains(".") -eq $True) 
{ 
    $serverlist = get-content "$ServerName_or_ServerList" 
} 
else 
{ 
    $serverlist = $ServerName_or_ServerList 
} 
 
$KBs = @() 
 
foreach ($svr in $serverlist) 
{ 
    $svr = $svr.Trim() 
    $AllServerUpdates = $null 
 
    $AllServerUpdates = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $svr -ScriptBlock { 
        $KBNum = $args[0] 
        $Session = New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session 
        $Searcher = $Session.CreateUpdateSearcher() 
        $HistoryCount = $Searcher.GetTotalHistoryCount() 
        if ($HistoryCount -gt 0) 
        { 
            $Searcher.QueryHistory(0,$HistoryCount) | ForEach-Object -Process { 
                $Title = $null 
                $Title = $_.Title 
                $Result = $null 
                Switch ($_.ResultCode) 
                { 
                    0 { $Result = 'NotStarted'} 
                    1 { $Result = 'InProgress' } 
                    2 { $Result = 'Succeeded' } 
                    3 { $Result = 'SucceededWithErrors' } 
                    4 { $Result = 'Failed' } 
                    5 { $Result = 'Aborted' } 
                    default { $Result = $_ } 
                } 
 
                $PendingRebootStatus = $null 
                if ($Result -eq 'InProgress') 
                { 
                    if (Get-ChildItem "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\RebootPending" -EA Ignore) { $PendingRebootStatus=$true } 
                    if (Get-Item "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update\RebootRequired" -EA Ignore) { $PendingRebootStatus=$true } 
                    if (Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager" -Name PendingFileRenameOperations -EA Ignore) { $PendingRebootStatus=$true } 
                    try {  
                            $util = [wmiclass]"\\.\root\ccm\clientsdk:CCM_ClientUtilities" 
                            $status = $util.DetermineIfRebootPending() 
                            if(($status -ne $null) -and $status.RebootPending) 
                            { 
                                $PendingRebootStatus = $true 
                            } 
                        } 
                    catch{} 
                } 
 
                if ($PendingRebootStatus -eq 'True') 
                { 
                    $Result = 'Pending restart' 
                }  
 
                $details = New-Object PSObject  
                $details | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name Date -Value $_.Date 
                $details | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name Title -Value $Title 
                $details | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name Status -Value $Result 
                $details  
            } | Sort-Object -Descending:$true -Property Date  
        } else { 
            Get-Hotfix | Sort-Object InstalledOn,HotFixID -Descending | ForEach-Object -Process { 
                $Title = $null 
                $Title = $_.Description + ' - ' + $_.HotFixID 
                $Result = $null 
                $Result = 'No Status when using Get-Hotfix' 
 
                $details = New-Object PSObject  
                $details | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name Date -Value $_.InstalledOn 
                $details | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name Title -Value $Title 
                $details | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name Status -Value $Result 
                $details  
            } 
        }  
 
        #Select-Object -Property * -ExcludeProperty Name | Format-Table -AutoSize -Wrap 
        $details | Where-Object {$_.PSComputerName -ne $null} | Select-Object -Property Date, Status, Title #| Format-List | Out-String).Trim()  
    #} -ArgumentList $KBNumber_or_TitleString 
    } -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue 
 
    #$AllServerUpdates.Count  
 
    #$AllServerUpdates | Where-Object {$_.Title -like "*$KBNumber_or_TitleString*"} 
 
    $ServerUpdates = $AllServerUpdates | Where-Object {$_.Title -like "*$KBNumber_or_TitleString*"} 
 
    if ($AllServerUpdates -eq $null) 
    { 
        $KB = New-Object -TypeName PSObject  
        $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name ServerName -Value *$svr 
        $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name PatchStatus -Value 'Cannot Access Server' 
        $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name PatchDate -Value '-----' 
        $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name PatchName -Value '-----' 
        $KBs += $KB 
    }  
 
    if ($ServerUpdates -ne $null) 
    { 
        $counter = 0 
        foreach ($ServerUpdate in $ServerUpdates) 
        { 
            $KB = New-Object -TypeName PSObject  
             
            if ($counter -eq 0) 
            { 
                $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name ServerName -Value $svr 
            } else { 
                $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name ServerName -Value '' 
            } 
            $counter++ 
 
            $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name PatchStatus -Value $ServerUpdate.Status 
            $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name PatchDate -Value $ServerUpdate.Date  
            $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name PatchName -Value $ServerUpdate.Title 
            $KBs += $KB 
        } 
    } else { 
         
        $LatestServerUpdateDate = $AllServerUpdates | Select-Object -First 1 Date | Get-Date -Hour 0 -Minute 0 -Second 0 
        #$LatestServerUpdateDate 
 
        $ServerUpdates = $AllServerUpdates | Where-Object {$_.Date -ge $LatestServerUpdateDate} 
        #$ServerUpdates.Count 
        #$ServerUpdates 
 
        $counter = 0 
        foreach ($ServerUpdate in $ServerUpdates) 
        { 
            $KB = New-Object -TypeName PSObject  
            if ($counter -eq 0) 
            { 
                $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name ServerName -Value *$svr 
            } else { 
                $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name ServerName -Value '' 
            } 
            $counter++ 
 
            $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name PatchStatus -Value $ServerUpdate.Status 
            $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name PatchDate -Value $ServerUpdate.Date  
            $KB | Add-Member -MemberType NoteProperty -Name PatchName -Value $ServerUpdate.Title 
            $KBs += $KB 
        } 
    } 
 
} 
 
$KBs | ft -AutoSize -Wrap 
 
read-host “Press ENTER to continue...”

SQLingRAT

Pages

Get SQL Server Windows Cluster Information

Problem

Solution

Check Installed Windows Operating System Patch On Servers Using Powershell

Problem

Solution