Hi everybody,

Sorry if my question has already been asked, but I haven't found
anything which is clear for me on this point.

I spent a lot of time learning VBscript on Windows server 2003 (my
sources are script56.chm and script_center.chm files), especially
VBscript for using Active Directory (creating user accounts etc). Now, I
have several scripts and I'm rather satisfied.

I would like to know if my scripts will always work on Windows server
2008 or if, after migration to Windows 2008, I would have to rewrite my
scripts?

Thanks in advance.




--
François Lafont

"Francois Lafont" <francois@newsgroup> wrote in message
news:4bd48816$0$24603$426a34cc@newsgroup

> Hi everybody,
>
> Sorry if my question has already been asked, but I haven't found anything
> which is clear for me on this point.
>
> I spent a lot of time learning VBscript on Windows server 2003 (my sources
> are script56.chm and script_center.chm files), especially VBscript for
> using Active Directory (creating user accounts etc). Now, I have several
> scripts and I'm rather satisfied.
>
> I would like to know if my scripts will always work on Windows server 2008
> or if, after migration to Windows 2008, I would have to rewrite my
> scripts?

That rather depends on what the scripts do. If they run they should do
whatever they do now. There could be some issues similar to those found
running on vista or windows 7, where the User Account Control has been known
to cause issues.

In addition, your script may include some inadvertent version dependencies.

/Al

Al Dunbar wrote :

> That rather depends on what the scripts do. If they run they should do
> whatever they do now. There could be some issues similar to those found
> running on vista or windows 7, where the User Account Control has been
> known to cause issues.
>
> In addition, your script may include some inadvertent version dependencies.

Thanks for your answer Al.

For example, would this script work well on Windows Server 2008 (it
works well on Windows Server 2003)?
http://sisco.laf.free.fr/codes/exemple.html

Generally, would the scripts work well on Windows Server 2008, knowing
that they modidy Active Directory (create/move/delete user accounts,
change attributes of user accounts) and they already work well on
Windows Server 2003?


--
François Lafont

"Francois Lafont" <francois@newsgroup> wrote in message
news:4bd581f1$0$22046$426a74cc@newsgroup

> Al Dunbar wrote :
>

>> That rather depends on what the scripts do. If they run they should do
>> whatever they do now. There could be some issues similar to those found
>> running on vista or windows 7, where the User Account Control has been
>> known to cause issues.
>>
>> In addition, your script may include some inadvertent version
>> dependencies.

>
> Thanks for your answer Al.
>
> For example, would this script work well on Windows Server 2008 (it works
> well on Windows Server 2003)?
> http://sisco.laf.free.fr/codes/exemple.html
>
> Generally, would the scripts work well on Windows Server 2008, knowing
> that they modidy Active Directory (create/move/delete user accounts,
> change attributes of user accounts) and they already work well on Windows
> Server 2003?
>
>
> --
> François Lafont

I would expect any script that works with AD and ran fine on Windows Server
2003 to also run fine on Windows Server 2008. After a quick glance, the
script you linked seems fine.

I believe VBScript is unchanged on W2k8, and AD is the same except for added
features. Even permissions issues should be the same in W2k3 and W2k8. A
script that accesses the file system or the registry would be another
matter, and even here a 64-bit OS compared to a 32-bit OS would be a bigger
issue.

--
Richard Mueller
MVP Directory Services
Hilltop Lab - http://www.rlmueller.net
--

"Francois Lafont" <francois@newsgroup> wrote in message
news:4bd581f1$0$22046$426a74cc@newsgroup

> Al Dunbar wrote :
>

>> That rather depends on what the scripts do. If they run they should do
>> whatever they do now. There could be some issues similar to those found
>> running on vista or windows 7, where the User Account Control has been
>> known to cause issues.
>>
>> In addition, your script may include some inadvertent version
>> dependencies.

>
> Thanks for your answer Al.
>
> For example, would this script work well on Windows Server 2008 (it works
> well on Windows Server 2003)?
> http://sisco.laf.free.fr/codes/exemple.html
>
> Generally, would the scripts work well on Windows Server 2008, knowing
> that they modidy Active Directory (create/move/delete user accounts,
> change attributes of user accounts) and they already work well on Windows
> Server 2003?

Not having any w2k8 experience I cannot answer definitively for you,
however, I do not think that w2k8 introduces any changed behaviour to the
standard AD objects. The script sample seems relatively clear of o/s version
bias, which is what I was trying to warn you about.

Having migrated vbscripts through other o/s version changes, all I can say
is that:

- it is possible to write scripts in one environment in such a way that they
fail in another. Some examples: a w98 script might be written assuming
read/write access to some system folder that is readonly in wxp, or might
have a name hardcoded ("Documents and Settings") for a system folder whose
name is different in another o/s ("Users" in vista).

- it is possible to write scripts in one environment in such a way that the
changes required to migrate to another environment have been somewhat
anticipated and therefore reduced, possibly to zero required changes.

So the answer to your question depends on which category your particular
scripts fall into.


/Al

Richard Mueller [MVP] wrote :

> I would expect any script that works with AD and ran fine on Windows Server
> 2003 to also run fine on Windows Server 2008.

Me too, but I heard here and there that there were a few problems with
vbscript on Windows server 2008.

> After a quick glance, the
> script you linked seems fine.

Good news! :-)

> I believe VBScript is unchanged on W2k8, and AD is the same except for added
> features. Even permissions issues should be the same in W2k3 and W2k8.

Cool!

> A
> script that accesses the file system or the registry would be another
> matter,

With the file system? Does it mean that a vbscript with a "fileSystem"
object couldn't work well? Couldn't something like below work well on
Windows server 2008?

'<<< blabla...
objFSO.CopyFile "c:\sourcefolder\anyfile.html", "c:\destfolder\"
'<<< blabla...


--
François Lafont

Al Dunbar a wrote :

> - it is possible to write scripts in one environment in such a way that
> they fail in another. Some examples: a w98 script might be written
> assuming read/write access to some system folder that is readonly in
> wxp, or might have a name hardcoded ("Documents and Settings") for a
> system folder whose name is different in another o/s ("Users" in vista).

Ok, if the problems limit themselves to this kind of things, indeed it's
not very important.

> - it is possible to write scripts in one environment in such a way that
> the changes required to migrate to another environment have been
> somewhat anticipated and therefore reduced, possibly to zero required
> changes.

Ok.

> So the answer to your question depends on which category your particular
> scripts fall into.

It's about Active Directory above all.

When I read your message (Al and Richard), I feel as if my worries were
a little excessive. But I show you the kind of internet pages which make
me doubtful:
(Create a User Account and Add it to a Group and an OU)
http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com...d-6a82ab2b465d

You can see the "Platform" paragraph:

"Platforms
Windows Server 2008 R2 No
Windows Server 2008 No
Windows Server 2003 Yes"

And yet, the script in this page doesn't seem so different from my
script given as an example in a previous message, does it?


--
François Lafont

"Francois Lafont" <francois@newsgroup> wrote in message
news:4bd5e136$0$30087$426a74cc@newsgroup

> Al Dunbar a wrote :
>

>> - it is possible to write scripts in one environment in such a way that
>> they fail in another. Some examples: a w98 script might be written
>> assuming read/write access to some system folder that is readonly in wxp,
>> or might have a name hardcoded ("Documents and Settings") for a system
>> folder whose name is different in another o/s ("Users" in vista).

>
> Ok, if the problems limit themselves to this kind of things, indeed it's
> not very important.
>

>> - it is possible to write scripts in one environment in such a way that
>> the changes required to migrate to another environment have been somewhat
>> anticipated and therefore reduced, possibly to zero required changes.

>
> Ok.
>

>> So the answer to your question depends on which category your particular
>> scripts fall into.

>
> It's about Active Directory above all.
>
> When I read your message (Al and Richard), I feel as if my worries were a
> little excessive. But I show you the kind of internet pages which make me
> doubtful:
> (Create a User Account and Add it to a Group and an OU)
> http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com...d-6a82ab2b465d
>
> You can see the "Platform" paragraph:
>
> "Platforms
> Windows Server 2008 R2 No
> Windows Server 2008 No
> Windows Server 2003 Yes"

The "platform" paragraph is somewhat vague. It does not explicitly state
that the script will not function on those platforms noted as "No" in the
table. Perhaps the yes/no is an answer to the question: "has this script
been thoroughly tested on this O/S"?

Note the disclaimer - I think they are just covering their legal bases by
this disclaimer and the platform table. As Richard says, the only changes in
behaviour one would expect of AD is the addition of new functionality, not
changes to existing functionality.

I suspect you will be OK with your scripts on w2k8. But your skepticism will
serve you well as you will more likely test your scripts before using them
in production on the new platform.

/Al

Al Dunbar wrote :

> The "platform" paragraph is somewhat vague. It does not explicitly state
> that the script will not function on those platforms noted as "No" in
> the table. Perhaps the yes/no is an answer to the question: "has this
> script been thoroughly tested on this O/S"?

Yes perhaps...
If someone has already tested this type of script on Windows Server
2008, I'm interested in the result.

> Note the disclaimer - I think they are just covering their legal bases
> by this disclaimer and the platform table. As Richard says, the only
> changes in behaviour one would expect of AD is the addition of new
> functionality, not changes to existing functionality.
>
> I suspect you will be OK with your scripts on w2k8. But your skepticism
> will serve you well as you will more likely test your scripts before
> using them in production on the new platform.

Ok, thanks both of you (Al and Richard), you have cleaned my dreads away
about this question of compatibility. :-)


--
François Lafont

"Francois Lafont" <francois@newsgroup> wrote in message
news:4bd5dabe$0$29830$426a74cc@newsgroup

> Richard Mueller [MVP] wrote :
>

>> I would expect any script that works with AD and ran fine on Windows
>> Server 2003 to also run fine on Windows Server 2008.

>
> Me too, but I heard here and there that there were a few problems with
> vbscript on Windows server 2008.
>

>> After a quick glance, the script you linked seems fine.

>
> Good news! :-)
>

>> I believe VBScript is unchanged on W2k8, and AD is the same except for
>> added features. Even permissions issues should be the same in W2k3 and
>> W2k8.

>
> Cool!
>

>> A script that accesses the file system or the registry would be another
>> matter,

>
> With the file system? Does it mean that a vbscript with a "fileSystem"
> object couldn't work well? Couldn't something like below work well on
> Windows server 2008?
>
> '<<< blabla...
> objFSO.CopyFile "c:\sourcefolder\anyfile.html", "c:\destfolder\"
> '<<< blabla...
>
>
> --
> François Lafont

No, the FSO works the same, and if you know the path and have permissions,
the script will work. What I meant is that standard folder names have
changed with recent OS's, like "ProgramData" and "Program Files (x86)", and
permissions are tighter. In the registry some settings are redirected, for
example 32-bit apps are redirected to HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node.

--
Richard Mueller
MVP Directory Services
Hilltop Lab - http://www.rlmueller.net
--