Windows Rightlink Troubleshooting Script
Overview
When dealing with Windows images, difficulties may arise that require troubleshooting steps along with the assistance of our support team. To provide the best information possible to our support team, a Powershell script has been created that gathers several log files as well as other information and compounds them into a single file, which can in turn be sent to our support team along with your support request.
This article will explain how to effectively utilize this Powershell script on a running cloud instance.
Prerequisites
What you will need:
- A running Windows cloud instance with Rightlink installed. All official Rightscale Windows Rightimages should be supported. For more information on creating your own custom Windows images with Rightlink installed, see the Rightlink Installer for Windows.
- RDP Access to the running instance, which may require custom Windows firewall rules or security group rules within your cloud provider. Port 3389 inbound should be open to your workstation's IP address within Windows firewall (if enabled) along with any security group assigned to the instance.
- Powershell installed on the instance.
Steps for Using the Script
Establish a Remote Desktop Connection
Before you can create a Remote Desktop Connection to the running Windows instance you must first wait for the instance to be assigned its initial password.
Note: Once the instance is listed as "Operational" you might have to wait around 10-20 minutes before the password becomes visible. You will not be able to establish a remote desktop connection until a password becomes available. To check on the initial password once it is operational:
- Navigate to Clouds > CloudRegion > Active
- Click on the nickname for your operational server
- On the Info tab, in the EC2 Info section, check the "Initial admin password" field. If its "-none-", you will have to wait a few minutes longer. Refresh your browser to re-check. Once the Initial password is set it will look similar to the following:
Clicking "Show Value" will prompt you to enter your RightScale user password, after which the initial password should become exposed.
There are two different ways to create a Remote Desktop Connection.
- RDP from the Dashboard
- Use your local computer to create a Remote Desktop Connection
RDP from the Dashboard
Note: This may only work with certain browsers and environments (Internet Explorer etc). If you are not using a workstation that qualifies, then you will want to proceed with the 'Local Remote Desktop Connection' section listed below.
When viewing the show page for the running Windows instance, click the RDP action button.
Click Connect when you get the warning message.
Local Remote Desktop Connection
Note: Screenshot and directions below are only for the built in Windows RDP client. If using your own RDP client in your own environment these instructions will obviously vary.
Once the instance becomes operational, go to the instance's Info tab and take note of the "Initial password" which you will later use to remotely login into the instance. (The password is located inside the first and last parentheses.)
On your local machine, use the instance's Public DNS Name or Public IP address to establish a remote desktop connection to the instance. Click Connect to connect to the instance.
Note: If you get a certificate error message, you can still continue to connect to the instance.
Next, you will need to log into the instance with the following credentials:
User: administrator
Password: ("Initial password" from the instance's Info tab. Only enter the characters that are enclosed within the parentheses as mentioned previously.)
Be sure to save your login credentials.
Download Powershell Script
Once your RDP session is open, use a web browser on the instance to download the following Powershell script:
https://github.com/rs-services/windows_tools/blob/master/windows_rightlink_troubleshoot.ps1
You can save a direct copy of the file by using the Raw version in Github here:
https://raw.github.com/rs-services/windows_tools/master/windows_rightlink_troubleshoot.ps1
You can download a copy of the file or copy/paste the contents of the .ps1 script into a new text file. Be sure to keep it in a convenient spot (e.g., on the Desktop) so it can be located easily.
Note: Ensure that the script filename has a .ps1 extension when downloading it locally to the instance
Open Powershell and Execute Script
Once the script is copied and/or saved, open up a Powershell prompt by navigating to Start > Accessories > Windows Powershell > Windows Powershell. Once the prompt is open, you may need to first change the Powershell execution policy with the command:
set-executionpolicy unrestricted
This allows the running of unsigned scripts, such as the one we just saved (we can always reset this back to default later if needed):
Once the policy is set to unrestricted, let's go ahead and execute the script from the shell using it's full path. Here is an example screenshot showing the script's execution as well as the output's stored location (usually C:\). For example, if our script is saved as Rightlink_Troubleshooter_Windows.ps1 on the Desktop, the command would look like this:
C:\Users\administrator\Desktop\Rightlink_Troubleshooter_Windows.ps1
The output filename will typically follow the format rs-win-troubleshooting_<date_time>.txt
To return the script execution policy back to it's default setting, simply run the command:
set-executionpolicy default
Upload Output and Contact Support
Now that we have the output we need, we simply need to upload/offload the output file from the script to a remote location. Many tools can be utilized to do this (e.g., Upload the file to an FTP server, remote file sharing service, etc). Once completed, you are welcome to resume correspondence with our support team or open a new ticket as needed to get the help you need.
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