Automatic Logon to W2K3 servers without using the registry?

techjunkie · Post by **techjunkie** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:54 pm

Hi,

I am doing a small app in PureBasic that install itself as a service, reboot a couple of times and then un-register itself.

Does anyone know how I can make this service Automatic Logon to a W2K3 server? Without using the registry!

I'm using this PB app for an unattended installation and the installation has to be in a context of a specific user.

Any ideas?!? :roll:

[EDIT]

Hmmm... Could I make the service get the handle of the login prompt and actually write the user ID and password?

Amundo · Post by **Amundo** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:24 am

Hi techjunkie,

I'm very interested in what you're trying to do (at least, from what I understand?).

So, an intial application connects to a server (using named pipes?????) authenticated with a local userid/password, installs a service on the server, then kicks off that installed service, which proceeds to do it's thing and reboots the server, etc. Is this correct?

We are in the process of installing Tivoli (IBM) monitoring software on our servers here at work, but it is a manual process to install the agent - very primitive!!!

The only software I've seen that can "push" an agent to a machine is the "Dameware NT Utilities" - nice software.

techjunkie · Post by **techjunkie** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:58 pm

Amundo wrote:Hi techjunkie,

I'm very interested in what you're trying to do (at least, from what I understand?).

So, an intial application connects to a server (using named pipes?????) authenticated with a local userid/password, installs a service on the server, then kicks off that installed service, which proceeds to do it's thing and reboots the server, etc. Is this correct?

We are in the process of installing Tivoli (IBM) monitoring software on our servers here at work, but it is a manual process to install the agent - very primitive!!!

The only software I've seen that can "push" an agent to a machine is the "Dameware NT Utilities" - nice software.

Hi Amundo,

Nice to hear that you are interested!

Well, we are using Altiris RDP deployment to push out the packages. But in this case it is a very complicated installation that demands 8 re-boots. The old installation is using the registry, "run onces" and so on - and I'm trying to make it more stable and more in control.

Straker · Post by **Straker** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:33 pm

Shot in the darK: PSEXEC ?

Amundo · Post by **Amundo** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:04 am

Nice Straker.

Groovy with the U.F.O. stuff

Would be nice to find some source code on how PSEXEC does it's stuff.
I'm sure it's an undocumented NATIVE API function.
Unless it's in a documented WIN32 API somewhere.

P.S. Checked out the Hamachi stuff - very nice! Mind if I ask what your interest is?

Straker · Post by **Straker** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 8:11 pm

Amundo wrote:Would be nice to find some source code on how PSEXEC does it's stuff.

Now that Microsoft owns Sysinternals, you can be sure it won't be published.

Amundo wrote:P.S. Checked out the Hamachi stuff - very nice! Mind if I ask what your interest is?

I primarily use hamachi to tunnel thru my customers' firewalls to connect directly to the commercial database I developed. I also use it with VNC to control my firewall-protected servers. Its awesome.

Amundo · Post by **Amundo** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:00 am

Hi techjunkie!

I've got some good news and bad news...

The good:
If you check this link:

http://www.powerbasic.com/support/forum ... 02086.html

it details exactly the kind of information I was after.

The bad:
It's done in PowerBasic (which isn't all that bad, just translation needed), and I don't know how much time I can devote to it (3 young kids and a wife in the real world, plus a full-time job = not much time for much else).

But it's a start, no?

techjunkie · Post by **techjunkie** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:01 am

Amundo wrote:it details exactly the kind of information I was after.

Hmmm... Interesting! and as you wrote a start!

Thanks!

lexvictory · Post by **lexvictory** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 2:42 pm

Amundo wrote: Would be nice to find some source code on how PSEXEC does it's stuff.
I'm sure it's an undocumented NATIVE API function.
Unless it's in a documented WIN32 API somewhere.

it needs an admin username/password combo, it copies an exe, installs it as a service, runs it, sends some commands to the service, which run the program etc, when program has exited, it uninstalls the service

(at least i think thats what it does)

Amundo · Post by **Amundo** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 11:46 pm

Yes, lexvictory, that's what I think it does, as well. Which is something I've always wanted to do.

But, as in my first post, I'm not 100% sure that this is the sort of thing techjunkie is after?