How to check Updates installed with Powershell.
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Note: You need at least Powershell version 3 to run this script, and PSRemoting enabled in your Windows Server 2008 and above versions. In case you don't have enabled the PSRemoting you can just use the function created in this article.
In this past week I had to check the updates installed on all of our Windows servers (W2K3, W2k8 and W2K12). This would be easily done if they were just a few of them but this was not the case.
So I started digging a way of doing this with Powershell. At first, I found an IUpdateSession interface and after reading it I concluded that this could help me gather the info that I needed.
The only requirements are:
Minimum Supported Client: Windows XP, Windows 2000 Professional SP3
Minimum Supported Server: W2k3, Windows 2000 SP3
For further information regarding this interface I advise you to check it here. The first thing we need to do is to create a comObject and check the properties and Methods of Microsoft.Update.Session.
As we can see there are several methods but we'll just use these two:
We will use a variable to catch all the information from that new object.
As we can see, none of the information is relevant for what we want to accomplish, so we look at it with the get-member cmdlet,
We add GetTotalHistoryCount Method to our script and run all the code lines that we already have, and call the HistoryCount Variable.
We can see that my computer has 149 updates; yours will have a different value.
But this doesn't show you which are the updates installed, just how many. If you recall at the beginning we created the comObject for Microsoft.Update.Session and one of its methods is the QueryHistory, so we add this method to our code and run it.
TIP : After writing the code lines in the script pane in Powershell ISE and after selecting all the code lines, you can hit the F8 key Powershell as it will compile and run automatically.
If you run the script, it will show you all the information regarding all the installed updates. Due to the volume of information, I'm not including here a screenshot, but as you can see, you have all the info related with the updates.
In my case I want to choose the last five updates, so I'm going to tweak the QueryHistory method and change the history count to 5.
Then run the Script again, and check the result.
At this stage we can create a function with a condition to show all the updates or just a few.
Now, if you run the function
Now we can see all the updates through Powershell Scripting, but we don't need all that information. We also want to run this script in all servers, so we will need a few more code lines.
Save it and give the script a name. In my case it will be MSupdate.ps1. From PS command line we call the MSupdate.ps1
After this you can tweak it a little more and send it to a file or email.
In this past week I had to check the updates installed on all of our Windows servers (W2K3, W2k8 and W2K12). This would be easily done if they were just a few of them but this was not the case.
So I started digging a way of doing this with Powershell. At first, I found an IUpdateSession interface and after reading it I concluded that this could help me gather the info that I needed.
The only requirements are:
Minimum Supported Client: Windows XP, Windows 2000 Professional SP3
Minimum Supported Server: W2k3, Windows 2000 SP3
For further information regarding this interface I advise you to check it here. The first thing we need to do is to create a comObject and check the properties and Methods of Microsoft.Update.Session.
PS H:\Powershell> New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session |gm
TypeName: System.__ComObject#{918efd1e-b5d8-4c90-8540-aeb9bdc56f9d}
Name MemberType Definition
---- ---------- ----------
CreateUpdateDownloader Method IUpdateDownloader CreateUpdateDownloader ()
CreateUpdateInstaller Method IUpdateInstaller CreateUpdateInstaller ()
CreateUpdateSearcher Method IUpdateSearcher CreateUpdateSearcher ()
CreateUpdateServiceManager Method IUpdateServiceManager2 CreateUpdateServiceManager ()
QueryHistory Method IUpdateHistoryEntryCollection QueryHistory (string, int, int)
ClientApplicationID Property string ClientApplicationID () {get} {set}
ReadOnly Property bool ReadOnly () {get}
UserLocale Property uint UserLocale () {get} {set}
WebProxy Property IWebProxy WebProxy () {get} {set}
PS H:\Powershell>
As we can see there are several methods but we'll just use these two:
CreateUpdateSearcher Method IUpdateSearcher CreateUpdateSearcher ()
QueryHistory Method IUpdateHistoryEntryCollection QueryHistory (string, int, int)
We will use a variable to catch all the information from that new object.
$obj= New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session
$obj= New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session
$Search= $obj.CreateUpdateSearcher()
PS H:\Powershell> $Search
CanAutomaticallyUpgradeService : False
ClientApplicationID :
IncludePotentiallySupersededUpdates : False
ServerSelection : 0
Online : True
ServiceID : 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
IgnoreDownloadPriority : False
SearchScope : 0
PS H:\Powershell>
As we can see, none of the information is relevant for what we want to accomplish, so we look at it with the get-member cmdlet,
PS H:\Powershell> $Search|gm
TypeName: System.__ComObject#{04c6895d-eaf2-4034-97f3-311de9be413a}
Name MemberType Definition
---- ---------- ----------
BeginSearch Method ISearchJob BeginSearch (string, IUnknown, Variant)
EndSearch Method ISearchResult EndSearch (ISearchJob)
EscapeString Method string EscapeString (string)
GetTotalHistoryCount Method int GetTotalHistoryCount ()
QueryHistory Method IUpdateHistoryEntryCollection QueryHistory (int, int)
Search Method ISearchResult Search (string)
CanAutomaticallyUpgradeService Property bool CanAutomaticallyUpgradeService () {get} {set}
ClientApplicationID Property string ClientApplicationID () {get} {set}
IgnoreDownloadPriority Property bool IgnoreDownloadPriority () {get} {set}
IncludePotentiallySupersededUpdates Property bool IncludePotentiallySupersededUpdates () {get} {set}
Online Property bool Online () {get} {set}
SearchScope Property SearchScope SearchScope () {get} {set}
ServerSelection Property ServerSelection ServerSelection () {get} {set}
ServiceID Property string ServiceID () {get} {set}
PS H:\Powershell>
We add GetTotalHistoryCount Method to our script and run all the code lines that we already have, and call the HistoryCount Variable.
$obj= New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session
$Search= $obj.CreateUpdateSearcher()
$HistoryCount = $Search.GetTotalHistoryCount()
PS H:\Powershell> $HistoryCount
149
We can see that my computer has 149 updates; yours will have a different value.
But this doesn't show you which are the updates installed, just how many. If you recall at the beginning we created the comObject for Microsoft.Update.Sessi
TIP : After writing the code lines in the script pane in Powershell ISE and after selecting all the code lines, you can hit the F8 key Powershell as it will compile and run automatically.
$obj= New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session
$Search= $obj.CreateUpdateSearcher()
$HistoryCount = $Search.GetTotalHistoryCount()
$Search.QueryHistory(0, $HistoryCount)
If you run the script, it will show you all the information regarding all the installed updates. Due to the volume of information, I'm not including here a screenshot, but as you can see, you have all the info related with the updates.
In my case I want to choose the last five updates, so I'm going to tweak the QueryHistory method and change the history count to 5.
$obj= New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session
$Search= $obj.CreateUpdateSearcher()
$HistoryCount = $Search.GetTotalHistoryCount()
$Search.QueryHistory(0, 5)
Then run the Script again, and check the result.
At this stage we can create a function with a condition to show all the updates or just a few.
function Get-MsUpdates{
param($nupdates,[Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][string]$HostName)
$obj= New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session
$Search= $obj.CreateUpdateSearcher()
$HistoryCount = $Search.GetTotalHistoryCount()
if($nupdates -eq $null){
$Search.QueryHistory(0, $HistoryCount)
}else
{
$Search.QueryHistory(0, $nupdates)
}
}
Now, if you run the function
PS H:\Powershell> Get-MsUpdates -HostName localhost
PS H:\Powershell> Get-MsUpdates -nupdates 5 -HostName localhost
Now we can see all the updates through Powershell Scripting, but we don't need all that information. We also want to run this script in all servers, so we will need a few more code lines.
function Get-MsUpdates{
param($nupdates,[Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][string]$HostName)
$obj= New-Object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session
$Search= $obj.CreateUpdateSearcher()
$HistoryCount = $Search.GetTotalHistoryCount()
if($nupdates -eq $null){
$Search.QueryHistory(0, $HistoryCount)
}else
{
$Search.QueryHistory(0, $nupdates)
}
}
#What this will do, will get the machine names from a file, check the updates on Windows Server 2003 and above and create a log with teh checked servers
#And Errors that may occur
#In my case I'm getting credentials from a file and pass this credentials to the commandas below
$pass= Get-Content '.\cred.txt' |ConvertTo-SecureString
$user= 'dparisfe'
$credentials= New-Object -TypeName System.Management.Automation.pscredential -ArgumentList $user,$pass
write-host "Insert the number of updates to Search or Press [Enter] to all updates?" -Foregroundcolor Green
[int]$Num=read-host
if ($Num -eq 0 ){
Write-Host "You choosed 0 or pressed the [Enter] Key, this will show you all updates." -Foregroundcolor Green
$Num= 10000
}
$File=Get-Content -Path '.\My_hosts.txt' #Change this to pointing to your file Path
$date=get-date -format d
foreach ($Hosts in $file)
{
$Computername=$Hosts
$Object = New-Object -TypeName PSObject
Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Computername -Credential $credentials -scriptblock ${function:get-MsUpdates} -ArgumentList $Num, $Computername |Select-Object Date,@{expression={$COMPUTERNAME};Label="Host"},@{name="Operation"; expression={switch($_.operation){1 {"Installation"}; 2 {"Uninstallation"}; 3 {"Other"}}}},@{name="Status"; expression={switch($_.resultcode){1 {"In Progress"}; 2 {"Succeeded"}; 3 {"Succeeded With Errors"};4 {"Failed"}; 5 {"Aborted"}}}},@{name="Title";expression={[regex]::Match($_.Title,'(KB[0-9]{6,7})').Value}}|FT
}
}
Save it and give the script a name. In my case it will be MSupdate.ps1. From PS command line we call the MSupdate.ps1
PS H:\Powershell> .\MSUpdate.ps1
Insert the number of updates to Search or Press [Enter] to all updates?
5
Date Host Operation Status Title
---- ---- --------- ------ -----
08/01/2015 22:44:11 BCN-C77MM12 Installation Succeeded KB2819745
08/12/2014 15:29:43 BCN-C77MM12 Installation Succeeded KB2506143
04/12/2014 8:20:20 BCN-C77MM12 Installation Succeeded KB2837579
04/12/2014 8:20:10 BCN-C77MM12 Installation Succeeded KB2878284
04/12/2014 8:19:59 BCN-C77MM12 Installation Succeeded KB2687567
PS H:\Powershell>
After this you can tweak it a little more and send it to a file or email.
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