building a Async Script in powershell

Question

i am looking for a way to take a script that I have created. And simply run it against the individual printers all at once. I do not care about returning any information other than success or failure if that is possible.

so far this is what I have come up with:

$scriptBlock = {
                    param($PRINTSERVER,$PRINTER) 
                    . \\rictx-script-p2\Scripts\Module\OS\Print Server\Set-Permissions\Apply-PrinterPermissions3.ps1
                    Apply-PrinterPermissions -PrintServers $PRINTSERVER -PrinterName_Single $PRINTER
                }


$PSERVER = "MTHOH-PRINT-P06"
$MyPrinter = "WILPA0P30"
#Async
Start-Job -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock -ArgumentList @($PSERVER,$MyPrinter)

The Script works great in parallel. But I am trying to speed up a 12 to 13 hour run on over 900 different printers in the environment. By applying the script async. The script is already configured to work on a print server as a whole and on a printer individually. To ensure there is a consistant permissions assigned to them all according to corporate policy. On average the script takes about 1 to 1.5 minutes per printer to apply the printer ACL Changes.

My Thoughts was to have a script block load the printer permissions script, call the printers individually per job with the print server. And run about 50 to 100 jobs at once. This would require sending 2 paramaters to the script block for the function to be called.

What would be the best way to do this? Currently the script does nothing when I start the job. but works if I call the apply-printerpermissions3 script directly.

Other things I have tried:

$scriptBlock = {
                    param($P) 
                    . \\rictx-script-p2\Scripts\Module\OS\Print Server\Set-Permissions\Apply-PrinterPermissions3.ps1
                    Apply-PrinterPermissions -PrintServers $P[0] -PrinterName_Single $P[1]
                }


$PSERVER = "MTHOH-PRINT-P06"
$MyPrinter = "WILPA0P30"
#Async
Start-Job -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock -ArgumentList @($PSERVER,$MyPrinter)

#Syncroneous
& $scriptBlock -PRINTSERVER $PServer -PRINTER $MyPrinter

The Sycroneous process works but the async does not.

Sorry I am not sure how to add my comment with code blocks as a reply: I have tried this:

$s = New-PSSession -ComputerName mthoh-print-p06
    $scriptBlock = { param($PRINTSERVER,$PRINTER)
                    Write-Host "$PRINTSERVER"
                    Write-Host "------------"
                    Write-Host "$Printer" 
                    . \\rictx-script-p2\Scripts\Module\OS\Print Server\Set-Permissions\Apply-PrinterPermissions3.ps1
                    Apply-PrinterPermissions -PrintServers $PRINTSERVER -PrinterName_Single $PRINTER }

$ArgumentList = "PSERVER", "Wilpa0p30"

Invoke-Command -Session $s -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock -AsJob -ArgumentList $ArgumentList



$s = New-PSSession -ComputerName mthoh-print-p06
$scriptBlock = { param($P)
                    Write-Host "$PRINTSERVER"
                    Write-Host "------------"
                    Write-Host "$Printer" 
                    . \\rictx-script-p2\Scripts\Module\OS\Print Server\Set-Permissions\Apply-PrinterPermissions3.ps1
                    Apply-PrinterPermissions -PrintServers $P[0] -PrinterName_Single $P[1] 
                }

$ArgumentList = "PSERVER", "Wilpa0p30"

Invoke-Command -Session $s -ScriptBlock $scriptBlock -AsJob -ArgumentList $ArgumentList

My Problem is this completes but does not appear to do anything. The script works if I call it locally just not working with Invoke-command.

I am not worried about the process of passing each printer name. I can eaisly do:

foreach ( $Printer in ((Get-Printer -Computername $Server).Name) )
{do something to pass each command to my Printer ACL Script...}

My Printer ACL Script is configured to do a printer individually and process a server as a whole.

I think I have found something that works. Thanks for your help:

$parameters = @{
    ComputerName = "mthoh-print-p06"
    ScriptBlock = { param($PRINTSERVER,$PRINTER)
                    
                    Write-host "$($env:COMPUTERNAME)  ---  $($env:USERNAME)"
                    Write-Host "$PRINTSERVER"
                    Write-Host "------------"
                    Write-Host "$Printer" 

                    $item = "\\rictx-script-p2\Scripts\Module\OS\Print Server\Set-Permissions\Apply-PrinterPermissions3.ps1"
                    ([System.IO.File]::Exists($Item))
                   
                    . "\\rictx-script-p2\Scripts\Module\OS\Print Server\Set-Permissions\Apply-PrinterPermissions3.ps1"
                    Apply-PrinterPermissions -PrintServers $PRINTSERVER -PrinterName_Single $PRINTER }
    ArgumentList = "mthoh-print-p06", "Wilpa0p30"
}
Invoke-Command @parameters -EnableNetworkAccess -AsJob
$j = Get-Job
$j | Format-List -Property *
$results = $j | Receive-Job
get-job | Where {$_state -ne "Running"} | Remove-Job

Why are you running a local job when you can run remote jobs on all servers in parallel with Invoke-Command ? — Santiago Squarzon
– Santiago Squarzon, Commented Jan 7, 2022 at 5:15
I am not opposed to it. But I would like single sign on authenticaiton so I do not have to pass credientials. Also I attempted to do this and it also failed for me: $parameters = @{ ComputerName = "Server01" ScriptBlock = { param($PRINTSERVER,$PRINTER) . \\rictx-script-p2\Scripts\Module\OS\Print Server\Set-Permissions\Apply-PrinterPermissions3.ps1 Apply-PrinterPermissions -PrintServers $PRINTSERVER -PrinterName_Single $PRINTER } ArgumentList = "PSERVER", "MyPrinter" } Invoke-Command @parameters -AsJob — Michael George
– Michael George, Commented Jan 7, 2022 at 6:15
I would like the ability to run async locally. But I am not against running the script remotely. — Michael George
– Michael George, Commented Jan 7, 2022 at 6:30
I'm assuming you don't have 900 ps1 files with their own $PServer='';$MyPrinter=''; & $ScriptBlock...; the solution to your problem is going to rely on how you're managing the list of devices. — Gregor y
– Gregor y, Commented Jan 7, 2022 at 19:08
no I will be doing a querry into a array then foreach loop passing all the printers individually as a parameter to the Printer ACL Script. — Michael George
– Michael George, Commented Jan 7, 2022 at 23:25

Dharman · Accepted Answer · 2022-01-07 07:19:10Z

1

As stated in above comment. I'd try to run the scriptblock via Invoke-Command with the -AsJob parameter. Which will return a job, that you can await. Combined with PSRemoting you can fire multiple Invoke-Commands that'll return a job to a remote execution. See the PowerShell docu for an example. If you need to pass local parameters to the remote job, in a readonly manner, see this example.

edited Jan 7, 2022 at 7:19

Dharman♦

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answered Jan 7, 2022 at 7:13

Moerwald

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3 Comments

Gregor y Over a year ago

what both of these docu examples are missing is how to customize the run per server since each server has a different list of printers...

Michael George Over a year ago

I like the option being offered but running into a road block. My Problem is this completes but does not appear to do anything. The script works if I call it locally just not working with Invoke-command.

Michael George Over a year ago

finally figured out that enablednetwork parameter needed to be added to the script.

Gregor y · Accepted Answer · 2022-01-10 17:17:11Z

Since you're not trying to cherry-pick the printers, it makes the task of standardizing the code across all the servers much simpler

$s = new-pssession -computername @(
   'MTHOH-PRINT-P05',
   'MTHOH-PRINT-P06'
)

$Init = get-content '\\rictx-script-p2\Scripts\Module\OS\Print Server\Set-Permissions\Apply-PrinterPermissions3.ps1' -raw
$RemoteJobs = invoke-command -session $s -scriptblock {
   $Init = [ScriptBlock]::Create($Using:Init)
   $MyName = $env:COMPUTERNAME
   
   $ServerJobs = foreach($MyPrinter in (get-printer -computername $MyName).name){
      start-job -InitializationScript $Init -ScriptBlock {
         param($PRINTSERVER,$PRINTER)
         Apply-PrinterPermissions -PrintServers $PRINTSERVER -PrinterName_Single $PRINTER
      } -ArgumentList $MyName,$MyPrinter
   }
   receive-job -job $ServerJobs -wait
   remove-job  -job $ServerJobs
} -AsJob

$null    = wait-job    -job $RemoteJobs
$results = receive-job -job $RemoteJobs
remove-job -job $RemoteJobs

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