Leveraging WMI in an Azure Web Role
Posted by Wade on November 4, 2009 | No comments
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A few weeks ago I threw out a teaser on Twitter:
This got the attention of a few folks, and I promised I’d follow-up on this with some details on how I got this to work. Of course, I completely forgot to do so, and was only recently reminded (thanks, Roger Jennings).
You can still take a look at that application here (if nothing else, I find it interesting to look at the specifications of the CTP machines for Windows Azure): http://wmi.cloudapp.net/
In actuality, the solution is really quite straightforward – I used WMI.
What’s WMI? Well, it stands for Windows Management Instrumentation. Here’s quick blurb from MSDN:
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is the infrastructure for management data and operations on Windows-based operating systems. You can write WMI scripts or applications to automate administrative tasks on remote computers but WMI also supplies management data to other parts of the operating system and products, for example System Center Operations Manager, formerly Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM), or Windows Remote Management.
For more information on how to use WMI in .NET, take a look at the WMI .NET Overview. Lots of great information.
Assuming you’ve read the overview, it should be clear that this is really pretty easy. At the heart of this are the following two lines of code …
ManagementClass mgmt = new ManagementClass(managementClass);ManagementObjectCollection objCol = mgmt.GetInstances();
… where managementClass represent one of the Win32 classes (i.e. Win32_NTLogEventLog).
Now, to make this work, you need to iterate through the collection of management objects. Something like the following works:
foreach (var obj in objCol){foreach (var prop in obj.Properties){...}}
Now, I did two additional things to make this easy.
- I created a dropdown list with all the Win32 classes so that you can easily choose which class to review.
- I defined a querystring value that, if it exists, loads a specific Win32 class.
There are a lot of Win32 classes, so here’s the array I used – feel free to leverage it yourself:
public static string[] Win32Classes ={"Win32_1394Controller","Win32_1394ControllerDevice","Win32_Account","Win32_AccountSID","Win32_ACE","Win32_ActionCheck","Win32_ActiveRoute","Win32_AllocatedResource","Win32_ApplicationCommandLine","Win32_ApplicationService","Win32_AssociatedBattery","Win32_AssociatedProcessorMemory","Win32_AutochkSetting","Win32_BaseBoard","Win32_BaseService","Win32_Battery","Win32_Binary","Win32_BindImageAction","Win32_BIOS","Win32_BootConfiguration","Win32_Bus","Win32_CacheMemory","Win32_CDROMDrive","Win32_CheckCheck","Win32_CIMLogicalDeviceCIMDataFile","Win32_ClassicCOMApplicationClasses","Win32_ClassicCOMClass","Win32_ClassicCOMClassSetting","Win32_ClassicCOMClassSettings","Win32_ClassInfoAction","Win32_ClientApplicationSetting","Win32_CodecFile","Win32_CollectionStatistics","Win32_COMApplication","Win32_COMApplicationClasses","Win32_COMApplicationSettings","Win32_COMClass","Win32_ComClassAutoEmulator","Win32_ComClassEmulator","Win32_CommandLineAccess","Win32_ComponentCategory","Win32_ComputerShutdownEvent","Win32_ComputerSystem","Win32_ComputerSystemEvent","Win32_ComputerSystemProcessor","Win32_ComputerSystemProduct","Win32_ComputerSystemWindowsProductActivationSetting","Win32_COMSetting","Win32_Condition","Win32_ConnectionShare","Win32_ControllerHasHub","Win32_CreateFolderAction","Win32_CurrentProbe","Win32_CurrentTime","Win32_DCOMApplication","Win32_DCOMApplicationAccessAllowedSetting","Win32_DCOMApplicationLaunchAllowedSetting","Win32_DCOMApplicationSetting","Win32_DefragAnalysis","Win32_DependentService","Win32_Desktop","Win32_DesktopMonitor","Win32_DeviceBus","Win32_DeviceChangeEvent","Win32_DeviceMemoryAddress","Win32_DeviceSettings","Win32_DFSNode","Win32_DFSNodeTarget","Win32_DFSTarget","Win32_Directory","Win32_DirectorySpecification","Win32_DiskDrive","Win32_DiskDrivePhysicalMedia","Win32_DiskDriveToDiskPartition","Win32_DiskPartition","Win32_DiskQuota","Win32_DisplayConfiguration","Win32_DisplayControllerConfiguration","Win32_DMAChannel","Win32_DriverForDevice","Win32_DriverVXD","Win32_DuplicateFileAction","Win32_Environment","Win32_EnvironmentSpecification","Win32_ExtensionInfoAction","Win32_Fan","Win32_FileSpecification","Win32_FloppyController","Win32_FloppyDrive","Win32_FontInfoAction","Win32_Group","Win32_GroupInDomain","Win32_GroupUser","Win32_HeatPipe","Win32_IDEController","Win32_IDEControllerDevice","Win32_ImplementedCategory","Win32_InfraredDevice","Win32_IniFileSpecification","Win32_InstalledSoftwareElement","Win32_IP4PersistedRouteTable","Win32_IP4RouteTable","Win32_IP4RouteTableEvent","Win32_IRQResource","Win32_JobObjectStatus","Win32_Keyboard","Win32_LaunchCondition","Win32_LoadOrderGroup","Win32_LoadOrderGroupServiceDependencies","Win32_LoadOrderGroupServiceMembers","Win32_LocalTime","Win32_LoggedOnUser","Win32_LogicalDisk","Win32_LogicalDiskRootDirectory","Win32_LogicalDiskToPartition","Win32_LogicalFileAccess","Win32_LogicalFileAuditing","Win32_LogicalFileGroup","Win32_LogicalFileOwner","Win32_LogicalFileSecuritySetting","Win32_LogicalMemoryConfiguration","Win32_LogicalProgramGroup","Win32_LogicalProgramGroupDirectory","Win32_LogicalProgramGroupItem","Win32_LogicalProgramGroupItemDataFile","Win32_LogicalShareAccess","Win32_LogicalShareAuditing","Win32_LogicalShareSecuritySetting","Win32_LogonSession","Win32_LogonSessionMappedDisk","Win32_LUID","Win32_LUIDandAttributes","Win32_ManagedSystemElementResource","Win32_MappedLogicalDisk","Win32_MemoryArray","Win32_MemoryArrayLocation","Win32_MemoryDevice","Win32_MemoryDeviceArray","Win32_MemoryDeviceLocation","Win32_MethodParameterClass","Win32_MIMEInfoAction","Win32_ModuleLoadTrace","Win32_ModuleTrace","Win32_MotherboardDevice","Win32_MountPoint","Win32_MoveFileAction","Win32_MSIResource","Win32_NamedJobObject","Win32_NamedJobObjectActgInfo","Win32_NamedJobObjectLimit","Win32_NamedJobObjectLimitSetting","Win32_NamedJobObjectProcess","Win32_NamedJobObjectSecLimit","Win32_NamedJobObjectSecLimitSetting","Win32_NamedJobObjectStatistics","Win32_NetworkAdapter","Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration","Win32_NetworkAdapterSetting","Win32_NetworkClient","Win32_NetworkConnection","Win32_NetworkLoginProfile","Win32_NetworkProtocol","Win32_NTDomain","Win32_NTEventlogFile","Win32_NTLogEvent","Win32_NTLogEventComputer","Win32_NTLogEventLog","Win32_NTLogEventUser","Win32_ODBCAttribute","Win32_ODBCDataSourceAttribute","Win32_ODBCDataSourceSpecification","Win32_ODBCDriverAttribute","Win32_ODBCDriverSoftwareElement","Win32_ODBCDriverSpecification","Win32_ODBCSourceAttribute","Win32_ODBCTranslatorSpecification","Win32_OnBoardDevice","Win32_OperatingSystem","Win32_OperatingSystemAutochkSetting","Win32_OperatingSystemQFE","Win32_OptionalFeature","Win32_OSRecoveryConfiguration","Win32_PageFile","Win32_PageFileElementSetting","Win32_PageFileSetting","Win32_PageFileUsage","Win32_ParallelPort","Win32_Patch","Win32_PatchFile","Win32_PatchPackage","Win32_PCMCIAController","Win32_Perf","Win32_PerfFormattedData","Win32_PerfFormattedData_ASP_ActiveServerPages","Win32_PerfFormattedData_ContentFilter_IndexingServiceFilter","Win32_PerfFormattedData_ContentIndex_IndexingService","Win32_PerfFormattedData_InetInfo_InternetInformationServicesGlobal","Win32_PerfFormattedData_ISAPISearch_HttpIndexingService","Win32_PerfFormattedData_MSDTC_DistributedTransactionCoordinator","Win32_PerfFormattedData_NTFSDRV_SMTPNTFSStoreDriver","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfDisk_LogicalDisk","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfDisk_PhysicalDisk","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfNet_Browser","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfNet_Redirector","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfNet_Server","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfNet_ServerWorkQueues","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfOS_Cache","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfOS_Memory","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfOS_Objects","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfOS_PagingFile","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfOS_Processor","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfOS_System","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfProc_FullImage_Costly","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfProc_Image_Costly","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfProc_JobObject","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfProc_JobObjectDetails","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfProc_Process","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfProc_ProcessAddressSpace_Costly","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfProc_Thread","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PerfProc_ThreadDetails_Costly","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PSched_PSchedFlow","Win32_PerfFormattedData_PSched_PSchedPipe","Win32_PerfFormattedData_RemoteAccess_RASPort","Win32_PerfFormattedData_RemoteAccess_RASTotal","Win32_PerfFormattedData_RSVP_ACSRSVPInterfaces","Win32_PerfFormattedData_RSVP_ACSRSVPService","Win32_PerfFormattedData_SMTPSVC_SMTPServer","Win32_PerfFormattedData_Spooler_PrintQueue","Win32_PerfFormattedData_TapiSrv_Telephony","Win32_PerfFormattedData_Tcpip_ICMP","Win32_PerfFormattedData_Tcpip_IP","Win32_PerfFormattedData_Tcpip_NBTConnection","Win32_PerfFormattedData_Tcpip_NetworkInterface","Win32_PerfFormattedData_Tcpip_TCP","Win32_PerfFormattedData_Tcpip_UDP","Win32_PerfFormattedData_TermService_TerminalServices","Win32_PerfFormattedData_TermService_TerminalServicesSession","Win32_PerfFormattedData_W3SVC_WebService","Win32_PerfRawData","Win32_PerfRawData_ASP_ActiveServerPages","Win32_PerfRawData_ContentFilter_IndexingServiceFilter","Win32_PerfRawData_ContentIndex_IndexingService","Win32_PerfRawData_InetInfo_InternetInformationServicesGlobal","Win32_PerfRawData_ISAPISearch_HttpIndexingService","Win32_PerfRawData_MSDTC_DistributedTransactionCoordinator","Win32_PerfRawData_NTFSDRV_SMTPNTFSStoreDriver","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfDisk_LogicalDisk","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfDisk_PhysicalDisk","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfNet_Browser","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfNet_Redirector","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfNet_Server","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfNet_ServerWorkQueues","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfOS_Cache","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfOS_Memory","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfOS_Objects","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfOS_PagingFile","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfOS_Processor","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfOS_System","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfProc_FullImage_Costly","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfProc_Image_Costly","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfProc_JobObject","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfProc_JobObjectDetails","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfProc_Process","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfProc_ProcessAddressSpace_Costly","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfProc_Thread","Win32_PerfRawData_PerfProc_ThreadDetails_Costly","Win32_PerfRawData_PSched_PSchedFlow","Win32_PerfRawData_PSched_PSchedPipe","Win32_PerfRawData_RemoteAccess_RASPort","Win32_PerfRawData_RemoteAccess_RASTotal","Win32_PerfRawData_RSVP_ACSRSVPInterfaces","Win32_PerfRawData_RSVP_ACSRSVPService","Win32_PerfRawData_SMTPSVC_SMTPServer","Win32_PerfRawData_Spooler_PrintQueue","Win32_PerfRawData_TapiSrv_Telephony","Win32_PerfRawData_Tcpip_ICMP","Win32_PerfRawData_Tcpip_IP","Win32_PerfRawData_Tcpip_NBTConnection","Win32_PerfRawData_Tcpip_NetworkInterface","Win32_PerfRawData_Tcpip_TCP","Win32_PerfRawData_Tcpip_UDP","Win32_PerfRawData_TermService_TerminalServices","Win32_PerfRawData_TermService_TerminalServicesSession","Win32_PerfRawData_W3SVC_WebService","Win32_PhysicalMedia","Win32_PhysicalMemory","Win32_PhysicalMemoryArray","Win32_PhysicalMemoryLocation","Win32_PingStatus","Win32_PnPAllocatedResource","Win32_PnPDevice","Win32_PnPEntity","Win32_PnPSignedDriver","Win32_PnPSignedDriverCIMDataFile","Win32_PointingDevice","Win32_PortableBattery","Win32_PortConnector","Win32_PortResource","Win32_POTSModem","Win32_POTSModemToSerialPort","Win32_PowerManagementEvent","Win32_Printer","Win32_PrinterConfiguration","Win32_PrinterController","Win32_PrinterDriver","Win32_PrinterDriverDll","Win32_PrinterSetting","Win32_PrinterShare","Win32_PrintJob","Win32_PrivilegesStatus","Win32_Process","Win32_Processor","Win32_ProcessStartTrace","Win32_ProcessStartup","Win32_ProcessStopTrace","Win32_ProcessTrace","Win32_Product","Win32_ProductCheck","Win32_ProductResource","Win32_ProductSoftwareFeatures","Win32_ProgIDSpecification","Win32_ProgramGroup","Win32_ProgramGroupContents","Win32_ProgramGroupOrItem","Win32_Property","Win32_ProtocolBinding","Win32_Proxy","Win32_PublishComponentAction","Win32_QuickFixEngineering","Win32_QuotaSetting","Win32_Refrigeration","Win32_Registry","Win32_RegistryAction","Win32_RemoveFileAction","Win32_RemoveIniAction","Win32_ReserveCost","Win32_ScheduledJob","Win32_SCSIController","Win32_SCSIControllerDevice","Win32_SecurityDescriptor","Win32_SecurityDescriptorHelper","Win32_SecuritySetting","Win32_SecuritySettingAccess","Win32_SecuritySettingAuditing","Win32_SecuritySettingGroup","Win32_SecuritySettingOfLogicalFile","Win32_SecuritySettingOfLogicalShare","Win32_SecuritySettingOfObject","Win32_SecuritySettingOwner","Win32_SelfRegModuleAction","Win32_SerialPort","Win32_SerialPortConfiguration","Win32_SerialPortSetting","Win32_ServerConnection","Win32_ServerFeature","Win32_ServerSession","Win32_Service","Win32_ServiceControl","Win32_ServiceSpecification","Win32_ServiceSpecificationService","Win32_Session","Win32_SessionConnection","Win32_SessionProcess","Win32_SettingCheck","Win32_ShadowBy","Win32_ShadowContext","Win32_ShadowCopy","Win32_ShadowDiffVolumeSupport","Win32_ShadowFor","Win32_ShadowOn","Win32_ShadowProvider","Win32_ShadowStorage","Win32_ShadowVolumeSupport","Win32_Share","Win32_ShareToDirectory","Win32_ShortcutAction","Win32_ShortcutFile","Win32_ShortcutSAP","Win32_SID","Win32_SIDandAttributes","Win32_SMBIOSMemory","Win32_SoftwareElement","Win32_SoftwareElementAction","Win32_SoftwareElementCheck","Win32_SoftwareElementCondition","Win32_SoftwareElementResource","Win32_SoftwareFeature","Win32_SoftwareFeatureAction","Win32_SoftwareFeatureCheck","Win32_SoftwareFeatureParent","Win32_SoftwareFeatureSoftwareElements","Win32_SoundDevice","Win32_StartupCommand","Win32_SubDirectory","Win32_SystemAccount","Win32_SystemBIOS","Win32_SystemBootConfiguration","Win32_SystemConfigurationChangeEvent","Win32_SystemDesktop","Win32_SystemDevices","Win32_SystemDriver","Win32_SystemDriverPnPEntity","Win32_SystemEnclosure","Win32_SystemLoadOrderGroups","Win32_SystemLogicalMemoryConfiguration","Win32_SystemMemoryResource","Win32_SystemNetworkConnections","Win32_SystemOperatingSystem","Win32_SystemPartitions","Win32_SystemProcesses","Win32_SystemProgramGroups","Win32_SystemResources","Win32_SystemServices","Win32_SystemSetting","Win32_SystemSlot","Win32_SystemSystemDriver","Win32_SystemTimeZone","Win32_SystemTrace","Win32_SystemUsers","Win32_TapeDrive","Win32_TCPIPPrinterPort","Win32_TemperatureProbe","Win32_Thread","Win32_ThreadStartTrace","Win32_ThreadStopTrace","Win32_ThreadTrace","Win32_TimeZone","Win32_TokenGroups","Win32_TokenPrivileges","Win32_Trustee","Win32_TypeLibraryAction","Win32_UninterruptiblePowerSupply","Win32_USBController","Win32_USBControllerDevice","Win32_USBHub","Win32_UserAccount","Win32_UserDesktop","Win32_UserInDomain","Win32_UTCTime","Win32_VideoConfiguration","Win32_VideoController","Win32_VideoSettings","Win32_VoltageProbe","Win32_Volume","Win32_VolumeChangeEvent","Win32_VolumeQuota","Win32_VolumeQuotaSetting","Win32_VolumeUserQuota","Win32_WindowsProductActivation","Win32_WMIElementSetting","Win32_WMISetting"};
Other than attaching the results of the WMI query to a generic list and binding to a DataList, that’s pretty much it. The end result is a web page that you can use to view system details via WMI:
As I’ve said, this is a very simple demonstration of WMI in Windows Azure. What would be more interesting is to see how someone might combine the ability to spin up asynchronous processes in Windows Azure (as described in my post How to Leverage the RoleEntryPoint in an Azure Web Role) that query data via WMI and centralize it in Azure storage (i.e. combining and centralizing all event logs) – that would be very cool!
In case anyone wants to take a look, I’ve uploaded the code to SkyDrive.
Enjoy!
