5 - Advanced WMI Scripting Techniques

Abstract

This chapter reveals that the Windows management instrumentation (WMI) scripting API offers many possibilities for performing various operations. Its versatility adds to its complexity in the sense that there are so many ways to perform an operation that it can sometimes be confusing. This chapter recommends that one should practice this technology to get a better working knowledge of the WMI scripting API. Throughout examination of WMI scripting, one has seen that it is possible to instantiate CIM classes or real-world manageable entities by using a moniker, or a series of WMI scripting APls. Moreover, the security can be set at different object levels of the WMI scripting API. In addition to these two aspects, it is also possible to combine the WMI scripting API with WMI query language (WQL) queries. The execution of the WMI operation can be performed synchronously or asynchronously. This provides many features and possibilities that can work together or separately. The ability to execute some WMI scripting API operations asynchronously is an important WMI feature because it enhances the responsiveness of a script.