If you’re finding this post, it’s possible (or maybe even likely) that you’ve tried to install KB2871690 onto a Generation 2 Windows Server 2012 virtual machine on a Hyper-V host, and the installation failed. For those of you that haven’t run into this issue yet, you will if you attempt to install this particular update on a Windows Server 2012 (or Windows 8.0) Gen2 VM. It’s very frustrating to have a few hundred VMs patch, reboot, and fail to install a particular update and restart again… and then have the update offered again, and go through the cycle yet again because the admin installing updates was unaware this update wasn’t going to work, the update wasn’t pulled from WSUS or SCCM, etc. It happens.
Monthly Archive: February 2014
Permanent link to this article: http://www.cluberti.com/blog/2014/02/17/kb2871690-hyper-v-server-2012-and-gen2-vms/
Feb 12
Enable RDP, firewall exceptions, and NLA settings via PowerShell and WMI (aka “the right way”)
I’ve come across quite a few folks over the years that enable RDP by setting the registry values to do so manually, and enabling firewall rules the same way (or disabling the firewall service itself, which is not supported by Microsoft, so don’t). While neither of these things are “the right way” to do it (I found this out from dealing with Microsoft support on this, and apparently doing it manually via the registry can cause issues), the right way isn’t really called out as such very well that I can find either.
I’ve created a very simple PowerShell script (I put it in my MDT and SCCM task sequences when deploying machines as one of the first things done after the OS is deployed) that enables RDP for the Administrators group, opens the right port on the firewall, and can also be used to set it to NLA only if $NLAEnable = 1. Credit where credit is due, the script below was based on a script that does this same thing here. Thanks Robin!
Permanent link to this article: http://www.cluberti.com/blog/2014/02/12/enable-rdp-firewall-exceptions-and-nla-settings-via-powershell-and-wmi-aka-the-right-way/