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vinaypamnani edited this page Oct 6, 2017 · 1 revision

Requirements

Known Issues

  • Asynchronous mode currently applies only for Class and Instance enumeration. Search and Query execution is synchronous.
  • Cached instance is not updated after clicking on ‘Refresh Object’.
  • root\directory\LDAP namespace is excluded from Search because enumeration of objects in this namespace can take a very long time and can even return "Quota Violation" error.
  • Scripting: PowerShell script execution through WMI Explorer requires PowerShell v2 or above.
  • Method Execution: Methods requiring input parameters of Object or Reference data type are currently not supported.

Usage

Connecting to a Computer:

To connect to a computer/path, you can type the name of the computer or the path, and click on the Connect button. To connect to the local computer, you can leave the Computer name field blank. By default, the name(s) of the computers you have successfully connected to are remembered and will get re-populated (as Disconnected) when you re-launch WMI Explorer. To disable this, you can uncheck “Remember previously connected Computer names and paths” option under File > Preferences. To connect to a disconnected node, you can either double click on the node or right click and select Connect.

To connect to a computer/path using alternate credentials, go to File > Connect As. Credentials are not saved and are only used during the current session. To connect to a disconnected node using alternate credentials, right click on the disconnected node and select Connect As.

SMS Mode:

SMS Mode provides some additional features for System Center Configuration Manager client and SMS Provider namespaces. SMS Mode is enabled by default, and can be disabled by unchecking “Enable SMS Mode” under the File menu.

If SMS Client is installed, right clicking the root\CCM namespace provides an option to Initiate Client Actions. If SMS Provider is installed, right clicking the SMS Provider namespace (root\SMS\Site_) provides additional enumeration options to Exclude Collection and Inventory classes.

Viewing WMI Provider Information:

To view currently loaded WMI Providers, you can right click on the root node and select Show WMI Provider Host Information. This will pop-up a new window displaying information about currently loaded WMI Providers including the Process ID and namespace.

Caching:

Classes and Instances are cached after they get enumerated. By default, cached objects are retained for 60 minutes. You can however change the cache age from File > Preferences > Cache Age.

NOTE: Changing the Cache Age requires the application to restart.

Enumeration Mode:

In Asynchronous mode, classes and instances are enumerated in the background allowing you to continue using WMI Explorer while classes/instances get enumerated. After enumeration is complete, the class/instance will be highlighted in green. Additionally, Asynchronous mode allows you to cancel enumeration if you right click the enumerating class/instance and select Cancel Enumeration. Cancel Enumeration option is only available when you right click a class or instance that is currently being enumerated. Asynchronous mode currently only applies to Class and Instance enumeration. Search and Query execution is still synchronous.

In Synchronous mode, classes and instances are not enumerated in the background and you see an hourglass while classes/instances get enumerated. After enumeration is complete, you can continue using WMI Explorer.

NOTE: Most firewalls do not allow Asynchronous WMI calls, and as a result you may see objects getting stuck indefinitely in Enumerating state when attempting to enumerate classes/instances for a remote computer. If this happens, you can cancel the enumeration by right clicking the class/instance and selecting Cancel Enumeration, and switch to Synchronous mode to enumerate objects for the remote computer.

Executing a Method:

Methods are executed synchronously. Static methods do not require an instance of the class, however non-static methods do. To execute a Static method, right click the class, go to Execute Methods and select the method to execute. To execute a non-static method, right click the instance, go to Execute Methods and select the method to execute.

In the Execute Method pop-up window, specify the input parameters and click on Execute to execute the method. Note that input parameters of type Object or Reference are currently not supported and methods with such input parameter cannot be executed.

Enumerating Objects:

Namespaces – Root namespaces are displayed after connecting to the computer. Child namespaces are enumerated after clicking on a namespace.

Classes – To enumerate classes for a namespace, right click the namespace and select Enumerate Classes. Alternatively, you can double click the namespace to enumerate classes for the namespace.

Class Properties – To enumerate properties of a class, click on the class. Properties of the selected class are populated in Properties tab.

Methods – To enumerate methods for a class, click on the class. Methods for the selected class are populated in the Methods tab.

Instances – To enumerate instances for a class, right click the class and select Enumerate Instances. Alternatively, you can double click the class to enumerate instances for the class.

Instance Properties – To enumerate properties for an instance, click on the Instance.

Filtering Objects:

To filter the list of classes, there are two options: Enumeration filter and Quick filter. Enumeration filter is applied before classes are enumerated, however Quick filter can be applied after the classes are enumerated.

To filter the list of instances, the only option is to use Quick filter.

You can specify a partial string for both Enumeration and Quick filter. Enumeration filters support wildcards. Quick filters do not support wildcard and require you to specify at least 3 characters before the list is filtered. Both filters support specifying ! as the filter prefix to perform a NOT filter.

Examples: To list all classes with name starting with ‘Win32’ and ending with ‘System’ use Enumeration filter – Win32%System To list all classes with name containing the word ‘System’ use Enumeration or Quick filter – System To list all classes that do not contain the word ‘System’ use Enumeration or Quick filter – !System

NOTE: Filter patterns are case insensitive.

Automatic Update Check:

WMI Explorer can check if a new version is enabled, however automatic update check is disabled by default. To enable update checking, go to File > Preferences and check “Automatically check for updates on launch”.

You can manually check if a new version is available from Help > Check for Updates.

Queries:

Queries are executed synchronously. A query is automatically generated for the selected class or instance and can be executed by clicking the Execute button in the WQL Query (Selected Object) pane. Automatically generated query cannot be modified. To run a custom query, go to the Query tab, specify the query and click on the Execute button. Output of the query can be viewed in a Data Grid or List view.

Scripting:

To automatically create a script, select the desired class and go to the Script tab. Click on the appropriate radio button (VBScript or PowerShell) to generate the script. You can run the script and display the output in Command Prompt window or in a text file. You can also save the script by clicking on Save Script button.

Searching:

Searching is performed synchronously. To perform a search, go to the Search tab. Select the desired option (Classes, Methods or Properties), specify the search criteria and click on the Search button or hit Enter. Search criteria is a partial string and does not support wildcard characters (%). Search criteria is case insensitive.

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