Windows 10 – A Geeks World

Using Azure DNS for Dynamic DNS with PowerShell

I’ve been using DynDNS and other Free DNS Services for some time, but as they are getting harder and harder to use for free. Like you need to remember to logon and click a button once a month and what not. I figured it was time to migrate to Azure DNS instead. Being able to use PowerShell to handle my DNS together with everything I’ve already automated makes my life so much easier. And as I’ve already got a couple of domains and some Azure subscriptions there was more or less no increased cost for me. As you can see in the picture, Azure DNS Pricing is really cheap.

I’ve used Task Scheduler to scheduled the script below to run at Computer Startup on one of my Hyper-V Hosts at home, and then every hour. That guarantees that if there is a power failure and I get a new IP from my ISP, when the server boots, the external DNS pointers will be updated at once and just to be sure check every hour.

In short, the script checks your External IP and compares that to the IP of the hostname you want updated. If they are not identical, it will logon to Azure and update the hostname with your current IP.
Simple as that.

In my case, I’ve setup a UserName in AzureDNS who has access to just that DNSZone and are using that UserName in the script.

# Author Markus Lassfolk @ TrueSec 
# www.isolation.se   
# with some 'inspiration' from other scripts. 
#
# You need to have AzureRM modules installed to run this script
# https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/azure/install-azurerm-ps
# install-module AzureRM 
#
# Set your ZoneInfo and Azure settings 
$ZoneName = "isolation.se"
$HostName = "home" 

$azurelogin ="username@azureAD.onmicrosoft.com"
$azurepassword = "password"
$azureResourceGroup = "ResourceGroup"


# Don't modify below this
#
Import-Module AzureRM 
Import-Module AzureRM.Dns 

function get-myexternalip() {   
    $urls = "http://whatismyip.akamai.com",  
            "http://b10m.swal.org/cgi-bin/whatsmyip.cgi?just-ip",  
            "http://icanhazip.com",  
            "http://www.whatismyip.org/"; 
 
           $RxIP = "(\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3})"; 
           $ip = "Unknown"; 
           Foreach ($address in $urls) { 
               try { 
                    $temp = wget $address; 
                    $www_content = $temp.Content; 
                    if ( $www_content -match $RxIP ) { 
                        $ip = ([regex]($rxip)).match($www_content).Value 
                        break 
                    } 
               } catch { continue } 
           } 
    return $ip 
}
 

# Set the expected IP Address. Obtain this from a DNS query or set it statically.
$EI = [System.Net.Dns]::GetHostAddresses($HostName +"."+ $ZoneName) | Select-Object -ExpandProperty IPAddressToString

# Obtain the IP Address of the Internet connection.
$CheckNetwork = Test-NetConnection -CommonTCPPort HTTP freegeoip.net
if ($CheckNetwork.TcpTestSucceeded -eq $True) { 
    $ExternalIP = get-myexternalip
$IP = $ExternalIP


# If the external IP is not the same as for the HostName 
If ($IP -ne $EI) {

    $accountName = $azurelogin
    $password = ConvertTo-SecureString $azurepassword -AsPlainText -Force
    $credential = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential($accountName, $password)

    # Login to Azure
    Login-AzureRmAccount -Credential $credential 
    Select-AzureRmSubscription -SubscriptionObject $(Get-AzureRmSubscription)

    # Set IP for the HostName 
    New-AzureRmDnsRecordSet -Name $HostName -RecordType A -ZoneName $ZoneName -ResourceGroupName $azureResourceGroup -Ttl 600 -DnsRecords (New-AzureRmDnsRecordConfig -IPv4Address "$($IP)") -Overwrite -Confirm:$false

}
Else {
    Write-Output "Dynamic address ($IP) and DNS address ($EI) match."
}

}

# Author Markus Lassfolk @ TrueSec

# www.isolation.se

# with some 'inspiration' from other scripts.

# You need to have AzureRM modules installed to run this script

# https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/azure/install-azurerm-ps

# install-module AzureRM

# Set your ZoneInfo and Azure settings

$ZoneName = "isolation.se"

$HostName = "home"

$azurelogin ="username@azureAD.onmicrosoft.com"

$azurepassword = "password"

$azureResourceGroup = "ResourceGroup"

# Don't modify below this

Import-Module AzureRM

Import-Module AzureRM.Dns

function get-myexternalip() {

$urls = "http://whatismyip.akamai.com",

"http://b10m.swal.org/cgi-bin/whatsmyip.cgi?just-ip",

"http://icanhazip.com",

"http://www.whatismyip.org/";

$RxIP = "(\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3})";

$ip = "Unknown";

Foreach ($address in $urls) {

try {

$temp = wget $address;

$www_content = $temp.Content;

if ( $www_content -match $RxIP ) {

$ip = ([regex]($rxip)).match($www_content).Value

break

}

} catch { continue }

}

return $ip

}

# Set the expected IP Address. Obtain this from a DNS query or set it statically.

$EI = [System.Net.Dns]::GetHostAddresses($HostName +"."+ $ZoneName) | Select-Object -ExpandProperty IPAddressToString

# Obtain the IP Address of the Internet connection.

$CheckNetwork = Test-NetConnection -CommonTCPPort HTTP freegeoip.net

if ($CheckNetwork.TcpTestSucceeded -eq $True) {

$ExternalIP = get-myexternalip

$IP = $ExternalIP

# If the external IP is not the same as for the HostName

If ($IP -ne $EI) {

$accountName = $azurelogin

$password = ConvertTo-SecureString $azurepassword -AsPlainText -Force

$credential = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential($accountName, $password)

# Login to Azure

Select-AzureRmSubscription -SubscriptionObject $(Get-AzureRmSubscription)

# Set IP for the HostName

New-AzureRmDnsRecordSet -Name $HostName -RecordType A -ZoneName $ZoneName -ResourceGroupName $azureResourceGroup -Ttl 600 -DnsRecords (New-AzureRmDnsRecordConfig -IPv4Address "$($IP)") -Overwrite -Confirm:$false

}

Else {

Write-Output "Dynamic address ($IP) and DNS address ($EI) match."

}

You obviously need to migrate an existing or register a new DNS Zone to Azure and use Microsoft’s NameServers for this to work.

How to solve EVENT ID 1202 SceCli 0x57 Parameter is incorrect

Customer is repeatedly getting this Event ID on all Servers and Clients, especially on the Domain Controllers being logged every 5 minute.

Warning	1/26/2018 3:08:15 PM	SceCli	1202	None

Log Name:      Application
Source:        SceCli
Date:          1/26/2018 3:08:15 PM
Event ID:      1202
Task Category: None
Level:         Warning
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      SERVERNAME
Description:
Security policies were propagated with warning. 0x57 : The parameter is incorrect.

Advanced help for this problem is available on http://support.microsoft.com. Query for "troubleshooting 1202 events".
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="SceCli" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="32768">1202</EventID>
    <Level>3</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2018-01-26T14:08:15.607182700Z" />
    <EventRecordID>147038</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>Application</Channel>
    <Computer>SERVERNAME</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>0x57 : The parameter is incorrect.

Advanced help for this problem is available on http://support.microsoft.com. Query for "troubleshooting 1202 events".</Data>
  </EventData>
</Event>

Warning 1/26/2018 3:08:15 PM SceCli 1202 None

Log Name: Application

Source: SceCli

Date: 1/26/2018 3:08:15 PM

Event ID: 1202

Task Category: None

Level: Warning

Keywords: Classic

User: N/A

Computer: SERVERNAME

Description:

Security policies were propagated with warning. 0x57 : The parameter is incorrect.

Advanced help for this problem is available on http://support.microsoft.com. Query for "troubleshooting 1202 events".

Event Xml:

<Channel>Application</Channel>

<Computer>SERVERNAME</Computer>

</System>

<Data>0x57 : The parameter is incorrect.

Advanced help for this problem is available on http://support.microsoft.com. Query for "troubleshooting 1202 events".</Data>

</EventData>

</Event>

Searching for that Error gives thousands of results, most less helpful.The way I solved this problem was like this.

On one of the servers having the problem, run RSOP.MSC
Resultant Set of Policies showed a Warning on the Computer policies. Selecting properties there showed the same error as in our Event Log.
Browsing the Tree showed that there were a problem in the Password Policy section, from the Default Domain Policy.
Which were also visible in GPMC (Group Policy Management Console)
By modifying the Default Domain Policy and fixing the bad entries (no clue how they got there). The Error message (and problem) is now gone.

Disable ASUS Mini Bar (AsPowerBar.exe)

asusminibar Not 100% work related but computer related. I reinstalled my home PC last week and also installed the ASUS AI Suite 3 tools to make it easier with overclocking and handling the fans and pump for my custom liquid cooling system.

One annoying thing is the ASUS Mini Bar (also called ASPowerBar.exe if you check in Task Manager) that automatically starts. When you logon to Windows. Easy to remove I thought and just downloaded one of the best (and free!) tools ever, called Sysinternals Autoruns which makes it super easy to see and disable all programs that automatically starts for various reasons including the ones launched form Task Manager or as Shell Extensions.

But there was no reference at all to be found related to the Asus Mini Bar. Ehh? Well turned out that it was a lot easier than that.

asus

Just right click on the Asus AI Suite icon in the systray and remove the checkbox for ASUS Mini Bar! It’s the AI Suite tool that launches the Mini Bar…

I hope it can help someone else who’s like me digging through the Registry and Autorun folders and what ever else.

Enable driver verifier for all none-microsoft drivers with powershell

I’ve been doing some debugging for a customer, who has multiple industrial Client PC’s who are rebooting regularly. And to get more information in the memory dumps I had a need to configure the system to do a complete memory dump but also to enable extra verification of all drivers in the system to find the cause of the bluescreens.

Window has a built in tool called “Verifier” where you can enable extra checks on calls done by specific drivers. You generally don’t want to enable it on all drivers as that will slow down the system notable. And truthfully, the number of times it’s a Microsoft device driver who’s causing the issue is so small, because they check and stress test their drivers so much better than all the other vendors. Thus, it’s always better to enable the extra checks for all drivers, except the ones from Microsoft to start with.

As I didn’t want to run around to all the Client PC’s and configure verifier, I’ve made a small powershell script that reads the name of all none-microsoft drivers from the system and enabled verification for just those drivers. Which can then be execute in any number of ways.

It’s using both the Get-VMIObject and Get-WindowsDrivers to get a complete list of thirdparty drivers in the system. And it will also configure the system for a Complete Memory Dump.

# Get all Drivers in system and Enable Driver Verifier 

$driverquery = driverquery /si /FO CSV | ConvertFrom-CSV | where {$_.Manufacturer -notLike "*Microsoft*" -and $_.Manufacturer -notlike "*standard system devices*" -and $_.Manufacturer -notlike "(Standard*" -and $_.Manufacturer -notlike "Generic *"}
$inffiles = $driverquery | Select-Object -Property InfName | Where-Object { $_.InfName -like "*.inf" } 
$Sys =  foreach ($inffile in $inffiles) { 
      Select-String -Path $env:SystemRoot\inf\$($inffile.InfName) -Pattern ServiceBinary | select-string -Pattern \.SYS 
    } 
$drivers1 = $Sys.Line -replace ".*\\" | select -Unique | Sort-Object


$WindRivers = Get-WindowsDriver -Online 
$Sys =  foreach ($inffile in $WindRivers.Driver) { 
      Select-String -Path $env:SystemRoot\inf\$($inffile) -Pattern ServiceBinary | select-string -Pattern \.SYS 
    } 
$drivers2 = ($Sys.Line -replace ".*\\" | select -Unique)

[array]$alldrivers = $null
$alldrivers = ($drivers1 + $drivers2) | Sort-Object | Select-Object -Unique
# $alldrivers

& verifier /reset
& verifier /standard /driver $alldrivers /bootmode resetonbootfail

$regkeypath="HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl"
 #Write Debugging Info
 Set-ItemProperty -Path $regkeypath -Name "CrashDumpEnabled" -Value 1
 Set-ItemProperty -Path $regkeypath -Name "AutoReboot" -Value 1
 Set-ItemProperty -Path $regkeypath -Name "LogEvent" -Value 1
 Set-ItemProperty -Path $regkeypath -Name "Overwrite" -Value 1
 
Write-Output "Please reboot $ENV:COMPUTERNAME"

# Get all Drivers in system and Enable Driver Verifier

$driverquery = driverquery /si /FO CSV | ConvertFrom-CSV | where {$_.Manufacturer -notLike "*Microsoft*" -and $_.Manufacturer -notlike "*standard system devices*" -and $_.Manufacturer -notlike "(Standard*" -and $_.Manufacturer -notlike "Generic *"}

$inffiles = $driverquery | Select-Object -Property InfName | Where-Object { $_.InfName -like "*.inf" }

$Sys = foreach ($inffile in $inffiles) {

Select-String -Path $env:SystemRoot\inf\$($inffile.InfName) -Pattern ServiceBinary | select-string -Pattern \.SYS

}

$drivers1 = $Sys.Line -replace ".*\\" | select -Unique | Sort-Object

$WindRivers = Get-WindowsDriver -Online

$Sys = foreach ($inffile in $WindRivers.Driver) {

Select-String -Path $env:SystemRoot\inf\$($inffile) -Pattern ServiceBinary | select-string -Pattern \.SYS

}

$drivers2 = ($Sys.Line -replace ".*\\" | select -Unique)

[array]$alldrivers = $null

$alldrivers = ($drivers1 + $drivers2) | Sort-Object | Select-Object -Unique

# $alldrivers

& verifier /reset

& verifier /standard /driver $alldrivers /bootmode resetonbootfail

$regkeypath="HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl"

#Write Debugging Info

Set-ItemProperty -Path $regkeypath -Name "CrashDumpEnabled" -Value 1

Set-ItemProperty -Path $regkeypath -Name "AutoReboot" -Value 1

Set-ItemProperty -Path $regkeypath -Name "LogEvent" -Value 1

Set-ItemProperty -Path $regkeypath -Name "Overwrite" -Value 1

Write-Output "Please reboot $ENV:COMPUTERNAME"

Just to be safe, I’ve added /bootmode resetonbootfail so it will reset the verifier settings in case the system is bluescreening during boot due to verifier notificing a bad driver in the boot process.

Reboot the PC, get a big cold Coke and wait for the bluescreen to happen.

Addition to new-wifimac address script

A reader asked if there was a way to reset the mac-address to the original value after using my script to set a random MAC address. But also if it’s possible to schedule the script to run every XX minutes as the local coffee shop restricts internet access to 15 minutes per custo…ehh sorry, per MAC Address!

Here is a small function to reset the mac-address, by changing it to 00-00-00-00-00-00 windows will use the default hardware MAC Address of your card.

function reset-macaddress ($wifiadapter){ 
#    Write-Output "Wifi AdapterName: $wifiadapter" 
#    Write-Output "SSID: $ssid" 
#    Write-Output "New MAC Address to set: $newmac" 

    $oldmac = (Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter).MACAddress 
    Write-Output "OLD MAC Address: $oldmac" 

    Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Set-NetAdapter -MACAddress "00-00-00-00-00-00" -Confirm:$false
    Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Disable-NetAdapter -Confirm:$false
    Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Enable-NetAdapter -Confirm:$false
    $currentmac = (Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter).MACAddress 
    Write-Output "NEW (Original) MACAddress: $currentmac"  
}

function reset-macaddress ($wifiadapter){

# Write-Output "Wifi AdapterName: $wifiadapter"

# Write-Output "SSID: $ssid"

# Write-Output "New MAC Address to set: $newmac"

$oldmac = (Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter).MACAddress

Write-Output "OLD MAC Address: $oldmac"

Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Set-NetAdapter -MACAddress "00-00-00-00-00-00" -Confirm:$false

Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Disable-NetAdapter -Confirm:$false

Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Enable-NetAdapter -Confirm:$false

$currentmac = (Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter).MACAddress

Write-Output "NEW (Original) MACAddress: $currentmac"

}

Regarding the automatic scheduling of the script. There are a couple of different ways to do that with pros and cons. It’s for example possible to start the script with Windows Task Scheduler ever X minute or let it automatically run, sleep for XX minutes and then execute again, over and over again until you stop it.

It’s even possible to have Windows Task Scheduler monitor the Event log for new Wifi Connections and if there is a connection to the Coffee House WiFi network, then start the script.

But for now, I’ve just added a very basic Loop, which you can add to the script and execute. It will generate a new random MAC Address every 13 minute (13*60 = 780 seconds) and do that 4 times before you have to restart it or you can just adjust the numbers.

$Coffee = 0
    Do { 
        $ssid = (& netsh wlan show interfaces | Select-String ' SSID ' | Foreach-Object {$_.ToString()}).replace("    SSID                   : ","$null")
        $wifiadapter = (Get-NetAdapter | where Status -EQ "Up" | where MediaType -EQ "802.3" | where MacAddress -EQ (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration | Where { $_.IpEnabled -eq $true -and $_.DhcpEnabled -eq $true} | select *).MACAddress.replace(":","-")).Name
        $newmac = random-mac

        disconnect-wifi
        new-wifimac -wifiadapter $wifiadapter -ssid $ssid -newmac $newmac 
        test-wifi -probe www.msftncsi.com
        
   
        Write-Host "Waiting 13 minutes" 
        sleep -Seconds 780     # Set the interval at how often the script should run. 
        $Coffee += 1
        
    } While ($Coffee -lt 5)    # Increase this number to have to script run more times.

$Coffee = 0

Do {

$ssid = (& netsh wlan show interfaces | Select-String ' SSID ' | Foreach-Object {$_.ToString()}).replace(" SSID : ","$null")

$wifiadapter = (Get-NetAdapter | where Status -EQ "Up" | where MediaType -EQ "802.3" | where MacAddress -EQ (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration | Where { $_.IpEnabled -eq $true -and $_.DhcpEnabled -eq $true} | select *).MACAddress.replace(":","-")).Name

$newmac = random-mac

disconnect-wifi

new-wifimac -wifiadapter $wifiadapter -ssid $ssid -newmac $newmac

test-wifi -probe www.msftncsi.com

Write-Host "Waiting 13 minutes"

sleep -Seconds 780 # Set the interval at how often the script should run.

$Coffee += 1

} While ($Coffee -lt 5) # Increase this number to have to script run more times.

Change MAC Address with PowerShell of a Wireless Adapter

As I mentioned in my post a week ago, I’m commuting each day and there is a 200MB Quota on the Wireless Network. Luckily it’s based on the MAC Address of the WiFi Card, so it’s quite easy to get another 200MB Quota if you want 😉

wifi1

Here is my small powershell script that automatically Releases the IP Address, set’s a new random MAC Address and Re-Connects to the SSID, all done in a second or two.
Yay! Another 200MB Quota to burn.

function random-mac {   
    $mac = "02"
    while ($mac.length -lt 12) 
	{ 
		$mac += "{0:X}" -f $(get-random -min 0 -max 16) 
	} 
		
    $Delimiter = "-"
		for ($i = 0 ; $i -le 10 ; $i += 2) 
		{ $newmac += $mac.substring($i,2) + $Delimiter }
		$setmac = $newmac.substring(0,$($newmac.length - $Delimiter.length)) 
 $setmac
}


function disconnect-wifi { 
    $CurrentSSID = (& netsh wlan show profiles | Select-String 'Current User Profile' | Foreach-Object {$_.ToString()}).replace("    Current User Profile : ","$null")
    Write-Host "Current WLAN SSID: $CurrentSSID"  -ForegroundColor Yellow

    $WIFI = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration | Where { $_.IpEnabled -eq $true -and $_.DhcpEnabled -eq $true}
    Write-Host "Releasing IP addresses:" ($WIFI.IPAddress | select -first 1)  -ForegroundColor Yellow 
    $WIFI.ReleaseDHCPLease() | out-Null 

    # Make sure the Release have happened, else it give it 2 sec extra. 
    $WIFI = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration | Where { $_.IpEnabled -eq $true -and $_.DhcpEnabled -eq $true} 
    if ($WIFI.DefaultIPGateway -ne $Null) { 
    Write-Output "Release of IP Address had not completed, waiting 1 Seconds" 
    sleep -Seconds 2
    }

    Write-Host "Disconnecting from WiFi" -ForegroundColor Yellow 
    & netsh wlan disconnect | Out-Null
} 


function new-wifimac ($wifiadapter, $ssid, $newmac){ 

#    Write-Output "Wifi AdapterName: $wifiadapter" 
#    Write-Output "SSID: $ssid" 
#    Write-Output "New MAC Address to set: $newmac" 

    $oldmac = (Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter).MACAddress 
    Write-Output "OLD MAC Address: $oldmac" 

    if ($oldmac -like $newmac) {
        Write-Host "Old MAC and New MAC are identical, generating a new MAC Address" -ForegroundColor Red
        $newmac = random-mac
        Write-Output "New MAC Address to set: $newmac" 
        }

    Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Set-NetAdapter -MACAddress $newmac -Confirm:$false
    Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Disable-NetAdapter -Confirm:$false
    Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Enable-NetAdapter -Confirm:$false
    $currentmac = (Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter).MACAddress 
    Write-Output "NEW MAC Address: $currentmac" 

    Write-Host "Connecting to SSID: $ssid" -ForegroundColor Yellow 
    & netsh wlan connect name=$ssid ssid=$ssid

    $NoIP = 0
    Do { 
        $WIFI = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration | Where { $_.IpEnabled -eq $true -and $_.DhcpEnabled -eq $true}
        
        if ($WIFI.DefaultIPGateway -ne $null) { 
            $NoIP = 5
        }
        else {
            sleep -Seconds 2 
            Write-Host "Waiting for IP Address" 
            $NoIP += 1
        }
    } While ($NoIP -lt 5) 
    Write-Host "New IP addresses" ($WIFI.IPAddress | select -first 1)  -ForegroundColor Yellow 
}


function test-wifi ($probe){ 
    if (Test-NetConnection -ComputerName $probe -CommonTCPPort HTTP -InformationLevel Quiet) { 
        $result = "Working" 
    } 
    else { 
        $result = "NotWorking" 
    }
$result 
}


# Specify $SSID manually 
# $ssid = 'SSID-to-Connect-to' 
# 
# Or use the currently used SSID to reconnect to. 
$ssid = (& netsh wlan show interfaces | Select-String ' SSID ' | Foreach-Object {$_.ToString()}).replace("    SSID                   : ","$null")

# Specify WLAN Adapter Name Manually 
# $wifiadapter = 'vEthernet (External Wi-Fi)'
# 
# Or Try to identify the Wi-Fi Adapter 
$wifiadapter = (Get-NetAdapter | where Status -EQ "Up" | where MediaType -EQ "802.3" | where MacAddress -EQ (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration | Where { $_.IpEnabled -eq $true -and $_.DhcpEnabled -eq $true} | select *).MACAddress.replace(":","-")).Name

# Specify a MAC Address manually
# $newmac = "02-F4-D7-B2-FE-D8"
#
# Or generate a new Random MAC Address
$newmac = random-mac

disconnect-wifi
new-wifimac -wifiadapter $wifiadapter -ssid $ssid -newmac $newmac 
test-wifi -probe www.msftncsi.com

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function random-mac {

$mac = "02"

while ($mac.length -lt 12)

{

$mac += "{0:X}" -f $(get-random -min 0 -max 16)

}

$Delimiter = "-"

for ($i = 0 ; $i -le 10 ; $i += 2)

{ $newmac += $mac.substring($i,2) + $Delimiter }

$setmac = $newmac.substring(0,$($newmac.length - $Delimiter.length))

$setmac

}

function disconnect-wifi {

$CurrentSSID = (& netsh wlan show profiles | Select-String 'Current User Profile' | Foreach-Object {$_.ToString()}).replace(" Current User Profile : ","$null")

Write-Host "Current WLAN SSID: $CurrentSSID" -ForegroundColor Yellow

$WIFI = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration | Where { $_.IpEnabled -eq $true -and $_.DhcpEnabled -eq $true}

Write-Host "Releasing IP addresses:" ($WIFI.IPAddress | select -first 1) -ForegroundColor Yellow

$WIFI.ReleaseDHCPLease() | out-Null

# Make sure the Release have happened, else it give it 2 sec extra.

$WIFI = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration | Where { $_.IpEnabled -eq $true -and $_.DhcpEnabled -eq $true}

if ($WIFI.DefaultIPGateway -ne $Null) {

Write-Output "Release of IP Address had not completed, waiting 1 Seconds"

sleep -Seconds 2

}

Write-Host "Disconnecting from WiFi" -ForegroundColor Yellow

& netsh wlan disconnect | Out-Null

}

function new-wifimac ($wifiadapter, $ssid, $newmac){

# Write-Output "Wifi AdapterName: $wifiadapter"

# Write-Output "SSID: $ssid"

# Write-Output "New MAC Address to set: $newmac"

$oldmac = (Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter).MACAddress

Write-Output "OLD MAC Address: $oldmac"

if ($oldmac -like $newmac) {

Write-Host "Old MAC and New MAC are identical, generating a new MAC Address" -ForegroundColor Red

$newmac = random-mac

Write-Output "New MAC Address to set: $newmac"

}

Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Set-NetAdapter -MACAddress $newmac -Confirm:$false

Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Disable-NetAdapter -Confirm:$false

Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter | Enable-NetAdapter -Confirm:$false

$currentmac = (Get-NetAdapter -Name $wifiadapter).MACAddress

Write-Output "NEW MAC Address: $currentmac"

Write-Host "Connecting to SSID: $ssid" -ForegroundColor Yellow

& netsh wlan connect name=$ssid ssid=$ssid

$NoIP = 0

Do {

$WIFI = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration | Where { $_.IpEnabled -eq $true -and $_.DhcpEnabled -eq $true}

if ($WIFI.DefaultIPGateway -ne $null) {

$NoIP = 5

}

else {

sleep -Seconds 2

Write-Host "Waiting for IP Address"

$NoIP += 1

}

} While ($NoIP -lt 5)

Write-Host "New IP addresses" ($WIFI.IPAddress | select -first 1) -ForegroundColor Yellow

}

function test-wifi ($probe){

if (Test-NetConnection -ComputerName $probe -CommonTCPPort HTTP -InformationLevel Quiet) {

$result = "Working"

}

else {

$result = "NotWorking"

}

$result

}

# Specify $SSID manually

# $ssid = 'SSID-to-Connect-to'

# Or use the currently used SSID to reconnect to.

$ssid = (& netsh wlan show interfaces | Select-String ' SSID ' | Foreach-Object {$_.ToString()}).replace(" SSID : ","$null")

# Specify WLAN Adapter Name Manually

# $wifiadapter = 'vEthernet (External Wi-Fi)'

# Or Try to identify the Wi-Fi Adapter

# Specify a MAC Address manually

# $newmac = "02-F4-D7-B2-FE-D8"

# Or generate a new Random MAC Address

$newmac = random-mac

disconnect-wifi

new-wifimac -wifiadapter $wifiadapter -ssid $ssid -newmac $newmac

test-wifi -probe www.msftncsi.com

I’m using a Window 10 client with Hyper-V, and I’ve created a Virtual NIC for the WiFi adapter, that’s why it’s called ‘vEthernet (External Wi-Fi)’. But you should be able to use the script with a normal WiFi Adapter too.

I’m using a Virtual WiFi Adapter, to be able to give my Virtual Machines access to internet also when I’m without a LAN.

Here is the script for creating a Virtual WiFi NIC;

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName *hyper-v*all | Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature –Online -NoRestart -Verbose

Get-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi" | New-VMSwitch -Name "Uplink Switch WiFi" -Verbose -AllowManagementOS:$false -MinimumBandwidthMode Weight -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME
sleep -Seconds 5
Add-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -SwitchName "Uplink Switch WiFi" -Name "External Wi-Fi" -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME
Set-VMnetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -Name "External Wi-Fi" -MinimumBandwidthWeight 20 -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName *hyper-v*all | Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature –Online -NoRestart -Verbose

Get-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi" | New-VMSwitch -Name "Uplink Switch WiFi" -Verbose -AllowManagementOS:$false -MinimumBandwidthMode Weight -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

sleep -Seconds 5

Add-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -SwitchName "Uplink Switch WiFi" -Name "External Wi-Fi" -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Set-VMnetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -Name "External Wi-Fi" -MinimumBandwidthWeight 20 -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Block a Service (BITS) when on Wireless and specific Subnet

I’m commuting by train each day, working. The train has a free wireless network, but it’s limited to 200MB traffic, and is then reduced to snail speed. Luckily, it’s restricted by MAC-Address so it’s quite easy to get another 200MB when you run out 😉
Though, yesterday, I ran out of my 200MB quota in less than 7 minutes, which made me confused. A quick check confirmed what I suspected. Yepp, a new build of Windows 10 – fast ring is being downloaded and eating my quota.

Quick solution; create a Windows Firewall rule that blocks BITS from downloading stuff when on Wireless and using the trains subnet.

fw1

Here is the PowerShell syntax to create a similar rule.

# Block any inbound traffic from Service X on Wireless Network when using SubNet Y 
$Service = "BITS"
$SubNet = "10.101.0.0/16" 
New-NetFirewallRule -Name "Block $Service when on $SubNet / $Adapter" -DisplayName "Block $Service when on $SubNet" -Enabled True -Direction Inbound -Action Block -LocalAddress "$SubNet" -Service "$Service" -InterfaceType Wireless -Profile Public

# Block any inbound traffic from Service X on Wireless Network when using SubNet Y

$Service = "BITS"

$SubNet = "10.101.0.0/16"

New-NetFirewallRule -Name "Block $Service when on $SubNet / $Adapter" -DisplayName "Block $Service when on $SubNet" -Enabled True -Direction Inbound -Action Block -LocalAddress "$SubNet" -Service "$Service" -InterfaceType Wireless -Profile Public

Yay! No more problems with eating the quota while on the train.

Working with Virtual NIC’s in Windows

At times when I’m for example at a customer and need to connect my Laptop to different VLAN’s it’s really nice to add new virtual Network Cards (vNIC’s) on the fly, and be connected to multiple networks at the same time.

By transforming the Network Cards in your computer, into a virtual switch, and then add Virtual Network Cards connected to that switch, it’s possible to do a bit of network magic.

Here is a part of the script that I run each time I reinstall my PC’s to create the vNIC’s that I need and use the most. The script is also installing the software I need and doing some other minor changes (always a work in progress).

Pre-Requisits: Hyper-V Role installed

# Create a Switch for Ethernet Network 
Get-NetAdapter -Name "Ethernet" | New-VMSwitch -Name "Uplink Switch" -Verbose -AllowManagementOS:$false -MinimumBandwidthMode Weight -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME
Add-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -SwitchName "Uplink Switch" -Name "External LAN" -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME
Set-VMnetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -Name "External LAN" -MinimumBandwidthWeight 20 -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME 

# Create a Switch for WiFi Network 
Get-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi" | New-VMSwitch -Name "Uplink Switch WiFi" -Verbose -AllowManagementOS:$false -MinimumBandwidthMode Weight -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME
Add-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -SwitchName "Uplink Switch WiFi" -Name "External WLAN" -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME
Set-VMnetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -Name "External WLAN" -MinimumBandwidthWeight 20 -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

# Add a vNIC for VLAN11 on Physical Network Card
Add-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -SwitchName "Uplink Switch" -Name "VLAN11" -Verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME
Set-VMNetworkAdapterVlan -ManagementOS -Access -VlanId 11 -VMNetworkAdapterName "VLAN11" -Verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME
Set-VMnetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -Name "VLAN11" -MinimumBandwidthWeight 10 -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

# Add a vNIC for VLAN800 on Physical Network Card
Add-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -SwitchName "Uplink Switch" -Name "VLAN800" -Verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME
Set-VMNetworkAdapterVlan -ManagementOS -Access -VlanId 800 -VMNetworkAdapterName "VLAN800" -Verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME
Set-VMnetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -Name "VLAN800" -MinimumBandwidthWeight 10 -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

# Create a Switch for Ethernet Network

Get-NetAdapter -Name "Ethernet" | New-VMSwitch -Name "Uplink Switch" -Verbose -AllowManagementOS:$false -MinimumBandwidthMode Weight -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Add-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -SwitchName "Uplink Switch" -Name "External LAN" -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Set-VMnetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -Name "External LAN" -MinimumBandwidthWeight 20 -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

# Create a Switch for WiFi Network

Get-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi" | New-VMSwitch -Name "Uplink Switch WiFi" -Verbose -AllowManagementOS:$false -MinimumBandwidthMode Weight -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Add-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -SwitchName "Uplink Switch WiFi" -Name "External WLAN" -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Set-VMnetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -Name "External WLAN" -MinimumBandwidthWeight 20 -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

# Add a vNIC for VLAN11 on Physical Network Card

Add-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -SwitchName "Uplink Switch" -Name "VLAN11" -Verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Set-VMNetworkAdapterVlan -ManagementOS -Access -VlanId 11 -VMNetworkAdapterName "VLAN11" -Verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Set-VMnetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -Name "VLAN11" -MinimumBandwidthWeight 10 -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

# Add a vNIC for VLAN800 on Physical Network Card

Add-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -SwitchName "Uplink Switch" -Name "VLAN800" -Verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Set-VMNetworkAdapterVlan -ManagementOS -Access -VlanId 800 -VMNetworkAdapterName "VLAN800" -Verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Set-VMnetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -Name "VLAN800" -MinimumBandwidthWeight 10 -verbose -ComputerName $ENV:COMPUTERNAME

Thanks to my friend and colleague Mikael Nyström who showed me this a few years ago.