Review

In this chapter, I've shown you how different WMI classes can be related to one another through associator classes. I've also introduced you to the WQL ASSOCIATORS OF query, which allows you to query those relationships. You've learned how to use Wbemtest to test your queries, incorporate your queries into a script, and then utilize the query results to perform administrative tasks.

By now, you should have a solid understanding of how WMI works from within a script, and how you can use it to both query and modify configuration settings within your computers. You should feel comfortable working with the simpler queries that Scriptomatic or the PrimalScript WMI Query Wizard can generate for you, and you should be comfortable writing more complex queries that utilize WMI associations and class relationships. As always, of course, the toughest part about WMI is figuring out which classes to query, but hopefully by now you're becoming comfortable with the WMI class reference in the MSDN Library, and you're able to browse through the class list and select the appropriate classes.

COMING UP

You've seen how to work with all kinds of WMI information, so it's time to pull everything together into a complete script. In the next chapter, I'll provide you with two complete WMI and ADSI sample scripts, so you can see how these technologies are used in real-world situations. Then, in Part IV, I'll show you how to leverage everything you've learned so far to create Web-based administrative scripts that make a great addition to your administrative utility belt.