running a batch file over two networks

[wirenut]

currently im running a batch file to automate backing up some important machine data. until now all machines were on the same internal network for ex 172.11.11.11. well now i have two machines that have been shipped half way across the country and on there own network which means the machines are not getting back up unless i do it manually. i do know the ip addresses of those two machines and can connect to them. but i cant seem to get my batch file to connect them anylonger. any suggestions?

[GroundZero3]

Curious have you tried the scheduling option with the built in backup feature in windows?

As for the computer being on another network, with routers and firewalls that is what is blocking your ability to access the computer. Do you have the ability to remote control the machine at all?

[wirenut]

yeah i can see everything on the d drive through network places on both the machines that are here and the two that are in newark. in the batch file there isnt any ip addresses used since the machines are all on the same network - or were until recently. i didnt write the batch file i simply inherited it so to speak.

[wirenut]

here is the script they insist on using with astericks representing machine ID's
thanks for any help you can give.


@echo off
SETLOCAL ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION
::for consistant time on all the machines. some machines have nt < sp3
for /F "TOKENS=1* DELIMS= " %%A IN ('DATE /T') DO SET DATE=%%B
for /F "TOKENS=*" %%A IN ('TIME /T') DO SET TIME=%%A
rem set variables
set data_dir=c:\anv_backup
set tstamp=%date% %time%
:main
for %%a in (T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 Q1 Q2 Q3) do (
if %%a==T2 set ka=*****
if %%a==T3 set ka=*****
if %%a==T4 set ka=*****
rem T1's ANV computer is installed on T5
if %%a==T5 set ka=*****
rem T5 normal ANV
rem if %%a==T5 set ka=*****
if %%a==T6 set ka=*****
if %%a==T7 set ka=*****
if %%a==T8 set ka=*****
if %%a==T9 set ka=*****
if %%a==Q1 set ka=*****
if %%a==Q2 set ka=*****
if %%a==Q3 set ka=*****
echo %tstamp% starting up application backup. >>anv_backup.log
rem create data directory if one dosen't exist.
if not exist %data_dir%\%%a ( mkdir %data_dir%\%%a
) else echo.
rem compress data
7za a -tzip %data_dir%\%%a\%%a_ANV_%DATE:~0,2%_%DATE:~3,2%_%DA TE:~6,4%.zip \\A!ka!\d$\anv\*.*
if exist %data_dir%\%%a\%%a_ANV_%DATE:~0,2%_%DATE:~3,2%_%DA TE:~6,4%.zip (echo Backup %%a complete. >>anv_backup.log
) else echo %tstamp% ANV Application Backup %%a failed. >>anv_backup.log

rem delete up all but the last 3 backups
for /f "skip=3 delims=" %%a in ('dir /o-d /b %data_dir%\%%a\*.zip') do (del %data_dir%\%%a\%%a)
)
:end

[GroundZero3]

We need a lot more information on the other network and your network. You said it was across the country which means its not a simple using computer names to copy files using batch files. You dont have direct access to the remote machine on other networks unless you have some sort VPN setup. Or maybe im confused which happens often.

[quickoldcar]

Take a look at pstools
PsTools

Look into using psexec and using it for a remote machine.
PsExec

microsoft has a live version I just noticed that can just link to
Windows Sysinternals: Documentation, downloads and additional resources

systeminternals forums for pstools
PsTools - Sysinternals Forums - Page 1

The way it goes something like this:

psexec handles the connection and being able to handle applications over a server remotely, this includes a bat file. There are switches for different types of permissions, designation of script or file, username, password, file location

Gonna have to allow it still to be able to connect as well. Also the permissions.

I suggest reading up on it as it's a very handy tool and can do a lot having it.

Just for instance, on my website I made a thumbserver, if the thumb isn't found it silently runs command in background, the cmd executes through psexec and opens an instance of firefox also in the background, takes a snapshot and saves it to a folder.

Drop psexec.exe same folder.

I'll even show you a sample of my code if helps any, of course you have something different.

//silently execute exe command function - change windows to unix if need to
function execInBackground($cmd) {
if (substr(php_uname(), 0, 7) === "Windows"){
pclose(popen("start /B ". $cmd, "r"));
}
else {
exec($cmd . " > /dev/null &");
}

exec("Psexec.exe -i -d ./firefox/firefox.exe -savepng $finalurl -savedelay 3000");
//psexec -accepteula D:\AppServ\www\firefox\firefox.exe -savepng Google


Like I said may not help showing my code, but gives you an idea what you can do with psexec. Would also need to go to the apache service and allow log on interaction or user name and password.

[wirenut]

ok ill check into the PStools thing when i get back to work. i was trying to come up with a way to use the ip address in the current batch file. I have tried to put the ip addy of the target machine in the following line just before the path of where the data is that needs to be backed up for ex

7za a -tzip %data_dir%\%%a\%%a_ANV_%DATE:~0,2%_%DATE:~3,2%_%DA TE:~6,4%.zip 10.10.10.10.10\\A!ka!\d$\anv\*.*

but this did not work of course. although i understand the concept and some of the commands used in the batch file its been a long long time since i had to do any of this.
again thanks for the help and any further suggestions

[rcwabbits]

What about \\10.10.10.10\d$\anv\

[GroundZero3]

That (10.10.10.10) is a private network ip address which cant be routed over the internet

[Nude_Lewd_Man]

I may have missed something in reading this, but:
1) Can't you get the remote machines to connect to the 'main' network using VPN?
2) If you're only using IP address/es, then if that remote machine gets a different IP address assigned to it, then your batch script will be borked again - it'd be much better to use a DNS/WINS name to resolve to the current IP of the machine/s instead.

[wirenut]

Thanks for the suggestions so far!
Nude Lewd the IP addy is a static one so the batch file will not get borked due to a dynamic IP and I cant just install a VPN on the customers network they would get pretty irate with me for that.

rcwabbits I tried that and it did not work!!


what I dont understand is -- if I can see and access the shared D$ drives on the two machines why cant the batch/script file see access the machines????? the batch/script file executes from the same PC that I use to access the two machines that were moved.
One other thing I have noticed is that any time I try to zip compress those target files on the machines that were moved, winzip times out with an interrupt error.

[Nude_Lewd_Man]

Perhaps the script is running with credentials that don't have permissions on one/both of the computers..as the D$ share will be an 'admin' share, so it is likely that (unless permissions have been tweaked) it won't have access to the location.. Also, bear in mind that if there are any spaces in the target location/s, then the script may have an issue with that - unless you've wrapped the location/s in speech marks...

It might help if you can post the locations in the script and also the error message you're seeing...

[wirenut]

Thanks for the quick reply!
I dont think its a permissions thing due to the batch file worked just fine on the machines when they were here in my building. The only thing that has changed is that the target machines have been moved halfway across the country so im kinda stuck????? I dont get an error message or I havent seen one yet. I will check the logs and see if it has one.

[wirenut]

thanks for all the help everyone. its finally been resoved. i wound realizing i was editing the wrong script. although the two were similar the one i was editing was not the one i needed to edit. rcwabbits had it correct by eliminating the A!ka! and using the ip addy.

move \\10.10.10.10\d$\anv\data\*.* %data_dir%\%%aANV\%date:~10,4%_%date:~4,2%_%date:~ 7,2%

thanks everyone again for all the help i greatly appreciated it

[Nude_Lewd_Man]

I've done that before, but luckily it was only a (very) minor difference, and the script was working anyway..

Glad to hear it is working now/again...