Calling Command Line Scripts from Application Monitors

Hi,

I have some scripts in Perl which I would like to use with SAM and am not sure if it is possible to do so. I understand that I can use Windows Script Host with PerlScript scripts, but the documentation available for PerlScript on the Internet is virtually non-existent. My best alternative otherwise appears to be to try to replicate the functionality in Powershell scripts, but this will also involve a lot of learning before I can make progress.

If there was a way within SAM to call a command line executable I could execute something like "perl.exe scriptname.pl" and ensure that the script returned a status code and other data as required by SAM, similar to the way SAM works with WSH scripts Is there a way of doing this?

Thanks,

Steven

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Accepted answers

lukas.belza

Hello,

We tested the Perl scripts in SAM using Windows Script Monitor and it works.

Download ActivePerl Community Edition (free) v5.16.0.1600 from http://www.activestate.com/activeperl/downloads
Test your script from the command line (cmd)

cscript //E:PerlScript TestScript.pl

Try to test script in SAM Windows Script Monitor with "Script Engine" setting set to PerlScript
Note: If PerlScript engine is installed as x64, it's necessary to swith the application/template to x64 mode (otherwise you get the error message that PerlScript engine can't be found).

Here is the example of very simple Perl script with correct output format for SAM:

print "Message.Value1: Hello World!\n";

print "Statistic.Value1: 1.0\n";

print "Message.Value2: This is the message for Value2\n";

print "Statistic.Value2: 2.0\n";

exit 0;

Kind Regards,

Lukas Belza (SolarWinds development)

All comments

aLTeReGo

There should be no need to call perl.exe directly. You can run Perl natively through the Windows Script monitor. Simply change the Script Engine from "vbscript" to "PerlScript" and copy your script into the script body. Provided it outputs the proper information in the correct format it should work.

If you find for some reason that you need to execute binaries to monitor something with SAM, we do include an example template called "Run 3rd party application" that should help get you started.

FormerMember

Thanks aLTeReGo - I've actually learned a bit more about PerlScript and WSH since posting my original message, and I'll mention the details below for any other Perl scripting Solarwinds users who might be unfamiliar with WSH/PerlScript seeing as there is so little documentation on the Internet. I fear that ActiveState may have given up maintaining the PerlScript engine.

One outstanding problem which may mean that I need to use the "Run 3rd party application" template is that I haven't found an instance of PerlScript that succesfully registers itself with WSH on 64 bit Windows Server 2008.

Before copy-n-pasting the script into a SolarWinds Monitor I was trying to get it working natively in Windows Script Host. I started with a simple "Hello World" script I found in the ActiveState Official PerlScript documentation (Rough Guide to Windows Script Host) but even from that got an obscure error message which was ultimately down to the file extension I'd used. I assumed that .pls was required (as is also implied by the Solarwinds documentation), but to run natively in Windows Script Host the file needs a .wsf extension.

If I get a working script I'll post it here.

lukas.belza

Hello,

We tested the Perl scripts in SAM using Windows Script Monitor and it works.

Download ActivePerl Community Edition (free) v5.16.0.1600 from http://www.activestate.com/activeperl/downloads
Test your script from the command line (cmd)

cscript //E:PerlScript TestScript.pl

Try to test script in SAM Windows Script Monitor with "Script Engine" setting set to PerlScript
Note: If PerlScript engine is installed as x64, it's necessary to swith the application/template to x64 mode (otherwise you get the error message that PerlScript engine can't be found).

Here is the example of very simple Perl script with correct output format for SAM:

print "Message.Value1: Hello World!\n";

print "Statistic.Value1: 1.0\n";

print "Message.Value2: This is the message for Value2\n";

print "Statistic.Value2: 2.0\n";

exit 0;

Kind Regards,

Lukas Belza (SolarWinds development)

FormerMember

Thanks Lukas, that does indeed work. I ended up using 64 bit Activeperl 5.14 in the end as the XML Parser was giving me problems with 5.16.

amstephen87

Lukas,

I am having a similar problem and I am trying to follow your response here. I have the script working on the solarwinds poller I am using to run it. I get out puts if I use per myscript.pl. When I try to use the command cscript //E:PerlScript TestScript.pl It gives me the error

C:\Windows\system32>cscript //E:PerlScript C:\scripts\myscript.pls

Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.8

CScript Error: Can't find script engine "PerlScript" for script "C:\scripts\myscript.pls".

I have also tried using the .pl file but it is similar. I seem to be seeing the it has not registered Perl as a script enginer for cscripts.

What do you sugguest I do here.

Regards,

amstephen87