Custom tools can be used to invoke any application to be run on client and server computers in the network by selecting any Active Directory account that is managed in DRA.
DRA supports two types of custom tools:
Custom tools that launch common desktop utilities, such as Microsoft Office
Custom tools that you create and distribute to each DRA client computer
You can create a custom tool that launches an anti-virus scan from all computers where DRA client is installed. You can also create a custom tool that launches an external application or a tool that requires DRA to update a script periodically. These periodic updates can be changes in the configuration or changes in the business rule. Subsequently, after the periodic updates, DRA replicates custom tools from the primary Administration server to any secondary Administration servers and DRA client computers.
To understand how custom tools get replicated in the server multi-master set, see File Replication.
You can create custom tools in the DRA Primary server by associating to either a selected Active Directory object or all Active Directory objects displaying in that create custom tool wizard. The same will be replicated to secondary servers in the MMS and to the DRA clients through file replication.
A new custom tool will create a menu and submenu, if required, to invoke the operation against the associated Active Directory object(s) in DRA.
You can delegate powers to assistant administrators to create and execute custom tools, and to access and run the application.
When creating a custom tool, you need to input the parameters, as follows:
Name: Any required customer name for the tool.
Menu and Submenu: To create a menu item for a new custom tool, enter the menu title in the Menu and Submenu Structure field. When you create a custom tool and select the object, DRA displays the custom tool menu item using the menu and submenu structure that you specify in the Tasks menu, the Shortcut menu, and the DRA toolbar.
Sample Menu and SubMenu structure: Type the menu item name, a backslash (\) character, and then the submenu item name.
To have short cut key: Type an ampersand (&) character before the name of the menu item.
Example: SendEmail\ApproveAction ---- SendEmail is the menu and ApproveAction is submenu with the with first letter “A” in ApproveAction being the short cut key enabled.
Enabled: Check this box to activate the custom tool.
Description:You can add any required description value.
Comment: You can add any required comments to the custom tool.
Select the required AD object or all the AD objects to which the created custom tool should get associated.
Current supported custom tool options include: Managed Domain, Containers, Users, Contacts, Groups, Computers, Organizational Unit, and Published Printers.
NOTE:Other newly introduced objects like Resource Mailbox, Dynamic Group, and Exchange Dynamic Group are not supported with Custom Tools.
Location of the application: You need to provide the path/location of the application where it is installed, either by copying and pasting the exact application path or through the Insert option.
This same path must already exist on all DRA servers in the MMS. If required, you can use File Replication to upload and replicate a file to a usable path on MMS servers before creating a new custom tool.
You can also use DRA variables, environment variables, and registry values to specify the location of the external application in the Location of the application field. To use these variables, click Insert, and select the variable you wish to use.
After you insert the variable, type a backslash (\) character, and then specify the rest of the path of the application, including the application executable file name.
Examples:
Example 1: To specify the location of an external application that the custom tool will run, select the environmental variable {%PROGRAMFILES%} and then specify the rest of the path of the application in the Location of the application field: {%PROGRAMFILES%}\ABC Associates\VirusScan\Scan32.exe
NOTE:DRA provides the Office Install Directory registry value as a sample. To specify a registry key that contains a path as a value, use the following syntax: {HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MyProduct\SomeKey\(Default)}
Example 2: To specify the location of a custom script file that the custom tool will run, select the DRA variable {DRA_Replicated_Files_Path}, and then specify the rest of the path of the script file in the Location of the application field: {DRA_Replicated_Files_Path}\cscript.vbs ; where {DRA_Replicated_Files_Path} is the replicated file path or the {DRAInstallDir}\FileTransfer\Replicate the folder in the Administration server.
NOTE:Before creating the custom tool, upload the script file to the primary Administration server using the file replication feature. The file replication feature uploads the script file to the {DRAInstallDir}\FileTransfer\Replicate folder in the primary Administration server.
Example 3: To specify the location of a DRA utility that the custom tool will run, select the DRA variable {DRA_Application_Path} and then specify the rest of the path of the utility in the Location of the application field: {DRA_Application_Path}\DRADiagnosticUtil.exe ; where {DRA_Application_Path} is the location where DRA is installed.
Example 4: Simply copy paste the location of application along with the application file name with extension.
Parameters to pass to the application: To define a parameter to pass to an external application, copy and paste or type one or more parameters in the Parameters to pass to the application field. DRA provides parameters that you can use in the Parameters to pass to the application field. To use these parameters, click Insert and select the parameter or parameters you wish to use. When providing object property as a parameter, ensure that assistant administrator has the required Read permission on the object property along with the Execute Custom Tools power to run the custom tool.
Examples:
Example 1: To pass group name and domain name as parameters to an external application or script, select the Object Property Name and Domain Property Name parameters and specify the parameter names in the Parameters to pass to the application field: "{Object.Name}" "{Domain.$McsName}"
Example 2: To pass the input parameter "ipconfig” for the application “C:\Windows\SysWOW64\cmd.exe” just type "{C:\Windows\SysWOW64\cmd.exe}" "{ipconfig}" in that field.
Directory where the application will run:This is the location where the application needs to run in the client or server machine. You need to pass the path where the application should be executed. You can also use the “Insert” option in the same way we pass the parameter for the field “Location of the application”. Other parameters in this tab are implicitly for explain explaining its usage.