UniversalDsc.Resource.Windows.Group 0.1.1

UniversalDsc.Resource.Windows.Group

A Universal DSC Resource for managing Windows local groups. This resource provides management of Windows local groups through Microsoft Desired State Configuration (DSC) v3 or running the executable standalone.

Features

• Create, update, and delete local Windows groups
• Manage group properties: name, description, and membership
• Configure group membership: add specific members, include/exclude members
• Support for users and groups as members
• Full integration with DSC v3 framework
• Support for get, set, test, delete, and export operations

Usage

Installation

dotnet tool install UniversalDsc.Resource.Windows.Group --global

dotnet tool install UniversalDsc.Resource.Windows.Group --tool-path mytools

Microsoft DSC v3 integration

The windows-group.exe can be executed through Microsoft DSC v3. Using dotnet.exe tool install doesn't automatically copy the windows-group.dsc.resource.json to the root directory. If you manually copy the file in the root, the DSC engine can pick it up.

The following code snippet can be run after the tool is installed:

$rootPath = Join-Path $env:USERPROFILE -ChildPath '.dotnet' -AdditionalChildPath 'tools'
$storePath = Join-Path $rootPath -ChildPath '.store' -AdditionalChildPath 'universaldsc.resource.windows.group'

$manifestFile = Get-ChildItem -Path $storePath -Recurse -Filter *.dsc.resource.json | Select-Object -First 1
Copy-Item -Path $manifestFile -Destination $rootPath

Configuration document example

The following example shows you how you can run a configuration document through dsc.exe:

# group.dsc.config.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: TestGroup
    type: UniversalDsc.Windows/Group
    properties:
      groupName: testgroup
      description: Test group for demonstration
      members: 
        - Administrator
        - testuser
  - name: PowerUsersGroup
    type: UniversalDsc.Windows/Group
    properties:
      groupName: PowerUsers
      description: Power Users with specific membership
      membersToInclude:
        - Administrator
      membersToExclude:
        - Guest

Run the following command to execute dsc.exe if you have it installed:

dsc config get --file group.dsc.config.yaml

Properties

• groupName (required): The name for the local group
• description (optional): Description for the group
• members (optional): Array of specific members that should be in the group (exact membership)
• membersToInclude (optional): Array of members to ensure are included in the group
• membersToExclude (optional): Array of members to ensure are excluded from the group
• exist (optional): Whether the group should exist (true/false, defaults to true)

Member management options

You can manage group membership in three ways:

1. Exact membership (members): Specifies the exact list of members. Any existing members not in this list will be removed.
2. Additive membership (membersToInclude): Ensures specified members are added to the group without affecting other existing members.
3. Exclusive membership (membersToExclude): Ensures specified members are removed from the group without affecting other members.

Examples

Create a group with specific members

windows-group.exe config set --input '{"groupName":"TestGroup","description":"Test group","members":["Administrator","testuser"]}'

Add members to an existing group

windows-group.exe config set --input '{"groupName":"PowerUsers","membersToInclude":["newuser"]}'

Remove specific members from a group

windows-group.exe config set --input '{"groupName":"PowerUsers","membersToExclude":["Guest"]}'

Check if a group exists and get its current state

windows-group.exe config get --input '{"groupName":"TestGroup"}'

Test if a group is in desired state

windows-group.exe config test --input '{"groupName":"TestGroup","members":["Administrator"]}'

Export all local groups

windows-group.exe config export

Additional information

• Install Microsoft DSC v3