End User Scheduler API

1 The web service

There is a web service GetComputersWithDoNotRun that returns a list of objects for computers which have chosen not to run the deployment.

The web service GetComputersWithDoNotRun takes one value, the ID of the End User Scheduler (endUserScheduleId, a whole number).

Replace [Your_SoftwareCentral_Address] with the address of your SoftwareCentral web server.

2 The fields returned

The returned object, WS_ComputerObject, contains the following data:

3 PowerShell example

The example calls the web service with the ID of the End User Scheduler and prints the result.

# Web Service Parameters Start
[int]$endUserScheduleId = 1
# Web Service Parameters End

# The object that will make the call to the Web Service
$proxy = New-WebServiceProxy -Uri "http://[Your_SofwareCentral_Address]/SWCWebservices/CustomWebServices.asmx" -Class "Proxy" -UseDefaultCredential

# Call the Web Service
$listOfComputers = $proxy.GetComputersWithDoNotRun($endUserScheduleId)

# Print the result if any
foreach ($computer in $listOfComputers)
{
    Write-Host $computer.ResourceID
    Write-Host $computer.ComputerName
    Write-Host $computer.Username
    Write-Host $computer.Reason
    Write-Host $computer.TimestampUTC
}

Replace the value 1 with the ID of your End User Scheduler. -UseDefaultCredential sends the Windows credentials of the account that runs the script.

4 How the list is built

• A computer is listed when it has a Reason recorded for the deployment. A computer without a reason is not listed.
• The list comes from the status of the End User Scheduler on the site that SoftwareCentral is connected to.
• TimestampUTC is converted to UTC before it is returned.
• If the call fails, the web service returns an empty list. It does not return an error and writes nothing to the log. An empty list therefore means either that nobody has chosen not to run, or that the call failed.

5 Best practice

• Do not poll too often. Each call reads the whole status list of the End User Scheduler, so call the web service at a sensible interval rather than in a tight loop.
• Convert the time before you show it. TimestampUTC is in UTC, so convert it to local time before you show it to a user.
• Check the ID first. Use the ID of the End User Scheduler you mean. A wrong ID gives an empty list, not an error.
• Know who the call runs as. The example sends the Windows credentials of the account that runs it. Run the script under an account that is meant to read this list.

6 Troubleshooting