Overview

This article provides instructions for creating a batch script to update a configuration file with a new IP address, deploying it via Group Policy Object (GPO), and ensuring successful execution on target machines.

Batch Script: Update IP Address in Configuration File

Script File Content

Note: Save the following script as a .bat file (e.g., update_ip.bat)

@echo off
REM Define the file path and new IP address
set "filePath=C:\Program Files\Vembu\VembuIntegrationService\conf\ephost.conf"
set "newIP=192.168.1.100"

REM Generate a timestamp in the format DayMMDD_YYYY_HHMMSS
for /f "tokens=1-4 delims=/-:., " %%a in ('echo %date% %time%') do (
    REM Get the day abbreviation
    for /f "tokens=1 delims= " %%x in ('echo %date%') do set "dayAbbreviation=%%x"
    REM Extract the month, day, year, and time components
    set "monthDay=%%b%%c"
    set "year=%%a"
    set "timePart=%%d"
)
REM Extract seconds from %time%
for /f "tokens=1-2 delims=:" %%a in ("%time%") do set "seconds=%%b"
REM Combine components to create the timestamp
set "timestamp=%dayAbbreviation%%monthDay%_%year%_%timePart%%seconds%"
REM Create a backup file name with the timestamp
set "backupFile=%filePath%.%timestamp%.bak"

REM Check if the original file exists
if not exist "%filePath%" (
    echo File not found: "%filePath%"
    pause
    exit /b 1
)
REM Create a backup of the original file
copy "%filePath%" "%backupFile%" >nul
if errorlevel 1 (
    echo Failed to create a backup of the file.
    pause
    exit /b 1
)
echo Backup of the original file created: "%backupFile%"

REM Replace the content of the file with the new IP
(
    echo %newIP%
) > "%filePath%"
if errorlevel 1 (
    echo Failed to update the file with the new IP address.
    pause
    exit /b 1
)
REM Success message
echo Successfully replaced the IP in %filePath% with %newIP%.
pause

Input Parameters

• filePath: Path to the configuration file to be updated (e.g., C:\Program Files\Vembu\VembuIntegrationService\conf\ephost.conf).
• newIP: The new IP address to replace the existing content (e.g., 192.168.1.100).

Deploying the Batch Script via GPO

1. Place the Script on a Shared Network Location

1. Save the batch file to a shared folder accessible by target machines (e.g., \\ServerName\SharedFolder\update_ip.bat).
   

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can efficiently deploy the batch script to update configuration files across multiple machines using GPO. This approach ensures a seamless update process while maintaining a backup of the original configuration.