Jet Mariano

Tag: IT Automation

  • Cloning a VM with PowerShell and VMware PowerCLI

    Intro

    When you need to quickly spin up a test or lab machine, cloning an existing VM can save hours compared to building from scratch. VMware PowerCLI brings the full power of vSphere management into PowerShell. Here’s a simple walkthrough.

    Step 1 — Install VMware PowerCLI

    Open PowerShell as administrator and run:

    Install-Module -Name VMware.PowerCLI -Scope CurrentUser
Import-Module VMware.PowerCLI

    This installs the official VMware module and loads it into your session.

    Step 2 — Connect to vCenter

    You’ll need credentials for your vCenter server.

    Connect-VIServer -Server <vcenter-server.domain> -User <username> -Password '<password>'

    Step 3 — Clone an Existing VM

    Pick the source VM, target VM names, host, and datastore. Example:

    # Define source VM
$sourceVM = "Base-Win10-VM"

# Clone to new VM
New-VM -Name "Test-VM01" -VM $sourceVM `
       -VMHost (Get-VMHost -Name <target-host>) `
       -Datastore (Get-Datastore -Name <datastore-name>) `
       -Location (Get-Folder -Name "VMs")
    • -VM points to the existing machine you’re cloning.
    • -VMHost pins the new VM to a specific ESXi host.
    • -Datastore chooses where to store the VM’s disks.
    • -Location defines the vCenter folder for organization.

    Step 4 — Power On the New VM

    Start-VM -VM "Test-VM01"

    Final Reflection

    PowerCLI makes cloning fast, repeatable, and scriptable. Instead of clicking through vSphere UI screens, you can prepare test VMs with a single command.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • How to Bypass Spam Filtering for Internal Senders Using PowerShell

    Intro:
    When internal emails from trusted coworkers suddenly stop showing up in your focused inbox or fail to trigger your Outlook rules, it’s easy to miss critical messages. In my case, one sender was previously blocked due to a spoofing incident, and although removed from the block list, her messages were still bypassing my folder rules—buried in the inbox. Message Trace confirmed the emails were delivered, but not filtered correctly. Here’s how I resolved the issue using PowerShell.

    🔍 Problem Recap:

    Despite the sender being trusted and allowed, her emails:

    • Skipped my Outlook inbox rules
    • Did not show up in Focused Inbox or designated folders
    • Were confirmed delivered via Message Trace
    • Were previously on the Blocked Sender List, but later removed

    The Exchange Admin Center (EAC) didn’t offer the flexibility I needed to create an accurate spam bypass rule. So I switched to PowerShell.

    🛠️ Solution: Create a Transport Rule via PowerShell

    Instead of struggling with the limited dropdowns in the modern Exchange portal, I used the New-TransportRule cmdlet to create a spam filter bypass rule in just a few lines.

    Here’s how:

    Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName [email protected]

New-TransportRule -Name "Bypass Spam Filtering from Trusted Senders" `
  -From '[email protected]','[email protected]' `
  -SetSCL -1

    What it does:

    • Matches emails from the listed senders
    • Sets SCL (Spam Confidence Level) to -1, meaning “do not treat as spam”
    • Ensures messages bypass all anti-spam filters and go straight to your inbox

    ⚡ Why Use PowerShell?

    The new Exchange Admin Center UI (EAC) lacks direct options to set SCL or bypass spam filtering with precision. PowerShell:

    • Provides full control
    • Is faster and more reliable
    • Allows batch configuration
    • Gives access to legacy controls like -SetSCL

    🔐 Notes:

    • Email addresses in the example are redacted for privacy
    • Make sure you have the Exchange Online PowerShell v3 module installed
    • You can verify the rule with:
    Get-TransportRule "Bypass Spam Filtering from Trusted Senders" | Format-List Name, From, SetSCL

    Conclusion:
    PowerShell remains the most powerful tool in any IT administrator’s arsenal—especially when the GUI can’t keep up. If you ever run into stubborn mail delivery or spam issues, consider creating targeted transport rules using PowerShell. It’s fast, clean, and gets the job done without frustration.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

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