Anaconda Remote Installer

A PowerShell script that installs Anaconda on remote Windows machines via PowerShell remoting (WinRM).

Requirements

• Local machine: PowerShell 5.1+, Administrator privileges
• Remote machine: WinRM enabled, admin share accessible (\\hostname\C$)
• Network: DNS resolution, ICMP (ping), and WinRM (TCP 5985/5986) allowed

Usage

# Display help
.\Install-Anaconda.ps1
.\Install-Anaconda.ps1 -Help

# Install using hostname
.\Install-Anaconda.ps1 -ComputerName "SERVER01"

# Install using IP address
.\Install-Anaconda.ps1 -ComputerName "10.0.0.100"

Configuration

Edit these variables at the top of the script (lines 50-55):

Variable	Description	Default
NetworkSharePath	UNC path to installer location	\\SMB\Shared\
InstallerFilename	Anaconda installer filename	Anaconda3-2025.12-1-Windows-x86_64.exe
RemoteTempPath	Temp directory on remote machine	C:\Temp
AnacondaInstallPath	Anaconda install location	C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3
AddToPath	Add Anaconda to system PATH	$true
RegisterAsSystemPython	Register as default Python	$false

How It Works

Execution Flow

LOCAL MACHINE
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1. Administrator Check
   - Verifies script is running elevated
   - Exits with code 1 if not admin (red text)

2. Input Check
   - If no -ComputerName provided, displays help menu
   - If -Help flag used, displays help menu

3. Pre-flight Connectivity Checks (Test-TargetConnectivity)
   - DNS resolution ([System.Net.Dns]::GetHostEntry)
   - ICMP ping test (Test-Connection, 2 packets)
   - WinRM availability test (Test-WSMan)

4. File Copy via Admin Share (Copy-InstallerToRemote)
   - Checks/creates \\hostname\C$\Temp directory
   - Verifies source installer exists on network share
   - Copies installer via admin share (avoids double-hop)
   - Verifies file exists at destination

5. Remote Installation (Invoke-RemoteInstall)
         │
         ▼
REMOTE MACHINE (via Invoke-Command)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
6. Run Silent Installation
   - Executes: installer.exe /S /AddToPath=1 /D=<path>
   - Waits for process to complete
   - Captures NSIS exit code

7. Verify Installation
   - Checks if conda.exe exists in Scripts folder

8. Cleanup
   - Removes installer from C:\Temp

9. Return result object to local machine
         │
         ▼
LOCAL MACHINE
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
10. Display Remote Messages
    - Color-coded: Red=ERROR, Yellow=WARNING, Gray=INFO

11. Exit with Appropriate Code

Key Components

Pre-flight Checks (Test-TargetConnectivity)

Validates connectivity before attempting installation:

• DNS Test: Resolves hostname via [System.Net.Dns]::GetHostEntry
• Ping Test: Test-Connection with 2 ICMP packets
• WinRM Test: Test-WSMan verifies PowerShell remoting is available

File Copy (Copy-InstallerToRemote)

Copies installer to remote machine via admin share:

• Uses \\hostname\C$\Temp path (avoids WinRM double-hop issue)
• Creates destination directory if it doesn't exist
• Verifies source file exists before copying
• Confirms file arrived at destination after copy

Remote ScriptBlock ($Script:RemoteInstallScriptBlock)

Executes on the remote machine via Invoke-Command:

1. Verifies installer exists at C:\Temp
2. Builds installer arguments from configuration
3. Runs installer silently with Start-Process -Wait
4. Verifies conda.exe exists after installation
5. Cleans up installer file
6. Returns result object with exit code and messages

Main Function (Invoke-RemoteInstall)

Executes the remote scriptblock and handles results:

1. Calls Invoke-Command with the scriptblock
2. Displays color-coded messages from remote execution
3. Returns final exit code

Anaconda Silent Install Arguments

Switch	Description
/S	Silent mode (no GUI)
/AddToPath=1	Add to system PATH (0=no, 1=yes)
/RegisterPython=0	Register as system Python (0=no, 1=yes)
/D=<path>	Installation directory (must be last, no quotes)

Exit Codes

Code	Description
0	Success
1	Not run as Administrator
10	Target unreachable (ping failed)
11	DNS resolution failed
12	WinRM unavailable on target
13	Remote session failed
20	Failed to create temp directory
21	Source file not found
22	File copy failed
23	File copy verification failed
99	Unexpected error
101	NSIS: Installation cancelled by user
102	NSIS: Installation aborted (disk space, permissions, path)

NSIS Exit Codes

Anaconda uses NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System). NSIS codes are passed through as 100 + code:

• 0: Success
• 1: User cancelled
• 2: Script aborted (error during install)

Troubleshooting

"Cannot resolve hostname in DNS"

The hostname could not be resolved. Verify:

• Hostname is spelled correctly
• DNS server is reachable
• Host has a DNS record (try nslookup hostname)

"WinRM unavailable"

Enable WinRM on the remote machine:

Enable-PSRemoting -Force

"Failed to create temp directory" or "Access denied"

The admin share (\\hostname\C$) is not accessible. Verify:

• You have administrative rights on the remote machine
• File and Printer Sharing is enabled
• Admin shares are not disabled via Group Policy

"Source file not found"

Verify the installer path and filename:

• Check NetworkSharePath points to correct location
• Check InstallerFilename matches exactly, including .exe extension
• Verify you have read access to the network share

Installation succeeds but conda.exe not found

NSIS may report success when installation fails silently. Check:

• Sufficient disk space on remote machine
• Write permissions to install path
• Path length under 260 characters

📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - feel free to use, modify, and distribute.

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