PowerShell App-V 5.0 SP3 server install

Question

I'm trying to make this script work which automates App-V 5.0 installation using PowerShell. I'm installing it on Windows Server 2012 R2 With SQL 2012. Whenever it reaches Invoke-Expression $installappv, nothing happens. I can see the setup file start for a few seconds in task manager, but nothing gets installed. Please help.

.\AppVInstall\AppVServer\appv_server_setup.exe /layout
$appvconf = Get-Content .\AppVInstall\AppVServer\AppV_Conf.ini
$appvparameters = $appvconf -join " "
$installappv = ".\AppVInstall\AppVServer\appv_server_setup.exe" + " " + $appvparameters
Invoke-Expression $installappv

This is the contents of the file ".\AppVInstall\AppVServer\AppV_Conf.ini"

/QUIET 
/ACCEPTEULA 
/MANAGEMENT_SERVER
/MANAGEMENT_ADMINACCOUNT="XXXX.local\XXXXX" 
/MANAGEMENT_WEBSITE_NAME="Microsoft App-V Management Service" 
/MANAGEMENT_WEBSITE_PORT="80" 
/DB_PREDEPLOY_MANAGEMENT 
/MANAGEMENT_DB_SQLINSTANCE_USE_DEFAULT
/MANAGEMENT_DB_NAME="AppVManagement" 
/PUBLISHING_SERVER /PUBLISHING_MGT_SERVER="testappvsvr.XXXX.local:80"; 
/PUBLISHING_WEBSITE_NAME="Microsoft AppV Publishing Service" 
/PUBLISHING_WEBSITE_PORT="81"

Answer 1

Invoke-Expression is treating your string like 2 commands because of the semi-colon.

Consider the following statements.

Example 1

PS C:\temp> Invoke-Expression "echo test;stuff test"
test
stuff : The term 'stuff' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, ....output truncated...

Example 2

PS C:\temp> Invoke-Expression "echo 'test;stuff test'"
test;stuff test

In the first example the semicolon is not escaped or encased in quotes. It is a line terminator in PowerShell so it is treating 'stuff test' as its own command stuff with test as an argument. I don't have a cmdlet or exe called stuff so I get an error. I think that's what happening to you. A chunk of your parameters are not being sent to appv_server_setup.exe .

In the second example the semicolon is in single quote so the entire string is output on one line.

I don't know if it needs to be there but that semicolon has to be addressed somehow so that Invoke-Expression does not see it all by its lonesome.

Perhaps you can wrap all the arguments in one set of quotes.

$appvparameters = "'$($appvconf -join "' '")'"

Answer 2

@Matt I figured out the problem. The setup doesn't except changes to the default port numbers from the INI. Those parameters must be changed after the install. Thanks for your help Matt.