kakaladas

VMFS 3 maximum file size

2012-01-13T16:58:00.001+01:00

This is the maximum file size in VMFS 3 depending on block size selected during filesystem creation.

iPad IPSec notes

2012-01-10T16:23:00.001+01:00

Here are some notes relatives to IPSec connection to non CISCO routers from iPAD devices:

https://supportforums.cisco.com/thread/2036774

https://supportforums.cisco.com/thread/2065215

https://supportforums.cisco.com/thread/2035899

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Enterprise_Deployment_Guide.pdf

http://kb.juniper.net/InfoCenter/index?page=content&id=KB9923

http://kb.fortinet.com/kb/microsites/microsite.do?cmd=displayKC&externalId=FD33376

http://www.applerepo.com/how-to-apply-a-configuration-profile-from-a-web-page/

You can take care of security in several different ways, such as using certificates to authenticate the device, encrypting the configuration profile, and typing the configuration profile to a particular iPad or iPhone.

If you’re installing a base configuration profile on the device and then having the user download a further configuration profile, you can include a certificate on the device to identify it. You can also install a Web clip to give the user one-touch access to the web site that contains the other configuration profile.

When you need to put a configuration profile on a web site so that users can download and install it, export the configuration profile from iPhone configuration Utility. To export a profile, follow these steps:

Step 1. In iPhone Configuration Utility, click the Configuration Profiles item in the Library category in the Source list to display the list of configuration profiles.

You can also use the Export command to put a configuration profile on another computer–for example, so that you can install it directly on an iPad or iPhone from there. But bear in mind that if you encrypt the profile when you export it, you need to create updated profiles using the same version of iPhone Configuration Utility so that the updated profiles are signed in a way the iPad and iPhone will accept.

Step 2. Click the Configuration profile you want to export.

Step 3. Click the Export button on the toolbar to display the Export Configuration Profile dialog box.

You can also give the Export command by choosing File > Export or by pressing CTRL – Shift – S.

Step 4. Inthe Security drop-down list or pup-up menu, choose the type of security you wan tot use for the exported profiles:

You may select the “None” item if you don’t need to secure the profile file. The result is a .mobileconfig file in plain text.

If you don’t encrypt a configuration profile, anyone who gets the .mobileconfig file can read almost the whoe thing just by opening it in a text editor. Some of the more sensitive information is obfuscated, but everything else is there in black and white. If you know which devices you’re creating configuration profiles for, you will normally want to sign and encrypt your configuration profiles for security.

Step 5. Click the Export button. iPhone Configuration Utility displays the Export Document To dialog box (on Windows) or the Select A Location To Export The Specified Configuration Profile dialog box (on the Mac).

Step 6. Navigate to the folder in which you want to store the configuration profiles.

Step 7. In the File Name text box (on Windows) of the Save As text box (on the Mac), type the name you want to give the file. When you’re creating a separate configuration profile for each device, iPhone Configuration Utility uses this name as the base name and adds the device’s name after it–for example, creating files such as Base Configuration-iPhone 401 and Base Configuration-iPhone 402.

Step 8. Click the Save button. iPhone Configuration Utility closes the dialog box and exports the configuration profile(s).

Applying a configuration profile from a web page usually works best for updates: once the iPad or iPhone is securely connected to your company’s internal network, it can pick up an updated profile securely from an intranet page. When the user touches the button to open the file, she sees the Install Profile screen.

iSCSI disks rescan on vSphere 4.x

2012-01-04T17:55:00.001+01:00

When you've lost your iSCSI disks on vSphere esx4, you can force a rescan of the vmhbaXX adapter from console, keep reading....

Here are the disk devices, we have no iSCSI disks:

Now you can run the command: esxcfg-swiscsi -s that identifies by it's own the right vmhba adapter:

And the iSCSI disk appears again.

How to backup and restore Veeambackup database

2011-12-28T16:56:00.001+01:00

At Veem forums you can find a .bat script that backups Veeambackup database I've made some changes to fit my own scenario:

@Echo Off REM Set All=%date:~6,4%%date:~3,2%%date:~0,2%REM Use above to keep one every day for ever Set All=%date:~0,2%Rem Use above to keep just 30 days  rem Echo %ALL%SQLCMD -S .\VEEAM -E -Q "BACKUP DATABASE VeeamBackup TO DISK='C:\backup\VeeamBackupdb_%All%.bak' WITH FORMAT" rem Echo .\VEEAM -E -Q "BACKUP DATABASE VeeamBackup TO DISK='C:\backup\VeeamBackupdb_%All%.bak' WITH FORMAT"

You can restore a backup file with the following script:

@Echo Off :LoopIF "%1"=="" GOTO Continue   IF "%FILE%"=="" (SET FILE=%1) ELSE (SET FILE=%FILE% %1)SHIFTGOTO Loop:Continue IF "%FILE%"=="" GOTO NOFILE if NOT EXIST "%FILE%" GOTO NOTFOUND NET STOP "Veeam Backup Service"SQLCMD -S .\VEEAM -E -Q "RESTORE DATABASE VeeamBackup FROM DISK='%FILE%'"rem Echo .\VEEAM -E -Q "RESTORE DATABASE VeeamBackup FROM DISK='%FILE%'"NET START "Veeam Backup Service"GOTO FIN :NOTFOUNDECHO.ECHO ERROR: Backup file '%FILE%' not found.ECHO        VEEAM database has not been restored.ECHO.pauseGOTO FIN :NOFILEECHO.ECHO VEEAM Database Restore Utility. BitBat (c) 2011.ECHO. ECHO USAGE: %0 BackupFile ECHO        Where:ECHO        - BackupFile: File that contains a previous Veeam database backup.ECHO.pause :FINSET FILE=

Check if your mail server IP is blacklisted

2011-12-26T13:57:00.001+01:00

If your mail server is blacklisted it not be able to send mails. There are several web pages that allows you to check this from one single click:

http://www.blacklistalert.org/

http://www.anonmails.de/blacklist.php?language=en

Netscreen - DDNS : Last response - not init

2011-12-15T10:52:00.001+01:00

I've found this article is at http://www.fir3net.com/Juniper-Netscreen/netscreen-ddns-last-response-not-init.html it explains how to resolve the 'not init' issue while attempting to start DynDNS client on a Netscreen

The below is based on the netscreen ns5gt and the firefox web browser.

Issue

After setting up your netscreen for DDNS, in the UI of your netscreen the last response is shown as 'not-init' and within the CLI it shows 'successful updates: 0'.
To get the id of you ddns config run just the command `get dns ddns` via the CLI.

ns5gt-> get dns ddns id 209
Id:                     209
State:                  Init
Socket:                 -1
Type:                   dyndns
Server:                 members.dyndns.org
Clear-text:             no
Refresh-int:            3 days 14 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds
Min-update-int:         2 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds
Next-update:            1 minutes 0 seconds
Username:               ******
Password:               **********
Agent:                  Netscreen-6.2.0r1.0-0064032004004624
Src-interface:          ethernet3
Host-name:             *****.dyndns.net
Last-response:          not-init
Last-response-ip:       0.0.0.0
Counters
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Successful updates:     0
Failed updates:         0
Server lookup failures: 0
Socket creation errors: 0
Socket connect errors: 2
Socket send errors:     0

Resolution

This is normally down to the netscreen not having the required Certificate installed. These are the steps,

Go to the website https://members.dyndns.org/ and double click the padlock.
Click View Certificates, click the details tab, click the Certificate Hierarchy of Equifax Secure CA
Click Export and then save the certificate.
Go into the Web UI of the Netscreen and go to objects, Certificates, and upload.
Go back to the DDNS section and click refresh.
You should now see from the output of get dns ddns that it has successfully updated.

VMware ESX 3.5 Update Manager Failure

2011-11-29T15:48:00.001+01:00

This is a post from Roger Birong, esxupdate also fails from console not only from ssh:

If you are suddenly (June 2011) unable to Scan for Updates or Remediate VMware ESX 3.5 Hosts, you may be without

ESX350-201012410-BG (VMware KB 1030001). When running ESXUpdate via SSH on the host, you’ll receive an Integrity Error that includes “Signature 0BFA1C860F0B0A6CF5CD5D2AEE7835B14789B619: keyExpired: 4789B619″

To resolve this, you’ll need to bypass the Signature Requirement for patching so the new Secure Key Patch can be applied. To do this, connect via SSH to the host, and run the following command.

esxupdate -d http://patchdepoturlhere --nosig update

This will install all updates and reboot the host, so be sure it’s in maintenance mode prior to running the command. After the host has been patched in this method, you’ll be able to use the VUM GUI again.

Block size limitations of a VMFS datastore

2011-11-11T12:05:00.001+01:00

Here you can find a VMware's Knowledge Base article related to VMFS datastores:

VMFS Block Sizes

The block size on a VMFS datastore defines two things:

The maximum file size
The amount of space a file occupies

To determine the block size used by a datastore:

In the VI/vSphere Client:
1. Select an ESX host that contains the datastore.
2. Click the Configuration tab.
3. Click Storage.
4. Select the datastore.
5. The block size is identified in the Details window under the Formatting subheading.
In the ESX console:
1. Log in to the ESX console.
2. Run the command:
  vmkfstools -P <path to datastore>
  The bolded section of this line is the block size:
  Capacity 429228294144 (409344 file blocks * 1048576), 8896118784 (8484 blocks) available
  This table reports the various block sizes that can be found in this output:
  Block Size Value
  Actual Block Size
  1048576
  1MB
  2097152
  2MB
  4194304
  4MB
  8388608
  8MB
  Note: vSphere 5.0 and later releases have a block size of 1MB only.

VMFS Size Limitations

There is no noticeable I/O performance difference when using a larger block size. The block size should be chosen based on the size of the largest file and virtual disk that must be stored. Choose the VMFS block size carefully when creating VMFS datastores, because there is no way to change the block size of a VMFS datastore once it is created. The datastore must be reformatted with the required block size.

Block Size

Largest virtual disk on VMFS-2

Largest virtual disk on VMFS-3

Largest virtual disk on VMFS-5

1MB

456GB

256GB

2TB minus 512B

2MB

912GB

512GB

Invalid block size

4MB

1.78TB

1TB

Invalid block size

8MB

2TB

2TB minus 512B

Invalid block size

16MB

2TB

Invalid block size

32MB

2TB

Invalid block size

64MB

2TB

Invalid block size

Note: VMFS-5 has a maximum virtual disk size of 2TB minus 512B. However, passthrough RDMs are supported up to ~60TB.

VMFS-3 uses sub-blocks for directories and small files with a size smaller than 1MB. When the VMFS uses all of the sub-blocks (4096 sub-blocks of 64KB each), file blocks are used. For files of 1 MB or higher, file blocks are used. The size of the file block depends on the block size you selected when the Datastore was created.

In vSphere 4.1, if snapshots are intended to be used, there are further size limitations on the virtual disk size. For more information, see Creating a snapshot for a virtual machine fails with the error: File is larger than maximum file size supported (1012384).

In VMFS-5, very small files, i.e. files smaller than 1K, will be stored in the file descriptor location in the metadata rather than using file blocks. Once the files increase beyond 1K, file sub blocks are used. As VMFS-5 uses sub blocks of 8K rather than 64K (as in VMFS-3), this reduces the amount of disk space being used by small files. For more information on VMFS-5, see vSphere 5 FAQ: VMFS-5 (2003813).

To create a resized datastore:

Note: All data on a VMFS volume is lost when the data store is recreated. Back up all data before proceeding.

In the VI / vSphere Client connected to VirtualCenter/vCenter Server:
1. Storage vMotion or delete all the virtual machines located on the datastore you would like to remove.
2. Select the ESX/ESXi host in the inventory and click the Configuration tab.
3. Select the Storage under hardware, right-click the datastore and choose Delete.
4. Rescan for VMFS volumes from the other hosts that can see the datastore.
5. Create the new datastore on one of the hosts using Add Storage Wizard with the desired block size.
6. Rescan for VMFS volumes from all other hosts that can see the datastore.
From the ESX console:
1. Use vmkfstools to create a new volume over the existing one.
2. Rescan from all other ESX hosts with the vmkfstools -V command. For syntax on creating the VMFS volume, see the appropriate document listed below.

Note: If extending a vmdk over 1TB (1023GB) on an ESX 3.5 host using the GUI fails, see Cannot extend a vmdk over 1TB (1008528) for more information.

Additional Information

To create a VMFS datastore larger than 2TB, you need to extend the VMFS datastore over another LUN.

For information on increasing the capacity of the datastore in ESX 3.x, see Adding Extents to Datastores in the ESX Server 3 Configuration Guide.
For information on increasing the capacity of the datastore in ESX 4.x, see Increase VMFS Datastores in the ESX 4.x Configuration Guide.
For vSphere 5.0 storage configuation maximums pertaining to 2TB LUN support, see Configuration Maximums for VMware vSphere 5.0.

Registro de inicio y cierre de sesión en un W2003 con active directory

2011-11-09T12:05:00.001+01:00

Para registrar el inicio y cierre de sesión en un entorno con windows 2003 y donde los puestos inician sesión validándose contra active directory hay que modificar la directiva de grupo del dominio, asique abre el programa Usuarios y equipos de Active Directory y en el dominio que tengas creado pincha con el botón de la derecha del ratón y selecciona propiedades:

Selecciona la pestaña Directiva de grupo y edita la política de dominio asociada:

Busca la clave Secuencia de comandos que se encuentra en la sección Configuración de usuario:

Hay que asignar a Iniciar sesión y a Cerrar sesión los archivos de comandos necesarios para registrar los eventos:

Como determinar la carpeta en la que deben ubicarse los archivos es complicado, es mejor crear los archivos directamente desde la pantalla que sale a continuación, para ello haz click con el botón de la derecha del ratón en la lista de archivos (vacia) y crea un nuevo archivo de texto:

Cuando lo tengas creado edítalo de nuevo haciendo click con el botón de la derecha del ratón:

Pega el siguiente texto para el inicio de sesión:

echo %date%;%time%;LOGON ;%computername%;%username%;%sessionname%;%logonserver% >> \\SERVIDOR\SHARED\%username%\SESION.LOG

Y éste para el cierre de sesión:

echo %date%;%time%;LOGOFF;%computername%;%username%;%sessionname%;%logonserver% >> \\SERVIDOR\SHARED\%username%\SESION.LOG

Dónde \\SERVIDOR\SHARED es una carpeta compartida con permisos de escritura para todos los usuarios. Ten en cuenta además que en esa carpeta deberá existir una subcarpeta ya creada para cada uno de los usuarios para que no falle la creación del archivo SESION.LOG

Cuando hayas salvado el archivo renómbralo a logon.bat para el inicio de sesión y logoff.bat para el cierre de sesión y listo:

Si editas el archivo SESION.LOG de un usuario podrás ver algo parecido a ésto:

Y además es un archivo que puedes importar desde excel para revisarlo porque está en formato csv.

Loading a saved configuration file to a new D-Link DGS-3627 switch

2011-11-07T16:15:00.001+01:00

Connect with a browser to the default switch IP (10.90.90.90), the default user and password is blank, so press the OK button:

Create a new user with admin privileges:

Enable ssh access to the device:

Save changes:

Start a TFTP server, connect to the switch using Putty (with the previously created user) and retrieve the current configuration with the instruction: upload cfg_toTFTP 10.90.90.49 dest_file 000.txt, where 10.90.90.49 is the IP address where the TFTP is listening, and 000.txt is the actual configuration file name to save.

Compare the too files, the one you want to load with the recently obtained by tftp. Check the firmware versions on both files it's recommended that the new device has the same firmware version that had the switch you used to get the configuration file that you are trying now to load.

Search the lines with the following texts: config snmp engineID and config stp mst_config_id name and modify the file that you want to load with the values contained in the 000.txt file:

Load the modified configuration file with the command: download cfg_fromTFTP 10.90.90.49 src_file 111.txt, where 10.90.90.49 is the TFTP server IP address and 111.txt is the modified configuration file:

Remember to save the configuration in the switch using save command from CLI to preserve changes when the switch reboots:

Performing a rescan of the storage on vSphere

2011-10-18T08:55:00.001+02:00

Here you can find a VMware's Knowledge Base article that explains how to perform a rescan of the storage on vSphere.

This is a copy of this article:

Performing a rescan of the storage

Purpose

This article explains how to perform a rescan of storage devices. A rescan of storage devices is needed when a storage device has been added, removed, or changed from the array.

Resolution

You can perform a rescan in these ways:

Note: Performing a rescan does not cause a service interruption.

Using the VMware vSphere or VI Client to perform a rescan

To rescan using the vSphere or VI Client:

Log in to the client and select an ESX/ESXi host in your inventory.
Click the Configuration tab.
Click Storage Adapters.
Click the Rescan link.
Click OK to begin the rescan.
Note: This performs a rescan of every installed Hardware Bus Adapter (HBA), regardless of the HBA that is selected in the Storage Adapters view.
The progress of the rescan can be monitored from the ESX/ESXi host console in the /var/log/vmkernel (for ESX hosts) or /var/log/messages (for ESXi) logfiles.

Note: The Rescan in the VI Client, by default, combines the rescan for new LUNs (and removal of retired ones) with the detection of new VMFS data stores, depending on which check boxes are selected when the rescan is initiated. The rescan and datastore detection are asynchronous processes. As a result, the detection process for new data stores may complete before the detection process for new LUNs is complete. You may need to perform the rescan twice if the newly added LUN has a VMFS data store on it, or perform an HBA rescan and VMFS rescan in separate tasks. You may select either or both of the two to be performed, per a modal dialog box when initially beginning a rescan.

Using the ESXESXi 4.x and earlier host command line

To perform a rescan from the ESX/ESXi host command-line:

Log in to the ESX/ESXi host console.
- If you are running VMware ESXi 4.0 or earlier, see Tech Support Mode for Emergency Support (1003677)
- If you are running VMware ESXi 4.1 or later, see Using Tech Support Mode in ESXi 4.1 (1017910)
Run the command:
esxcfg-rescan <vmkernel SCSI adapter name>
Where <vmkernel SCSI adapter name> is the vmhba# to be rescanned.
Note: The rescan must be performed on each HBA that is attached to the storage that changed. In ESX 4.x there may not be any output if there are no changes.
When rescanning a fibre channel Host Bus Adapter (HBA) or local storage, you see an output similar to:
Rescanning vmhba2...done.
On scsi3, removing: 0:0 1:0 1:1 1:2 1:3 1:4.
On scsi3, adding: 0:0 1:0 1:1 1:2 1:3 1:4.
When rescanning an iSCSI HBA, you see an output similar to:
Doing iSCSI discovery. This can take a few seconds ...
Rescanning vmhba1...done.
On scsi2, removing: 0:0 0:10 1:0.
On scsi2, adding: 0:0 0:10 1:0.
Note: You do not need to rescan local storage.
Although the first pass states that it is removing LUNs, no LUN is removed until after the adding phase is complete. Any LUN that was not marked as adding is removed.
To search for new VMFS datastores, run this command:
vmkfstools -V
Note: This command does not generate any output.
If a new datastore has been detected, it is mounted in /vmfs/volumes/ using its friendly name (if it has one) or its UUID.

Using the ESXi 5.x and later host command line

To perform a rescan from the ESXi host command-line:

Log in to the ESXi host console. For more information, see Using Tech Support Mode in ESXi 4.1 (1017910).
To rescan, run one of these commands:
- To rescan all HBAs:
  esxcli storage core adapter rescan --all
- To rescan a specific HBA:
  esxcli storage core adapter rescan --adapter <vmkernel SCSI adapter name>
  Where <vmkernel SCSI adapter name> is the vmhba# to be rescanned. To get a list of all adapters, run the esxcli storage core adapter list command.
  Note: There may not be any output if there are no changes.
To search for new VMFS datastores, run this command:
vmkfstools -V
Note: This command does not generate any output.
If a new datastore has been detected, it is mounted in /vmfs/volumes/ using its friendly name (if it has one) or its UUID.

Reordering vmnics on vSphere 4.x

2011-10-06T12:30:00.001+02:00

Today I've had an issue with a vSphere installation (esx 4.0 update 2). I've installed the esx server using a kikstart config file (ks.cfg) as usual, I've only one nic (integrated in the MoBo) so the service console (vswif0) was linked to my first nic (vmnic0) as usual.

Then I added physically a new nic (Intel Gigabit ET2 Quad Port Svr Adaptr) and restart my system, but I lost connectivity, no more ping VIC, etc... What had happened?

When I added the new nic, the esx server has reordered my nics, so vmnic0 is now vmnic1 and because vswif0 is linked to vmnic0 I've no longer connectivity.

Also, my new card (4 Gigabit ports) is supposed to be vmnic0, but the system has no drivers for this card and it doesn't appear at network interfaces level.

If I remove the nic card my old integrated nic returns to be vmnic0 and I recover connectivity.

If I install the driver for the new nic and add the card, when the system boots up if I link the LAN to the first port of the new 4-ports card I recover network connectivity, but this behavior will be a problem if I've to change or remove this 4-port card anytime, so I need that my integrated nic always be vmnic0 to avoid troubleshooting.

So I've done some googling and have read this post at VMware communities, also I've tried to download the Python script made by linuxdynasty to fix my nics order, but the link was broken, so I've done all the stuff by hand.

Make a copy of /etc/vmware/esx.conf file

cp /etc/vmvare/esx.conf /etc/vmvare/esx.conf.orig

Edit /etc/vmware/esx.conf file and seek vmnic occurrences, so I've replaced:

with:

And:

with:

And removed the following lines that duplicated my nic card:

Reboot the esx server

Now my integrated nic is always vmnic0 and I'll not have a network issue if I've to remove this 4-ports nic card.

This is the esx.conf file after reboot and added the new 4-ports card driver:

And finally I've my integrated nic as vmnic0 as I wanted:

Configuring networking from the ESX service console

2011-10-06T09:49:00.001+02:00

Here you can find this VMware Knowledge Base that explains how to configure networking from the ESX service console command line.

Details

This article provides steps to configure networking for an ESX host when you only have access to the service console.

Solution

Note: ESX 4.0 Update 2 introduces a tool that simplifies the process of creating or restoring networking in the ESX service console. For more information, see Configuring or restoring networking from the ESX service console using console-setup (1022078).

To configure networking from the ESX service console command line:

Ensure the network adapter you want to use is currently connected with the command:
[root@server root]# esxcfg-nics -l
The output appears similar to:
Name PCI Driver Link Speed Duplex Description
vmnic0 06:00.00 tg3 Up 1000Mbps Full Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5721 Gigabit Ethernet
vmnic1 07:00.00 tg3 Up 1000Mbps Full Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5721 Gigabit Ethernet
In the Link column, Up indicates that the network adapter is available and functioning.

List the current virtual switches with the command:
[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswitch -l
The output appears similar to:
Switch Name Num Ports Used Ports Configured Ports Uplinks
vSwitch0 32 3 32 vmnic0
PortGroup Name Internal ID VLAN ID Used Ports Uplinks
VM Network portgroup2 0 0 vmnic0
In the example output, there exists a virtual machine network named VM Network with no Service Console portgroup. For illustration, the proceeding steps show you how to create a new virtual switch and place the service console port group on it.
Create a new virtual switch with the command:
[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswitch -a vSwitch1
Create the Service Console portgroup on this new virtual switch:
[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswitch -A “Service Console” vSwitch1
Because there is a space in the name (Service Console), you must enclose it in quotation marks.
Note: To create Service Consoles one at time, you may need to delete all previous settings. For more information, see Recreating Service Console Networking from the command line (1000266).
Up-link vmnic1 to the new virtual switch with the command:
[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswitch -L vmnic1 vSwitch1
If you need to assign a VLAN, use the command:
[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswitch -v <VLAN> -p “Service Console” vSwitch0
where <VLANID> is the VLAN number. A zero here specifies no VLAN.
Verify the new virtual switch configuration with the command:
[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswitch -l
The output appears similar to:
Switch Name Num Ports Used Ports Configured Ports Uplinks
vSwitch0 32 3 32 vmnic0
PortGroup Name Internal ID VLAN ID Used Ports Uplinks
Service Console portgroup5 0 1 vmnic0
Switch Name Num Ports Used Ports Configured Ports Uplinks
vSwitch1 64 1 64 vmnic1
PortGroup Name Internal ID VLAN ID Used Ports Uplinks
Service Console portgroup14 0 1 vmnic1
Create the vswif (Service Console) interface. For example, run the command:
[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswif -a vswif0 -i 192.168.1.10 -n 255.255.255.0 -p “Service Console”
[‘Vnic’ warning] Generated New Mac address, 00:50:xx:xx:xx:xx for vswif0
Nothing to flush.
Verify the configuration with the command:
[root@esx]# esxcfg-vswif -l
Name Port Group IP Address Netmask Broadcast Enabled DHCP
v swif0 Service Console 192.168.1.10 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.255 true false
Verify the networking configuration on the ESX host. See Verifying ESX host networking configuration on the service console (1003796) .

Linux rescan SCSI bus

2011-09-28T17:03:00.001+02:00

If you add a new disk to a Linux VM system and you don't want to reboot it, you must rescan the SCSI bus to detect it.

Here you can find a bash script that will do this task for you:

http://www.garloff.de/kurt/linux/

Thanks to garloff.

Console access on esxi (3.x, 4.x)

2011-09-21T16:42:00.001+02:00

This text is from www.yellow-bricks.com

By default this isn’t possible. But there’s a way to get this working, just do the following:

Go to the ESXi console and press alt+F1
Type: unsupported
Enter the root password(No prompt, typing is blindly)
At the prompt type “vi /etc/inetd.conf”
Look for the line that starts with “#ssh” (you can search with pressing “/”)
Remove the “#” (press the “x” if the cursor is on the character)
Save “/etc/inetd.conf” by typing “:wq!”
Restart the management service “/sbin/services.sh restart”

Done!

Here is a video that explains ssh access in esxi 3.x:

http://www.vm-aware.com/2008/07/enable-ssh-for-esxi/

Here is a video that explains how to modify the kernel in esxi v4.x to enable ssh access:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxB0IIpwZu

Connecting iSCSI from VMware esx

2011-09-08T16:46:00.001+02:00

Here is a good article that explains how to use iSCSI on a VMware esx 3.5:

http://virtualgeek.typepad.com/virtual_geek/2009/01/a-multivendor-post-to-help-our-mutual-iscsi-customers-using-vmware.html

There is also a similar document for vSphere (esx 4):

http://virtualgeek.typepad.com/virtual_geek/2009/09/a-multivendor-post-on-using-iscsi-with-vmware-vsphere.html

ESX host displays the message "Configuration changes were not saved successfully during previous shutdown"

2011-09-07T18:34:00.001+02:00

From VMware Knowledge Base:

Details

When you log into the ESX 3.x host service console, you see the message:
Configuration changes were not saved successfully during previous shutdown.
Note: This message is stored in /etc/motd and is generated by the /etc/init.d/vmware script when esxcfg-boot -r returns an error when executed during a shutdown of the ESX host.

The log file /var/log/messages may show the following error messages:
ERROR: Execution of '/sbin/vmware-mkinitrd -r -f -v /tmp/vmware.1.tmp '2.4.21-37.0.2.ELvmnix'' failed. See log messages above.
ERROR: Could not write out new initrds.

initrd-2.4.21-37.0.2.ELvmnix.img in the /boot directory has a size of zero

Solution

You need to recreate the initrd image file.

T o recreate the initrd image file:

Start the system and select ESX troubleshooting mode.
Log in as a user with administrative privileges.
Run the commands:
esxcfg-boot -b
esxcfg-boot -p
esxcfg-boot -r
The message does not appear on the next ESX host reboot.

Mounting a Windows share from VMware esx

2011-09-07T13:00:00.001+02:00

Mounting a windows share from VMware esx can be useful for install updates.

First of all you must enable netbios ports on esx firewall, for this task you can run the following commands on your esx server

that will create a netbios.xml file and enable it on the firewall.

cat <<EOF> /etc/vmware/firewall/netbios.xml <!-- Firewall configuration information for netbios connection --><ConfigRoot><service><id>netbios</id><rule id='0000'><direction>outbound</direction><protocol>tcp</protocol><port type='dst'><begin>137</begin><end>139</end></port><flags>-m state --state NEW</flags></rule><rule id='0001'><direction>outbound</direction><protocol>tcp</protocol><port type='dst'>445</port><flags>-m state --state NEW</flags></rule></service></ConfigRoot> EOF chmod 600 /etc/vmware/firewall/netbios.xmlesxcfg-firewall -e netbios

Once you have enabled the netbios outgoing ports on your firewall you can mount a windows share with something like this:

mount -t cifs //192.168.1.1/download -o username=john,ro /mnt/cdrom

If you are installing esx updates then you surely must put the system in maintenance mode.

And then install the bundles:

cd /mnt/cdrom echo Installing bundles for esx v4.xfor i in *.zip; do esxupdate --bundle=$i update; done

Remember to exit from maintenance mode.

How to install/enable .Net 3.5 SP1 on Windows Server 2008 R2 for SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2

2011-09-07T12:31:00.001+02:00

Here you can find a good article that explains how to enable .Net 3.5 on W2008:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlblog/archive/2010/01/08/how-to-install-net-framework-3-5-sp1-on-windows-server-2008-r2-environments.aspx

The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 (also referred to as .NET Framework 3.5.1) is a prerequisite for SQL Server 2008. SQL Server 2008 Setup for standalone instance will install the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 if it is not already installed. In Windows Server 2008 R2, the .NET Framework is a feature and installing it is different when compared to older versions of Windows Operating System. In previous versions, one could either download the .NET Framework 3.5.1 install binaries from Microsoft download site or use the install binaries from the redist folder of the SQL Server 2008 installation media. Starting with Windows Server 2008 R2, the method of installing .NET Framework 3.5.1 has changed. This document explains how to verify that .NET Framework 3.5.1 is installed and if it is not installed how you can add it.

How to verify if .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is installed:

Here are the steps to verify that .NET Framework 3.5.1 is installed on Windows Server 2008 R2.

Click the Start button in the lower left hand corner of the display.
Highlight Administrative Tools and select Server Manager.
In the Server Manager interface, click Features to display all the installed Features in the right hand pane. Verify that .NET Framework 3.5.1 is listed.

If .NET Framework 3.5.1 feature is not listed, you can use either of the following methods to install it:

Method 1: Using Server Manager Interface

In the Server Manager interface, select Add Features to displays a list of possible features.
In the Select Features interface, expand .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features.
Once you expand .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features, you will see two check boxes. One for .NET Framework 3.5.1 and other for WCF Activation. Check the box next to .NET Framework 3.5.1 and click Next.

Note: If you do not expand .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features and check it, you will get a pop-up titled Add Features Wizard as shown below.
Click Cancel and expand .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features and then check .NET Framework 3.5.1 check box below it.

You cannot install .NET Framework 3.5.1 Features unless the required role services and features are also installed.
In the Confirm Installation Selections interface, review the selections and then click Install.
Allow the installation process to complete and then click Close.

Method 2: Using PowerShell

Click the Start button in the lower left hand corner of the display.
Highlight All Programs and select Accessories
Expand Windows PowerShell and right click Windows PowerShell and select Run as administrator. Click Yes on the User Account Control box.
At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following commands, and then press ENTER after each command:
- Import-Module ServerManager
- Add-WindowsFeature as-net-framework

Note: A screenshot is shown below:

Get pressed key in bash, works in VMware esx

2011-08-04T18:20:00.001+02:00

Here is my last bash script, it gets the pressed key in bash, enjoy.#!/bin/bash
 
 
function identify_key {
 
local key="$@"
local printable=""
 
case "$key" in
   "1b") echo "ESC ($key)";;
   "09") echo "TAB ($key)";;
   "1b 1b") echo "DOUBLE ESC ($key)";;
   "7f") echo "BKS ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 41") echo "UP ($key)";;
 
   "1b 5b 42") echo "DOWN ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 43") echo "RIGHT ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 44") echo "LEFT ($key)";;
 
   "1b 5b 47") echo "NUM5 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 50") echo "PAUSE ($key)";;
 
   "1b 5b 31 7e") echo "HOME ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 32 7e") echo "INS ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 33 7e") echo "DEL ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 34 7e") echo "END ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 35 7e") echo "PGUP ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 36 7e") echo "PGDN ($key)";;
 
   "1b 5b 5b 41") echo "F1 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 5b 42") echo "F2 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 5b 43") echo "F3 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 5b 44") echo "F4 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 5b 45") echo "F5 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 31 37 7e") echo "F6 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 31 38 7e") echo "F7 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 31 39 7e") echo "F8 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 32 30 7e") echo "F9 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 32 31 7e") echo "F10 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 32 33 7e") echo "F11 ($key)";;
   "1b 5b 32 34 7e") echo "F12 ($key)";;
 
   "1b 1b 5b 5b 41") echo "ALT+F1 ($key)";;
   "1b 1b 5b 5b 42") echo "ALT+F2 ($key)";;
   "1b 1b 5b 5b 43") echo "ALT+F3 ($key)";;
   "1b 1b 5b 5b 44") echo "ALT+F4 ($key)";;
   "1b 1b 5b 5b 45") echo "ALT+F5 ($key)";;
   "1b 1b 5b 31 37 7e") echo "ALT+F6 ($key)";;
   "1b 1b 5b 31 38 7e") echo "ALT+F7 ($key)";;
   "1b 1b 5b 31 39 7e") echo "ALT+F8 ($key)";;
   "1b 1b 5b 32 30 7e") echo "ALT+F9 ($key)";;
   "1b 1b 5b 32 31 7e") echo "ALT+F10 ($key)";;
   "1b 1b 5b 32 33 7e") echo "ALT+F11 ($key)";;
   "1b 1b 5b 32 34 7e") echo "ALT+F12 ($key)";;
   "") echo "SPACE or INTRO";;
   *) # check if it's ALT+xx
      if [ ${#key} -gt 2 ] && [ "${key:0:2}" == "1b" ]; then
         # if string length greather than 2 and starts by Escape (1b)
         printable="\x"${key:3}   # erases the starting '1b ' 
         printf "ALT+%b (%s)\n" "$printable" "$key"
      else
         printable="\x"$key
         printf "%b (%s)\n" "$printable" "$key"
      fi
      ;;
esac
}
 
 
 
function key_5b {
# process '1b 5b ...' keys and return values
 
  local key=$1
  local keyA=""
  local keyB=""
  local keyC=""
 
  keyA=`echo -n "$key" |  hexdump -ve '1/1 "%.2x\n"'`; key=""
  case "$keyA" in
     "31" | "32" | "33" | "34" | "35" | "36") # Must read the following key
             read -rsn1 -t 1 key   # Wait 1 second max for next key
             if [ "$key" == "" ]; then
                # 'ESC + [ + A|B|C|....F' keys pressed (very fast)
                 echo "$keyA"
             else
                 keyB=`echo -n "$key" |  hexdump -ve '1/1 "%.2x\n"'`; key=""
                 if [ "$keyB" == "7e" ]; then
                    # got '~', uses to be the last key so return "XX 7e" where XX is [31|32|33|34|35|36]
                    echo "$keyA $keyB"
                 else
                    read -rsn1 -t 1 key   # Wait 1 second max for next key
                    if [ "$key" == "" ]; then
                       # 'A|B|C|....F + XX' keys pressed (very fast)
                       echo "$keyA $keyB"
                    else
                       keyC=`echo -n "$key" |  hexdump -ve '1/1 "%.2x\n"'`; key=""
                       # max depth level, so return
                       echo "$keyA $keyB $keyC"
                    fi
                 fi
              fi
              ;;
        "5b") # read another key and return (uses to be F1 ... F5 keys) '1b 5b 5b [41|42|43|44|45]'
              read -rsn1 -t 1 key   # Wait 1 second max for next key
              keyB=`echo -n "$key" |  hexdump -ve '1/1 "%.2x\n"'`; key=""
              echo "$keyA $keyB"
              ;;
           *) # Uses to be UP or other arrow keys '1b 5b [41|42|43|44]' so return
              echo "$keyA"
              ;;
  esac
}
 
 
 
function getkey {
  local key=""
  local key1=""
  local key2=""
  local key3=""
  local key4=""
 
oldifs="$IFS"
IFS=" "
 
 
  read -rsn1 key
  key1=`echo -n "$key" |  hexdump -ve '1/1 "%.2x\n"'`; key=""
  if [ "$key1" == "1b" ]; then
     read -rsn1 -t 1 key   # Wait 1 second max for next key
     if [ ! "$key" == "" ]; then
        key2=`echo -n "$key" |  hexdump -ve '1/1 "%.2x\n"'`; key=""
        case "$key2" in
           "1b") # it could be a double ESC or an ALT+Fx key
                 read -rsn1 -t 1 key   # Wait 1 second max for next key
                 if [ "$key" == "" ]; then
                    # "1b 1b" 'ESC' key pressed 2 times (very fast)
                    echo "$key1 $key2"
                 else
                    # "1b 1b ..." Uses to be ALT+F? key pressed
                    key3=`echo -n "$key" |  hexdump -ve '1/1 "%.2x\n"'`; key=""
                    if [ "$key3" == "5b" ]; then
                       read -rsn1 -t 1 key   # Wait 1 second max for next key
                       if [ "$key" == "" ]; then
                          # "1b 1b 5b" 'ESC + ESC + [' keys pressed (very fast)
                          echo "$key1 $key2 $key3"
                       else
                          echo "$key1 $key2 $key3 $(key_5b $key)"
                       fi
 
                    else
                       # Unknown key '1b 1b XX' so return
                       echo "$key1 $key2 $key3"
                    fi
                 fi
                 ;;
           "5b") # Several posibilities "1b 5b ..."
                 read -rsn1 -t 1 key   # Wait 1 second max for next key
                 if [ "$key" == "" ]; then
                    # "1b 5b" 'ESC + [' keys pressed (very fast)
                    echo "$key1 $key2"
                 else
                    echo "$key1 $key2 $(key_5b $key)"
                 fi
 
                 ;;
              *) # ESC + Other key pressed (very fast) or ALT+xx
                 echo "$key1 $key2"
                 ;;
        esac
     else
        # ESC key pressed
        echo "$key1"
     fi
  else
     echo "$key1"
  fi
 
IFS="$oldifs"
  return 0
}
 
 
while true
do
  echo "----------------------------"
  tecla=$(getkey)
  identify_key $tecla
done

Mac OS X 10.6 Leopard over VMware Workstation

2011-08-01T18:30:00.001+02:00

Here is a well documented post that explains how to install Mac OS X 10.6 over VMware Workstation 7:

http://bobhood.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/welcome-to-snow-leopard-mac-os-x-10-6-and-vmware-workstation-7/

Excel macro for uppercase conversion

2011-07-15T17:17:00.001+02:00

Here is an excel macro for convert to uppercase the text contained in the current cell or a selected range.

Sub Uppercase()

RowsCount = Selection.Rows.Count

ColumnsCount = Selection.Columns.Count

if RowsCount = 0 or ColumnsCount=0 then

MsgBox "ERROR: Please select a range or cell"

else

Set Area = Selection

For Each Cell In Area

' Change to uppercase.

Cell.Value = UCase(Cell.value)

Next Cell

end if

End Sub

Virtualizing a Suse Enterprise Server 9 on VMware vSphere

2011-06-27T09:54:00.003+02:00

Recently I’ve virtualized an old Suse Enterprise Server 9 with VMware. Here you can find some tips if you need to do something like that.

The best procedure would be adding the kernel modules for LSI Parallel controller on the physical machine and run /sbin/mkinitrd before P2V process, but if you are not allowed to modify the physical machine this is the only way I know to virtualize it.

I’ve done the P2V process using VMware’s Coldclone CD v4.1.1, first I’ve injected the physical machine’s SCSI drivers using peTool.exe

peTool.exe -i coldclone.iso -d STORAGE

Where STORAGE is a folder containing the TXTSETUP.OEM file and the drivers for my SCSI controller (LSI MegaRaid SCSI 320-2X).

Once the virtual machine is created I’ve got a boot error, the virtual machine can’t find /dev/sda1, is still trying to boot using the old MegaRaid SCSI controller:

In the virtualized machine I’ve chosen a LSI Logic Parallel SCSI controller:

Now I’ve to create a customized initrd that loads at init level my new SCSI drivers, so I’ll boot the virtualized machine using SysRescCD

Now you need to mount the boot disk, so I’ll use the following command:

mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/backup

Now you must edit the file /mnt/backup/etc/sysconfig/kernel and change the INITRD_MODULES variable. This is the actual value, note the reference to the physical megaraid SCSI controller:

You must edit this file using vi, nano or other editor and change INITRD_MODULES like that:

Note that mptscsih is the driver that Suse uses for LSI Logic Parallel SCSI controller.

Now we must modify the initrd RAM boot disk image file, you can find here in page 10 Novell’s documentation for this task.

We are going to decompress the file /boot/initrd and store it in the file /tmp/ramdisk:

gunzip </mnt/backup/boot/initrd > /tmp/ramdisk

Now you must mount the file in /mnt/ramdisk:

mkdir /mnt/ramdisk
mount -o loop /tmp/ramdisk /mnt/ramdisk

Now you must delete the megaraid drivers not needed anymore:

rm -rf /mnt/ramdisk/lib/modules/2.6.5-7.201-smp/kernel/drivers/scsi/megaraid

Note that 2.6.5-7.201-smp folder depends on the system’s kernel version, it can be different in your case.

Now we are going to add the new SCSI drivers:

mkdir /mnt/ramdisk/lib/modules/2.6.5-7.201-smp/kernel/drivers/message
mkdir /mnt/ramdisk/lib/modules/2.6.5-7.201-smp/kernel/drivers/message/fusion
cp /mnt/backup/lib/modules/2.6.5-7.201-smp/kernel/drivers/message/fusion/mptbase.ko /mnt/ramdisk/lib/modules/2.6.5-7.201-smp/kernel/drivers/message/fusion
cp /mnt/backup/lib/modules/2.6.5-7.201-smp/kernel/drivers/message/fusion/mptscsih.ko /mnt/ramdisk/lib/modules/2.6.5-7.201-smp/kernel/drivers/message/fusion

You must also modify the file /mnt/backup/boot/linuxrc and locate the lines with the following text:

echo "Loading kernel/drivers/scsi/megaraid/megaraid_mm.ko"
insmod /lib/modules/2.6.5-7.201-smp/kernel/drivers/scsi/megaraid/megaraid_mm.ko

echo "Loading kernel/drivers/scsi/megaraid/megaraid_mbox.ko"
insmod /lib/modules/2.6.5-7.201-smp/kernel/drivers/scsi/megaraid/megaraid_mbox.ko

And replace them with:

echo "Loading kernel/drivers/message/fusion/mptbase.ko"
insmod /lib/modules/2.6.5-7.201-smp/kernel/drivers/message/fusion/mptbase.ko

echo "Loading kernel/drivers/message/fusion/mptscsih.ko"
insmod /lib/modules/2.6.5-7.201-smp/kernel/drivers/message/fusion/mptscsih.ko

Now we must backup up the original initrd file, note that initrd is a link to initrd-2.6.5-7.201-smp file, so you must backup that file first:

mv /mnt/backup/boot/initrd-2.6.5-7.201-smp /mnt/backup/boot/initrd-2.6.5-7.201-smp.orig

And gzip the new one with the LSI Logic Parallel SCSI drivers:

umount /mnt/ramdisk
gzip </tmp/ramdisk > /mnt/backup/boot/initrd-2.6.5-7.201-smp

Now umount /dev/sda1 device and reboot the virtual machine, remember to disconnect the SysRescCD CD and boot from hard disk.

umount /dev/sda1
init 0

On next boot you will have to reconfigure the graphical settings, but you should choose Text mode only because the VMware graphic card is not supported until you install the vmware tools package.

You must also delete the /etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-eth-id-xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx file for the old physical ethernet card. And then set the network settings using yast from command line.

Pasar correos desde OE en un XP a MS Outlook en un W7

2011-04-04T17:54:00.001+02:00

Cuando intentas importar los antiguos correos de un XP que usaba Outlook Express en un equipo nuevo con Windows 7 y MS Outlook 2007 o 2010, tienes un problema porque MS Outlook sólo te importa correos desde Windows Mail, pero no te deja seleccionar un directorio de almacenamiento en el que tengas los antiguos correos de Outlook Express.

Por eso tienes que importar primero los correos a Windows Mail y luego importarlos desde MS Outlook.

Pero además Windows Mail ya no funciona en Windows 7 (en windows Vista sí que lo podías ejecutar). Para solucionar éste problema te puedes descargar de ésta página http://www.juntosblog.info/2010/12/13/instalar-windows-mail-el-susesor-de-outlook-express-en-windows-7/ un programa para poder activar Windows Mail en Windows 7, hay 2 versiones diferentes, una para x86 y otra para 64bit

La libreta de direcciones también debes pasarla primero a Windows Mail, usando el programa:
64bit: C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\Wabmig.exe
x86: C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Mail\Wabmig.exe

Recuerda que primero debes importar tanto la libreta de direcciones como los correos a Windows Mail y luego importar desde MS Outlook.

How to stop the ‘SBCore Service’ Service” or “How to use SBS2003 as a normal server

2011-03-28T11:52:00.002+02:00

I've found this article by Jeremy at http://www.jeremycole.com/blog/2008/06/24/how-to-stop-the-sbcore-service-service-or-how-to-use-sbs2003-as-a-normal-server/

Most of this info was found here: http://forums.speedguide.net/showthread.php?t=173731

Note: Removing this service apparently violates the license agreement for Microsoft Small Business Server. See the details here if you care.

Tools you'll need – Process Explorer from www.sysInternals.com
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx

As you probably know, you have a service called "SBCore Service", which executes the following process: C:\WINDOWS\system32\sbscrexe.exe

If you kill it, it just restarts – and if you try and stop it you are told Access Denied.

If you fire up Process Explorer, you can select the process and Suspend it, now we can start to disable the thing.

Run regedt32.exe and find:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SBCore

Right click this, choose Permissions and give the "Administrators" group on the local machine full access (don't forget to replace permissions on child nodes).

Press F5 in regedt32 to refresh, and you'll see all of the values and data under this key.

Select the "Start" DWORD and change it from 2 to 4 – this sets the service to the "Disabled" state as far as the MMC services snap-in (and windows for that matter) is concerned.

In the original instructions, the author left the service as Disabled and just denied access to the executable:

Next, adjust the permissions on the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\sbscrexe.exe so that EVERYONE account is
denied any sort of access to this file.

Then go back to process explorer, and kill the sbscrexe.exe process, if it doesn't restart – congratulations!

Load up the services MMC snap-in and you should find that "SBS Core Services" is stopped and marked as Disabled.

I decided that I wanted the service gone completely, so (after exporting it), I just deleted the registry key while in regedt32.

After rebooting, I verified that the service was indeed gone from the list of services in MMC, and there was no sbscrexe.exe process running. Then I moved the file sbscrexe.exe from C:\windows\system32 into a tidy little folder along with my exported registry key to keep for future evaluation. Something like a disgusting little bug under glass.

How to install Terminal Services On Small Business Server (SBS) 2003

2011-03-15T11:48:00.002+01:00

I've found this document that explains how to install Terminal Services in application mode on a Windows Small Business Server (SBS) 2003: http://www.bagsolutions.orconhosting.net.nz/

Before you start you have to had finished the small business server setup!!!!

This will show you how to do what M$ said you could in the pre release versions of SBS 2003 but can't in the final release. This does not crack nor get you to edit any of Microsoft's code. It just does what the install would have done. We have tested this as much as we could we cannot guarantee that it will work or be held liable for any errors, unforeseen or otherwise, that might occur.

Enjoy ;) Bob And Ge 26 Nov 2003

WARNING - People have Reported Problems with MMC after doing this. We found that it worked O.k. with only one console (window) open at a time.

Comments and Queries can be directed to BAG_Solutions@hotmail.com, but we aren't able to spend much time on this issue, so you might not get a reply.

Run the Following Command: (all on one line)
%systemroot%\system32\rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection TerminalServices.AppServer.x86 128 %systemroot%\inf\tsoc.inf
Reboot Computer after executing above command it will not show any sign that it has been completed
OPTIONAL: Reinstall Administration Tools from %systemroot%\system32\adminpak.msi - You only need to do this if you have problems with MMC. This won't fix the problem with multiple consoles not working, but can restore completely dead ones.
Set Permissions For Users In Local Security Policy, to allow logon through Terminal Services.
Turn On Tick Allow users to connect remotely to your computer in System Properties / Remote
Add Everyone Group To Permissions:
Reboot to finish installation

How to export/import group policies in Windows 2003

2011-03-09T11:47:00.002+01:00

You must install Group Policy Management Console with Service Pack 1 from Microsoft download webpage: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=0a6d4c24-8cbd-4b35-9272-dd3cbfc81887

PDFCreator as a Windows service

2011-02-18T16:19:00.003+01:00

Here you can find a post that explains how to setup PDFCreator as a Windows service:
http://outputredirection.blogspot.com/p/running-pdfcreator-as-service-on-server.html

Combined with some other little tweaks it resolves the lack of printer drivers on windows 7 x64.

Setting Jumbo Frames in vSphere from esx console

2011-02-16T12:28:00.004+01:00

#1. Login to the ESX host via SSH

#2. Add a vSwitch
esxcfg-vswitch -a vSwitch2

#3. Set the MTU valu for the new vSwitch
esxcfg-vswitch -m 9000 vSwitch2
#4. Add PortGroup
esxcfg-vswitch -A "iSCSI" vSwitch2

#5. Add VMKernel Int.
esxcfg-vmknic -a -i 10.100.1.11 -n 255.255.255.0 -m 9000 "iSCSI"

#6. Attach vmnics
esxcfg-vswitch -L vmnic3 vSwitch2
#esxcfg-vswitch -L vmnic8 vSwitch2

#7. Check if all is configured ok
esxcfg-vswitch -l #should show the vSwitch's MTU is now 9000.
esxcfg-nics -l #should show the MTU for the NICs linked to that vSwitch are now set to 9000 as well
esxcfg-vmknic -l #show VMkernel NICs and should be now set to 9000 as well.

#8. Ping SAN with a package size of 9000 to see if everything Works
vmkping -s 9000 10.100.1.15

PING 10.100.1.15 (10.100.1.15): 9000 data bytes
9008 bytes from 10.100.1.15: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.531 ms
9008 bytes from 10.100.1.15: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.452 ms
9008 bytes from 10.100.1.15: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.451 ms

Does Open-E support Jumbo Frames?

2011-02-16T11:59:00.002+01:00

Here you can find how to enable jumbo frames on Open-e appliances: http://kb.open-e.com/Does-Open-E-support-Jumbo-Frames_28.html
Open-E supports the use of Jumbo Frames.

Use Jumbo Frames to improve performance by sending fewer frames across the network, saving CPU time and consuming less bandwidth. The standard recommendation for the size is 9000.

The stipulation to using Jumbo Frames is that your network hardware, which includes Ethernet cards, switches, and routers, all need to support Jumbo Frames. Check the specs on your Ethernet card to make sure Jumbo Frames are supported. An example of one that does support them would be the Intel Pro/1000 CT. So then you need to check the manuals on your switches and routers to make sure they also support Jumbo Frames, or check their websites with your model. You'll need to know what you need to do to set your switches and routers to use Jumbo Frames. Once your hardware has been verified, then it's just a matter of setting Jumbo Frames in the Console Tools of your Open-E server.

Go to the Hardware Tools
Ctl - Alt - W

Select Tuning Options
Select Jumbo Frames Config

Select the interface you want to set and set the number to 9000.

Sending Mails from command line in DOS

2011-01-19T15:44:00.004+01:00

Here you cand find a free tool for sending mails from a DOS command line: http://www.smtpinfo.com/index.php

SMTP Mailer
This product makes it extremely simple to send an email from a command line. You can specify the sender and multiple recipients including CC and BCC. It also supports multiple attachemnts and server authentication. Some options only work on the purchased edition (not free).

Apple iPad VPN Connection to SonicWALL Firewall

2011-01-19T10:12:00.002+01:00

Here is a document from SonicWall that explains how to connect an iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch to a SonicWall firewall using L2TP over IPSEC and using XAUTH.
http://www.sonicwall-sales.com/tech_info/apple-ipad-vpn-connection-to-sonicwall-firewall.html

Connecting to a W2008 shared folder from W2000 or XP clients

2011-01-18T17:43:00.011+01:00

Recently I've tried to connect to a W2008 shared folder from a W2000 server without success, however I've found this information at http://www.petri.co.il/how-to-disable-smb-2-on-windows-vista-or-server-2008.htm and now it's working fine. This applies to windows XP clients too.

How to Disable SMB 2.0 on Windows Vista/2008

Server Message Blocks Protocol (SMB) is the file sharing protocol used by default on Windows-based computers. SMB 1.0 was designed for early Windows network operating systems such as Microsoft LAN Manager and Windows for Workgroups, but until Windows Server 2008 and Vista, all Microsoft-based operating systems continued to use it more or less in its original format.
SMB 2.0 was introduced in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. SMB 2.0 is designed for the needs of the next generation of file servers. Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista support both SMB 1.0 and SMB 2.0 in order to preserve backward compatibility.
Some of the enhancements in SMB 2.0, include:

Sending multiple SMB commands in the same packet which reduces the number of packets sent between a client and server
Larger buffer sizes
Increased scalability, including an increase in the number of concurrent open file handles on the server and the number of shares that a server can share out
Support for Durable Handles that can withstand short network problems
Support of Symbolic Links

Testing done with copying large files between Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, and then Vista to Windows 2003, have shown that by using SMB 2.0 the file copying was, in average, 2 times faster than with older operating systems.
However, while SMB 2.0 seems to do a good job if BOTH client and server OSs support it, in some cases it will slow things down. The reason for this is that the version of SMB used for file sharing is determined during the SMB session negotiation. If both the client and server support SMB 2.0, then SMB 2.0 is selected during the initial negotiation. However, if they don't both support it, SMB 1.0 will be used to in order to preserve backwards compatibility.
The SMB protocol version to be used for file operations is decided during the negotiation phase. During the negotiation phase, a Windows Vista client advertises to the server that it can understand the new SMB 2.0 protocol. If the server (Windows Server 2008 or otherwise) understands SMB 2.0, then SMB 2.0 is chosen for subsequent communication. Otherwise the client and server use SMB 1.0.
When using the terms "client" and "server" in case of file and print sharing, it does not necessarily mean that a client-type OS such as Vista "always" connects to a server-type Os such as Windows Server 2008. Sometimes, a Vista computer will connect to another Vista computer, and in that case, the computer that is "serving" the shares is considered to be the "server".
Here's how SMB is used when related to SMB versions:

When a Windows Server 2008/Vista "client" connects to a Windows Server 2008/Vista "server", SMB 2.0 is used.
When a Windows Server 2008/Vista "client" connects to a Windows 2000/XP/2003 "server", SMB 1.0 is used.
When a Windows 2000/XP/2003 "client" connects to a Windows Server 2008/Vista "server", SMB 1.0 is used.
When a Windows 2000/XP/2003 "client" connects to a Windows 2000/XP/2003 "server", SMB 1.0 is used.

So, for troubleshooting purposes, mostly in an environment that has mixes operating systems, you might want to consider disabling SMB 2.0. So you need to do on both the "client" and the "server" operating systems. To disable SMB 2.0 for Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 systems that are the "client" systems run the following commands:

sc config lanmanworkstation depend= bowser/mrxsmb10/nsi

sc config mrxsmb20 start= disabled

Note there's an extra " " (space) after the "=" sign.
To enable back SMB 2.0 for Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 systems that are the "client" systems run the following commands:

sc config lanmanworkstation depend= bowser/mrxsmb10/mrxsmb20/nsi

sc config mrxsmb20 start= auto

Again, note there's an extra " " (space) after the "=" sign.
In order to disable SMB 2.0 on the server-side computer, follow these steps:
Warning!
This document contains instructions for editing the registry. If you make any error while editing the registry, you can potentially cause Windows to fail or be unable to boot, requiring you to reinstall Windows. Edit the registry at your own risk. Always back up the registry before making any changes. If you do not feel comfortable editing the registry, please do not attempt these instructions. Instead, seek the help of a trained computer specialist.

Run "regedit" on Windows Server 2008 based computer.
Expand and locate the sub tree as follows.
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters
Add a new REG_DWORD key with the name of "Smb2" (without quotation mark)
Value name: Smb2
Value type: REG_DWORD
0 = disabled
1 = enabled
Set the value to 0 to disable SMB 2.0, or set it to 1 to re-enable SMB 2.0.
Reboot the server.

Fix Missing eth0 When Cloning Ubuntu VMware Virtual Machines

2010-12-02T12:10:00.001+01:00

I've found this site: http://www.orzeszek.org/blog/2010/07/25/fix-missing-eth0-when-cloning-ubuntu-vmware-virtual-machines/ that explains how to resolve this issue:

Fix Missing eth0 When Cloning Ubuntu VMware Virtual Machines
by Chris on 25 July 2010

I ran into an annoyance trying to clone some Ubuntu LAMP virtual machines that I was using for website development. Every time I cloned the virtual machine, eth0 would go missing, and ifconfig would show only the loopback device, lo.

It turns out that when you clone a VMware virtual machine, the cloned virtual machine’s network interface gets a new MAC address (which, of course, it must to work on the same LAN). But Ubuntu, and many other Linux distributions, cache the old MAC address in a configuration file.

In Ubuntu, the file is /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules. After cloning, it will contain a reference to the old network interface as eth0.

The easiest way to fix this problem is to simply delete the file. Ubuntu will regenerate it properly the next time it boots up.

sudo rm /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules

After deleting the file, you need to reboot. After rebooting, ifconfig should show eth0 and everything should just work.

If you’re feeling less adventurous, you can rename the file to *.old so that you can restore it if something doesn’t work:

sudo mv /etc/udev/rule.d/70-persistent-net.rules /etc/udev/rule.d/70-persistent-net.rules.old

You can also edit the file to remove the old reference to eth0, and rename the new eth1 reference to eth0. But deleting the file and rebooting seems more convenient.

The relevant filename is slightly different in other Linux distributions. For example, in Debian, the filename is /etc/udev/rules.d/z25_persistent-net.rules.

P.D.: (03-08-2011) - In Suse 9 you must delete the file /etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-eth-id-xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx where xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx is the old MAC address.

How can my bash script output Unicode?

2010-11-21T20:01:00.001+01:00

Finally I found how to print Unicode characters from a bash script: http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=45394

Here is the code from 'hedgie' that works for me:

for dec in {9472..9599} ; do
hex=`echo "ibase=10; obase=16; $dec" | bc`
/usr/bin/printf \\u$hex
done

VMware ESX 3 – use lwp-download to grab files

2010-11-16T16:32:00.003+01:00

If you need to download an iso file from a ESX 3.x console, you can use the command lwp-download.

First http port must be opened at firewall level:
esxcfg-firewall -o 80,tcp,out,http

Then you can get a file with the command:
lwp-download <url> [<localfilename>]

And finally you should close http port at firewall level:
esxcfg-firewall -c 80,tcp,out,http

VMware ESX 4 – use cURL to grab files

2010-11-16T16:20:00.001+01:00

I've found this information by Eric Gray at http://www.vcritical.com/2009/05/vmware-esx-4-use-curl-to-grab-files/

I need to quickly download an ISO image to my new VMware ESX 4 box and discovered that the cURL utility is now included — pretty handy.

If you have not used cURL, it is similar to wget. However, with no parameters cURL will spew the download to standard out — definitely not what you want in the case of an ISO image. Therefore, the -O option — capital O — can be used to save the downloaded file, preserving the filename. If you happen to be behind a proxy server, don’t forget to set the http_proxy environment variable — standard Linux procedure.

[root@cl-168 Storage1]# export http_proxy=http://proxy:3128

[root@cl-168 Storage1]# curl -O http://mirros.easynews.com/linux/ubuntu-releases/hardy/ubuntu-8.04.2-server-amd64.iso

Default passwords for Ricoh devices

2010-11-11T11:27:00.000+01:00

Here is a link to a page with default passwords for Ricoh printers:

http://artofhacking.com/etc/passwd-ricoh.htm

Random times in a batch file

2010-11-05T11:32:00.017+01:00

You can use random times in a batch file using something like that:

echo randomize >C:\TMP\random.vbs
echo wscript.sleep Int(Rnd * 100000) >>C:\TMP\random.vbs
cscript C:\TMP\random.vbs
dir

Here is a more elaborated example (only for the vbs script):

TopWait=8 'Max. time to wait in hours
randomize
myrand = rnd()
Wait=Int(myrand * 3600 * TopWait) 'Time to wait in seconds

Hours=Wait \ 3600
Minutes=(Wait - (Hours*3600)) \ 60
Seconds=Wait - (Hours*3600) - (Minutes*60)

WScript.Echo "Waiting: " & Wait & " seconds => " & Hours & ":" & Minutes & ":" & Seconds
wscript.sleep Wait * 1000 'Must be in miliseconds
WScript.Echo "Done: " & Wait & " seconds sleeping"

REFERENCES

WScript.Sleep
Suspend the execution of the current script for the specified number of milliseconds.

Syntax
WScript.Sleep lngTime

Arguments:
lngTime is the delay in milliseconds

Example
WScript.Sleep(5000)
WScript.Echo("5 seconds have passed.")

Rnd
Return a random number

Syntax
Rnd[(seed)]

Key
seed A seed value of 0 will return the most recent random number
A seed value > 0 will return the next random number(default)
A seed value < 0 will return the same number

Example
myrand = rnd()
WScript.Echo myrand

Unattended access to Netscreen devices from vb script

2010-11-04T18:28:00.002+01:00

I've found this post at experts-exchange: http://www.experts-exchange.com/Software/Internet_Email/File_Sharing/SSH_Telnet/Q_22920318.html

Here is a VBScript that should do what you are looking for. Just remember your credentials are in plain text in the script, set your permissions accordiningly:

set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

WshShell.Run "C:\putty HOSTNAME -l LOGIN -pw PASSWORD" ' put putty in C:\
WScript.Sleep 2000
WshShell.AppActivate "HOSTNAME - PuTTY" 'insert correct hostname
WshShell.SendKeys "command" 'insert dns refresh command
WScript.Sleep 100
WshShell.SendKeys "{ENTER}"
WScript.Sleep 1000
WshShell.SendKeys "exit"
WScript.Sleep 100
WshShell.SendKeys "{ENTER}"
You will need to put putty in you C:\ directory or give it an absolute path

Good Luck

Darkstriker69

Google Public DNS

2010-11-04T13:03:00.001+01:00

Google has two free DNS servers at 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 IPs.
http://code.google.com/intl/es-ES/speed/public-dns/

Error connecting to 127.0.0.2 in XP SP2

2010-11-04T10:17:00.002+01:00

Symptoms

With Windows XP SP2 some applications which connect to the loop back address range may not function as expected.

Cause
Windows XP SP2 prevents connections to the loop back address range for any address other than 127.0.0.1.

Resolution
Microsoft support has an update available which addresses this issue and is available for downloading at: KB884020

The fix contains the following file info:
13-Aug-2004 22:50 5.1.2600.2505 359,040 Tcpip.sys

This update helps resolve an issue on computers running Windows XP Service Pack 2. Programs that connect to IP addresses in the loopback address range may not work as expected and you may receive an error message indicating you cannot establish a connection. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Cannot Run Executable File Over Network Share On Windows Server

2010-11-03T17:50:00.002+01:00

If you have installed the Internet Enhanced Security Configuration you cannot run any executable file from a network share.

To uninstall it you can go to http://www.visualwin.com/IE-enhanced-security/ and follow the instructions to uninstall Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration for non-admin users, reboot, and viola!

Windows 2003 synchronize with a NTP Server

2010-10-29T11:48:00.001+02:00

This info is based on http://etherealmind.com/ios-configure-windows-2003-xp-use-ntp-server-sync-time-clock-router/

Stop the Windows Time Service using the CLI.
net stop w32time

You must configure your NTP Servers:
w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:"hora.rediris.es,europe.pool.ntp.org",0x8 /syncfromflags:MANUAL
The peer list must be enclosed
Use the 0×8 flag to force W32time to send normal client requests instead of symmetric active mode packets.

Restart the Windows Time Service and then force a sync.
net start w32time
w32tm /resync

Save Netscreen config file from CLI

2010-10-27T12:29:00.006+02:00

I've found this deimark's post in experts-exchange that explains how to save the Netscreen's firewall configuration from CLI.

From the webui you can save a copy of the config hen you view it. I would suggest using tftp to do this.

ie set up a tftp server and enter the following commands:
get config > tftp <ip address of tftp server> config-file.txt

Similar to what you would do for backing up and upgrading the screenos image.

Namely to back up:
save config from flash to tftp <ip address of tftp server> <filename>

To upgrade your system:
save config from tftp to flash <ip address of tftp server> <filename> to flash
reset

Junos Router Emulator

2010-10-27T12:14:00.000+02:00

I've found this blog: http://blog.okellynet.com/?p=67

There you can find tips for download a Junos Router Emulator for Juniper routers in a VMware virtual machine.

Installing VMwareTools on Ubuntu

2010-10-19T09:28:00.003+02:00

Here you can find how to install VMware tools in Ubuntu: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VMware/Tools

# install kernel modules
sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends open-vm-dkms
# EITHER: install tools for an xorg install
#apt-get install open-vm-tools
# OR: a headless install
sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends open-vm-tools

Installing LAMP on Ubuntu 10.04 & MySQL Backup

2010-10-19T09:27:00.004+02:00

Hay un artículo muy bueno aquí: http://tuxtweaks.com/2010/04/installing-lamp-on-ubuntu-10-04-lucid-lynx/ que explica como instalar LAMP (linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) en un Ubuntu 10.04

Aquí hay un artículo que explica cómo hacer un backup de MySQL
http://www.webcheatsheet.com/SQL/mysql_backup_restore.php

Y aquí otro:
http://www.desarrolloweb.com/articulos/1202.php

Y en este blog de Gabriel Soltz hay un script para automatizar el backup de MySQL: http://knox-it.blogspot.com/2010/05/bash-backup-mysql-con-compresion-para.html

Modifying the All Users profile in Vista or Windows Server 2008

2010-10-18T15:50:00.009+02:00

Después de volverme loco buscando la carpeta Menú de inicio para todos los usuarios en un w2008 he encontrado la solución aquí: http://blogs.technet.com/b/peterfi/archive/2008/02/24/modifying-the-all-users-profile-in-vista-or-windows-server-2008.aspx

En resumen, ahora la carpeta está aquí: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Para acceder a la carpeta que contiene el menú de inicio para el usuario administrador tienes que ir a C:\Users\Administrador\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Para acceder a la barra Quick Lunch hay que ir a: C:\Users\Administrador\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

Convert your Windows Server 2008 to a Workstation!

2010-10-15T16:39:00.000+02:00

I've found this web: http://www.win2008workstation.com/
On it there is a lot of usefull information to tweak a Windows Server 2008 and use it as a workstation.

There's no ftp client in VMware esx 4.1

2010-10-15T09:33:00.006+02:00

VMware has removed ftp client tool in esx 4.1, so if you have shell scripts using ftp commands they will fail.
This applies to upgrades too, so if you have esx 4.0 and you are going to upgrade your system to esx 4.1, note that the ftp command will be deleted from your esx server.
And NO, if you try to copy the ftp command from earlier version 4.0 it will not run.

However you can install NcFTP Client utility that works fine in vSphere 4.x and rewrite your scripts for use ncftpget and ncftpput command-line utilities in your shell scripts.

Remember to enable ftp client requests at firewall level with the following command from vSphere shell:

esxcfg-firewall -e ftpClient

Note: As vSphere is a 64bits OS you should download the latest Linux (intel 64-bit) version:

If you are using VMware esx 3.x you should download and install the Linux (Intel 32-bit) version.

¿Cuántas pulgadas tiene que tener mi pantalla nueva?

2010-07-01T13:10:00.013+02:00

Si ahora tengo un monitor de 17" de los de antes (relación de aspecto 4:3) y me quiero comprar uno nuevo y panorámico (relación de aspecto 16:9), ¿cuántas pulgadas tiene que tener para que sea por lo menos igual de alto?, ¿y si tengo uno de 19"?

Con las nuevas pantallas panorámicas te compras una de 19" y crees que es enorme, y cuando la sacas de la caja ves que tu pantalla antigua era más alta y sí, ahora las películas las ves mejor, pero los iconos son más pequeños.

Vamos a ver cómo calcular qué pantalla panorámica hay que comprar para que tenga por lo menos la misma altura que la antigua. Para ello hay que usar el teorema de Pitágoras y poco más.

Como ya sabéis, cuando nos dan el tamaño de una pantalla nos están dando su diagonal en pulgadas, de forma que una pantalla de 17" tiene una diagonal de 17", cada pulgada son 2,54 cm con lo que en cm nos sale una diagonal de 43,18 cm.

En un monitor de los antiguos (con relación de aspecto 4:3) tenemos las siguientes dimensiones:

Altura h = 3x (no sabemos qué valor tiene 'x', sólo sabemos que la altura y la anchura guardan esa proporción de 4:3)
Anchura w = 4x
Diagonal d² = h² + w²

En un monitor panorámico (con relación de aspecto 16:9) tenemos las siguientes dimensiones:

Altura H = 9y (no sabemos qué valor tiene 'y', sólo sabemos que la altura y la anchura guardan esa proporción de 16:9)
Anchura W = 16y
Diagonal D² = H² + W²

Resolviendo estas ecuaciones podremos obtener una ecuación que nos dé el valor de la diagonal del monitor panorámico (D) en función de la diagonal del monitor antiguo (d).

h = 3x à x = 1/3 h

H = 9y à y = 1/9 H

w = 4x à w= 4/3 h

W = 16y à W=16/9 H

Usando el teorema de Pitágoras

d² = h² + w²à d² = h² + 4²/3² h²= (3² + 4²) / 3² h²à h² = 3²d²/ (3² + 4²)

D² = H² + W²à D² = H² + 16²/9²H²= (9² + 16²) / 9² H²

Cómo queremos que ambos monitores tengan la misma altura, entonces además h = H por lo que:

D² = (9² + 16²) / 9² h²= ((9² + 16²) / 9²) · (3²d²/ (3² + 4²)) = (3² / 9²) · ((9² + 16²) /(3² + 4²)) · d²

Y así obtenemos la fórmula:

D = 3/9 · ((9² + 16²) /(3² + 4²))^½· d = 1/3 · (337 / 25)^½· d = 1/15 · 337^½· d

Esta es la relación que hay entre la diagonal (d) de un monitor antiguo (con relación de aspecto 4:3) y la diagonal (D) de un monitor panorámico (con relación de aspecto 16:9):

D= d/15 · (337)^½

Por lo tanto, si vas a comprar un monitor panorámico y antes tenías uno de 17 pulgadas, para que sea por lo menos igual de alto te tienes que comprar uno de 20.8 pulgadas, sino verás todo más pequeño que antes.

Pongo aquí una tabla con los valores más frecuentes:

Monitor 4:3	Monitor 16:9
15"	18.36"
17"	20.8"
19"	23.25"
21	25.7"

Running a x64 virtual machine in vSphere

2010-05-18T18:15:00.009+02:00

the Problem
Recently I've tried to install a virtualized W2008 (x64) R2 Server on an esx vSphere. Then I got the following error:

Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:

1. Insert your Windows installation disc and restart your computer.

2. Choose your language settings, and then click "Next."

3. Click "Repair your computer."

If you do not have this disc, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance.

File: \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe

Status: 0xc000035a

Info: Attempting to load a 64-bit application, however this CPU is not compatible with 64-bit mode.

The vSphere server is running on a core 2 Quad server, and VSphere asks for a x64 server at installation, so what is happening?

the Solution
You need to check if your processor has VT-x capability enabled. This option should be in your motherboard's BIOS. You must enable it and then power cycle the server, if you only reboot your system you will lost hours googling like me, asking why your BIOS seems to be VT-x capable but it doesn't.
Of course, you should upgrade your motherboard's BIOS as many old versions have the capability but it's not BIOS implemented.
There is a good guide at vmware communities: http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-8978 by jmmattson and also an .iso that you can boot to check if your server has VT-x enabled and thus you'll be able to install x64 virtual machines on your vSphere.

Netscreen How-To

2010-05-11T18:21:00.002+02:00

He encontrado una web con bastante documentación sobre netscreen:

http://www.fir3net.com/Firewalls/Juniper-Netscreen/

Instalación de VMware esx4 desde USB

2009-12-22T16:24:00.003+01:00

He encontrado este link donde explica cómo preparar un pendrive para instalar esx 4:

http://chall32.blogspot.com/2009/11/vmware-esx-4-install-from-usb.html

Aquí tambien hay indicaciones de cómo modificar el menu de inicio del cd para que use un archivo ks.cfg modificado:

http://www.onlinetechblog.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/how-to-customize-vsphere-4-0-installation-iso/

Compactar correos en Mac OS X

2009-12-22T10:17:00.002+01:00

He encontrado este artículo de la universidad de Indiana: http://kb.iu.edu/data/ajnk.html

In Mac OS X, how do I get the Mail application to remove messages I delete?
Mac OS X Mail has two methods of handling deleted messages: it can either mark them and hide them in the message index, or it can move them to a designated deleted items folder. By default, Mail uses the latter method, but it doesn't work correctly unless you have a folder called Deleted Items. To correctly configure this setting, see the instructions below:

Hiding deleted messages within the same mailbox
To configure OS X Mail to hide deleted messages within the same mailbox, follow the appropriate steps below:

OS X 10.2.x and later
1.From the Mail menu, select Preferences... .

2.In the Mail preferences window, click Accounts.

3.Select the account you wish to modify. In OS X 10.2.x, then click Edit.

4.Click the Mailbox Behaviors or Special Mailboxes tab, and uncheck the box next to Move deleted messages to the Trash mailbox.
OS X 10.1.x and earlier
1.From the Mail menu, select Preferences... .

2.In the Mail preferences window, click Viewing.

3.Uncheck the checkbox next to Move deleted mail to a folder named: .
Once you have made these changes, when you delete a message, Mail assigns a flag that removes it from the message index. It's still there, just not visible. If you press Command-l (the letter l), Mail will show all the messages you have deleted since the last time you compacted your mailbox. To hide the deleted messages again, press Command-l .

Removing deleted messages
To completely remove those messages you have deleted, press Command-k or, from the Mailbox menu, select Erase Deleted Messages (10.2.x and later) or Compact Mailbox (10.1.x and earlier). You can configure Mail to automatically compact your IMAP mailboxes when you exit the program by making the following configuration change:

OS X 10.2.x and later
1.From the Mail menu, select Preferences... .

2.In the Mail preferences window, select Accounts.

3.Select the account you want to modify. In 10.2.x, then click Edit.
Note: If you have multiple accounts, you will need to make these changes for each one.

4.Click the Advanced tab, and check the box next to Compact mailboxes automatically or Compact messages automatically.

5.In 10.3 and later, close the Mail preferences window, and when prompted, click OK. In 10.2.x, click OK, then close the Mail preferences window.
OS X 10.1.x
1.From the Mail menu, select Preferences... .

2.In the Mail Preferences window, click Accounts.

3.Under "Description", click the account you want to modify, and then click Edit.

Note: If you have multiple accounts, you will need to make these changes for each one.

4.In the sheet that appears, click the Account Options tab.

5.Check the checkbox next to Compact mailboxes when closing.

6.Click OK, then close the Mail Preferences window.
Moving deleted messages to a folder
To configure OS X Mail to move deleted messages to a folder, follow the appropriate steps below:

OS X 10.2 and later
1.From the Mail menu, select Preferences... .

2.In the preferences window, click Accounts.

3.Click the name of the account for which you want to set a deleted messages folder. In 10.2.x, then click Edit.

4.Click the Mailbox Behaviors or Special Mailboxes tab, and in the Trash section, make sure that Move deleted messages to the Trash mailbox and Store deleted messages on the server are checked.

5.In the pop-up menu underneath "Permanently erase deleted messages when:", select how often Mail will empty your deleted mail folder.

6.In 10.3 and later, close the preferences window and click Save if prompted. In 10.2.x, click OK, then close the preferences window.

7.Click the folder you want to use as a deleted messages folder. From the Mailbox menu, select Use This Mailbox For or Use Selected Mailbox For and then choose Trash.
OS X 10.1.x
1.From the Mail menu, select Preferences... .

2.In the Mail Preferences window, click Viewing.

3.Check the checkbox next to Move deleted mail to a folder named: .

4.In the pop-up menu to the right of "Move deleted mail to a folder named:", select the name of the folder to which you want Mail to move deleted messages.

5.In the pop-up menu underneath "Move deleted mail to a folder named:", select how often Mail will empty your deleted mail folder.

6.Close the Mail Preferences window.
If you want to manually empty your deleted mail folder, from the Mailbox menu, select Empty Trash, or press Command-k .

This is document ajnk in domain all.
Last modified on November 24, 2009.

Utilidades de backup y optimización del registro de windows

2009-12-17T12:10:00.002+01:00

Aquí se pueden encontrar un par de utilidades gratuitas para hacer copia de seguridad (y restauración) o para optimizar el registro de windows

http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/

How to disable the complex password option on the ESX 4.0

2009-12-11T16:32:00.008+01:00

If you need to disable the complex password option on an ESX 4.0 you must edit the file: /etc/pam.d/system-auth-generic
And replace the following line:
password required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_passwdqc.so min=8,8,8,7,6 similar=deny match=0
With this one:
password required /lib/security/$ISA/pam_passwdqc.so min=8,8,8,7,6 enforce=none

It's no necessary restart any services for this change to take effect.

I've found this info at: http://communities.vmware.com/thread/235711

How to access USB and Other PCI Devices in VMware ESXi4 VMs with VMDirectPath

2009-11-05T15:59:00.003+01:00

Este es un link a un artículo de Tom Finnis publicado en http://www.petri.co.il/ que explica cómo conectar dispositivos usb directamente a una máquina virtual en vSphere 4.

How to access USB and Other PCI Devices in VMware ESXi4 VMs with VMDirectPath

Macros de color en Excel

2009-09-28T08:51:00.001+02:00

Aquí http://www.cpearson.com/excel/colors.aspx puedes encontrar funciones que te permiten trabajar con el color de las celdas en Excel.

DNSBL error en Panda GateDefender

2009-09-17T18:04:00.004+02:00

En algún caso los GateDefender no resuelven bien los DNSs y dan un error de DNSBL.

Según los técnicos de soporte de Panda hay que poner como primer sevidor DNS, la IP 194.30.0.1 (el dns1 de Sarenet)
Y para que resuelva correctamente DNSBL alguna de estas IPs:
201.144.5.43
72.2.128.2
64.187.29.134
208.110.72.130

P.D.: (12-07-2011) - En los nuevos Performa 9100 los DNSs que traen configurados de fábrica son estos:

Arrancar BartPE desde memorias USB en FAT32

2009-09-02T16:13:00.001+02:00

He encontrado en el blog de Vicente Navarro y además bastante bien explicado, cómo preparar un pen drive para que arranque con una imagen de bartpe:
http://www.vicente-navarro.com/blog/2008/09/24/arrancar-bartpe-desde-memorias-usb-en-fat32-y-mucho-mas-rapido/

Como instalar (a mano) el parche ESX400-200906001 para vSphere

2009-08-04T17:54:00.006+02:00

Copia el archivo ESX400-200906001.zip en un directorio del esx. Ocupa casi 400 MBytes.

Puedes comprobar que el archivo esta bien (y que te hace falta instalarlo) con el comando:
esxupdate --bundle=ESX400-200906001.zip scan

que producirá una salida como esta:

ESX400-200906001.zip ######################################## [100%]

Applicable bulletins with updates are listed.
----Bulletin ID---- ---Date--- -------------Summary-------------
ESX400-200906412-BG 2009-07-09 Updates esxupdate
ESX400-200906401-BG 2009-07-09 Updates VMX
ESX400-200906404-BG 2009-07-09 Updates CIM
ESX400-200906411-SG 2009-07-09 Updates udev
ESX400-200906402-BG 2009-07-09 Updates ESX Scripts
ESX400-200906406-SG 2009-07-09 Updates sudo
ESX400-200906405-SG 2009-07-09 Updates krb5 and pam_krb5
ESX400-200906410-BG 2009-07-09 Updates hostd
ESX400-200906407-SG 2009-07-09 Updates curl
ESX400-200906403-BG 2009-07-09 Updates VMware Tools
ESX400-200906408-BG 2009-07-09 Updates SCSI Driver for QLogic FC
ESX400-200906409-BG 2009-07-09 Updates LSI storelib Library
ESX400-200906413-BG 2009-07-09 Updates vmkernel iSCSI Driver
Esxupdate local cache states:
Location: /tmp/updatecache
Available space: 2317 [MB]

Tienes que poner el esx en modo mantenimiento: http://kakaladas.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-set-esx-host-into-maintenance.html

Y luego instalar el parche con el comando:
esxupdate --bundle=ESX400-200906001.zip update

Después hay que salir del modo mantenimiento y reiniciar el esx.

Como crear (y que funcione) un servicio en /etc/init.d para SUSE

2009-08-04T16:52:00.011+02:00

SDB:How to Create Your Own Init Script
From openSUSE

Situation:
You want to create your own script which will be started and stopped in certain runlevels.
You also want to control this script by means of:
rc<scriptname> {start|stop|status|reload|force-reload|try-restart|restart}

Procedure:
Copy the sample script to your new script:
cp /etc/init.d/skeleton /etc/init.d/<scriptname>
Edit the file /etc/init.d/<scriptname> with a text editor of your choice and read and follow its instructions.
Now activate your script so that it can be run when the system boots:
/sbin/insserv /etc/init.d/<scriptname>
Finally, create a link to /sbin:
ln -s /etc/init.d/<scriptname> /sbin/rc<scriptname>

Additional Information
For further information, please refer to the following manpages: init(8), init.d(7), insserv(8)

Cambio de zona horaria en ESX

2009-08-04T10:05:00.006+02:00

Si tienes mal configurada la zona horaria de tu esx, esto es lo que hay que hacer para corregirlo:

1- Logged in as root, check which timezone your machine is currently using by executing `date`. You'll see something like Tue Aug 4 10:21:53 2009 PM PST, PST in this case is the current timezone.

2- Change to the directory /usr/share/zoneinfo/Posix here you will find a list of time zone regions. Choose the most appropriate region, if you live in Europe this directory is the "Europe" directory.

3- If you wish, backup the previous timezone configuration by copying it to a different location. Such as:
mv /etc/localtime /etc/localtime-old

4- Create a symbolic link from the appropiate timezone to /etc/localtime. Example:
ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Posix/Europe/Madrid /etc/localtime

5- Restart the ntpd service to update the current system time by executing
/etc/init.d/ntpd restart

6- Set the ZONE entry in the file /etc/sysconfig/clock file
ZONE=Europe/Madrid
UTC=true
ARC=false

7- Set the hardware clock by executing:
/sbin/hwclock --systohc

8- Now if you execute again `date` you'll see the following output Tue Aug 4 10:21:53 CEST 2009

Configuración de red para sais de APC

2009-07-24T10:31:00.006+02:00

Por defecto la tarjeta de red no está configurada, y hay que conectarse con el cable que viene con el sai (940-0024C) usando hyperterminal 2400,8,none,1, no flow control.

La usuario por defecto es 'apc' y password 'apc'.

Si además estas configurando Powerchute Network Shutdown, necesitarás la palabra de paso 'admin user phrase'.

Para conectarte al equipo en que has instalado Powerchute network Shutdown debes conectarte a la ip de tu equipo con http://x.y.z.a:3052 y utilizar de usuario y password 'apc'.

How to set ESX Host into maintenance mode from Service console

2009-07-14T10:53:00.008+02:00

Esta es la forma de poner un esx en modo mantenimiento, es un post de techstarts publicado en: http://vmzare.wordpress.com/2007/08/24/how-to-set-esx-host-into-maintenance-mode-from-service-console/

Below is the command which you will have to execute from SVC Console to enter host into maintenance mode:
vimsh -n -e /hostsvc/maintenance_mode_enter

To exit maintenance mode:
vimsh -n -e /hostsvc/maintenance_mode_exit

Now next question is how I check whether host is in maintenance mode. Here is it…
vimsh -n -e /hostsvc/runtimeinfo |grep inMaintenanceMode |awk '{print $3}'

Cómo enviar correos desde SCO Unixware

2009-06-24T17:29:00.006+02:00

En teoría habría que configurarlo desde scoadmin mail, pero en la versión 7.1.4 con maintenace pack 4 la versión de sendmail no funciona desde scoadmin y hay que ejecutar a mano el comando /etc/mail/manage_sendmail

La configuración que tenemos que obtener es la siguiente:

Sendmail configuration information...
Machine name: hostname.domain.local
DOMAIN name: domain.local
UUCP connections: NOT SET
Alternate names: hostname hostname.domain.local
Is there a UUCP gateway on the net? n
Is there a smart mailhost on the net? n
Masquerade as a different host? newdomain.com
Use NIS aliases with sendmail? NOT SET

Lo que nos generará el fichero /etc/mail/cf/cf/sco.uw714.mc con el siguiente contenido:

divert(-1)
#
# This is a generic configuration file for SCO OpenServer 6.
# It has support for local and SMTP mail only. If you want to
# customize it, copy it to a name appropriate for your environment
# and do the modifications there.
#
divert(0)dnl
VERSIONID(`@(#)opensrc:src/sendmail/patches/cf/cf/sco.uw714.mc /main/uw714mp/2')dnl
OSTYPE(sco.uw714)dnl
DOMAIN(generic)dnl
define(`confDONT_BLAME_SENDMAIL',`groupwritabledirpathsafe,linkedaliasfileinwritabledir')dnl
FEATURE(`access_db',`hash -T -o /etc/mail/access.db')dnl
FEATURE(`use_cw_file')dnl
define(`confDOMAIN_NAME',`domain.local')dnl
define(`LOCAL_NAME',`hostname.domain.local')dnl
FEATURE(`masquerade_entire_domain')dnl
MASQUERADE_DOMAIN(`hostname.domain.local')dnl
FEATURE(`masquerade_envelope')dnl
MASQUERADE_AS(`newdomain.com')dnl
MAILER(`local')dnl
MAILER(`smtp')dnl

Después de generar el fichero /etc/mail/sendmail.cf hay que editarlo y comentar la línea en la que pone C{E}root y dejarla así:

#C{E}root

Además hay que reinicar el servicio de sendmail:

/etc/init.d/sendmail stop
/etc/init.d/sendmail start

Y para mandar un correo igual que con Openserver:

mail -s "Asunto" usuario@dominio.com

Donde el fichero aparece en el cuerpo del mensaje.

Ojos rojos

2009-05-28T18:07:00.001+02:00

Links de descarga a dos utilidades gratuitas para la corrección de ojos rojos:
http://files.vicman.net/reproinst.exe
http://files.vicman.net/redinst.exe

Cómo enviar correos desde SCO Openserver

2009-05-07T11:51:00.007+02:00

SCO Openserver utiliza mmdf para gestionar el sistema de correo.

En primer lugar hay que preparar la configuración de mmdf, ya que por defecto no envía correos a dominios externos, para ello sigue los siguientes pasos:

Ejecuta el comando: mkdev mmdf
Asegurate que el hostname es correcto y de que mmdf está configurado para usar TCP/IP.
Cambia el formato para las direcciones locales de correo a user@midominio.com, ya que por defecto aparece user@host.midominio.com.
En Select nameserver look up method selecciona la opción Look up all mail hosts.
Reconstruye las bases de datos de mmdf con el comando: /usr/mmdf/table/dbmbuild -vn
Y a continuación reinicia el servicio mmdf con /etc/init.d/mmdf stop; /etc/init.d/mmdf start

Ahora para enviar un correo se puede usar la siguiente sintaxis:

mail -s "Asunto" usuario@dominio.com < fichero

Donde el fichero aparece en el cuerpo del mensaje.

Cómo cambiar el número de reintentos en el radius ASAS que utiliza Zyxel para sus tokens.

2009-03-13T10:48:00.002+01:00

Hay que editar el fichero Authserver.properties y cambiar el valor throttlevalue=3.

De esta forma se puede aumentar el número de reintentos para que a los usuarios no se les bloquee con tanta facilidad el token.

La informacion se puede encontrar en la página de Authenex: http://support.authenex.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=30&nav=0,2

How do I change Lock Count for ASAS?

Change the Lock count for ASAS
When authenticating with ASAS using Akey and an account. The user can have 3 (default) failed login attempts before his/her account is locked.
To change that go to Start-> Programs->Authenex->ASAS->Edit authserver.properties
Scroll down until you find throttlevalue=3, Change 3 into a slightly larger number.
You can also turn off this locking feature by change throttle=true into false. (Not recommended)

No aparece "enviar a:" desde documentos de Office.

2009-03-12T11:16:00.006+01:00

Para corregir este error hay que editar el archivo win.ini y si falta alguna de las siguientes líneas, entonces añadirla.

[Mail]
MAPI=1
CMC=1
CMCDLLNAME=mapi.dll
CMCDLLNAME32=mapi32.dll
MAPIX=1
MAPIXVER=1.0.0.1
OLEMessaging=1

Eliminar el mensaje ¿compactar carpetas? al salir de Outlook Express.

2009-01-16T23:13:00.003+01:00

Desde no se qué parche de windows, aparece un mensaje al salir de outlook express que nos pregunta si queremos compactar las carpetas. Y es que Microsoft ha añadido un contador en el registro de windows que cuenta las veces que usas outlook express y cuando llega a 100 empieza a protestar.

Este mensaje, bastante molesto, se puede eliminar poniendo a cero en el registro de windows el valor de Compact Check Count que se encuentra en: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{ ...... }\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0 y donde { ...... } es un churro del tipo {C8617501-C0B3-459B-BA1F-8DAA356737D5} y diferente para cada usuario.

Hay varias formas de poner este valor a cero, existe un script en http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/compactcheck.vbs que puede hacer esta labor, modificándolo un poco para que no muestre los mensajes que te llevan a la página web del autor y diciéndole al antivirus de turno que el script es de fiar podrás hacer que funcione sin problemas.

También puedes exportar desde regedit un archivo .reg (de nombre por ejemplo resetOEcount.reg) modificado para que sólo contenga el valor de Compact Check Count puesto a cero:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{C8617501-C0B3-459B-BA1F-8DAA356737D5}\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0]
"Compact Check Count"=dword:00000000

Y lo único que queda por hacer es un archivo .bat que ejecute el comando:

regedit /s resetOEcount.reg

Y poner un acceso directo en la carpeta de inicio del usuario. De esta forma el mensaje sólo le aparecerá si abre y cierra más de 100 veces el outlook express sin cerrar la sesión de windows.

PD: Ten en cuenta que el churro {C8617501-C0B3-459B-BA1F-8DAA356737D5} es diferente en cada caso, por lo que tendrás que buscar en el registro de windows el que te corresponde para que este método te funcione.

Cómo reducir el timeout de arp en los firewalls Netscreen/Juniper

2009-01-15T17:45:00.004+01:00

Puede haber diferentes razones para querer reducir el timeout de la tabla arp en los firewalls de Netscreen / Juniper.

En mi caso lo utilizo cuando tengo un router principal y otro de backup que se conecta de forma totalmente manual si el primero de ellos falla, ambos con idéntica configuración incluida la IP.

En estos casos el valor por defecto de timeout en la tabla arp de los Juniper es de 600 segundos, lo que hace que si no reinicio el Juniper, tengo que esperar 10 minutos a que la entrada en la tabla arp correspondiente al router se borre para que la conexión a internet funcione.

Esto se puede evitar reduciendo este valor de timeout introduciendo los siguientes comandos desde una sesión ssh o telnet en el firewall:

set arp age 60
save
De esta forma el timeout quedará reducido a sólo 60 segundos.