Virtualization Adapted Adapting Business Processes for Virtual Infrastrcuture (and vice-versa)

2011/05/28

Fake path ie8 Dell drac

Filed under: it,security — Tags: , , , , , , , — iben @ 12:11

If you want to use Dell DRAC 5 with IE 8 you need to change this setting or the Virtual Media won’t work.

Microsoft made this change to conform with HTML5.

http://acidmartin.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/the-mystery-of-cfakepath-unveiled/

http://codingforums.com/showthread.php?p=817890

http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2009/03/20/rtm-platform-changes.aspx

http://forum.maxthon.com/redirect.php?tid=75307&goto=lastpost

http://www.marc-antho-etc.net/blog/post/Two-IE8-behavioral-changes-worth-mentioninge280a6.aspx

So in order to prevent information disclosure (the path to a file may include the user name if the file reside under the user ‘profile), there are actually two changes combined to achieve that:

  • The IE security setting “include local directory path when uploading files to a server” (already present in IE7) is set to “Disable” instead of “Enabled” as it was with IE7 for the “Internet Zone”

2009/06/20

virtualized active directory domain services

Filed under: virtualization — Tags: , , , , — iben @ 00:21

There are many customers we’re setup with virtualized active directory domain controllers. Windows 2003 at first and now Windows 2008 both work fine as Virtualized Domain Controllers.

Here are some of the links and notes that help as references…

–> http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/Virtualizing_Windows_Active_Directory.pdf

An anti-affinity DRS rule is used when you want to keep 2 virtual machines on separate hosts when they provide a redundant service and locating them on the same host would eliminate that redundancy.

–>http://vmprofessional.com/2009/06/drs-and-anti-affinity-rules.html

The Virtual Machine on 64-Bit Windows Server

If using the x64 version of Windows Server 2003 or 2003 R2, one of the primary goals will be to contain the entire Active Directory database within the virtual machine’s RAM cache. On 64-bit Windows, employing 16 GB of RAM cache will accommodate a database of approximately 2.5 million users.
Caching the Active Directory database in 64-bit Windows will avoid performance hits related to certain disk operations. For a virtual machine that is a domain controller, adding, modifying, searching, deleting and update operations generally benefit significantly from caching. Write operations will always incur a slight penalty, regardless of whether a domain controller is running on a physical or virtual machine.
There is limited benefit for filling cache on 32-bit Windows for customers with large directories; in fact, in some cases this actually can exhaust kernel resources.

–> http:/viops.vmware.com/home/docs/DOC-1223

–> http:/xtravirt.com/xd10095
First Published: 17 June 2009
Windows 2008 Server and Windows 2008 Server R2 further refine the functionality with the service being renamed Active Directory Domain Services.

–> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875495/
This article describes a condition that occurs when a domain controller that is running Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 starts from an Active Directory database that has been incorrectly restored or copied into place. This condition is known as an update sequence number rollback, or USN rollback. When a USN rollback occurs, modifications to objects and attributes that occur on one domain controller do not replicate to other domain controllers in the forest. Because replication partners believe that they have an up-to-date copy of the Active Directory database, monitoring and troubleshooting tools such as Repadmin.exe do not report any replication errors.

–> http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9710.pdf
Here is a link to a VMworld 2006 Presentation titled TAC 9710 –
Virtualizing a Windows Active Directory Domain Infrastructure:
* Clock synchronization
* Network performance
* Multi-master replication model
* Security
* Potential single point of failure
* Disaster recovery

–> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd348449.aspx?ppud=4

# To help prevent a potential update sequence number (USN) rollback situation, see Appendix A: Virtualized Domain Controllers and Replication Issues.

–> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd348479(WS.10).aspx

— I b e n
iben.rodriguez – gmail
Follow me on http://twitter.com/iben

2009/05/26

PC Setup Checklist

Filed under: virtualization — Tags: , , , , — iben @ 23:43

PC Setup Checklist

configure printers
map Q: drive to nas
remove any trial versions of antivirus or other security software
run windows updates reboot repeat
install bginfo – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897557.aspx
install newsid – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897557.aspx
install avg free – http://www.avg.com/filedir/inst/avg_free_stf_en_85_339a1525.exe
Install Yahoo ToolBar with Anti-Spy
install winrar – http://www.rarlab.com/rar/wrar39b2.exe
install firefox
install treesize free – http://www.jam-software.com/treesize_free/TreeSizeSetup.exe
install outlook 2007 – http://support.themessagecenter.com/support/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=viewdownload&downloaditemid=18
edit local %windir%system32driversetchosts file if needed
Configure outook profile using mail control panel
install bittorrent
install skype
install openoffice
install blackberry desktop software
install blackberry handheld software
install apple itunes and quicktime
install adobe acrobat reader
install google earth
setup network time server – us.pool.ntp.org
setup and test vpn client to work headquarters
Turn off “I want to make windows better” check box
Install and test free pdf 995 creation print driver

Connect to exchange server and download cached copy of mail box
Change display options to windows classic and turn off options to enhance performance
turn off system restore
turn off drive indexing
label hard drive for user_c

Equipment List

k62132-3141Kensington Guardian Premium 6 Outlet Surge
6-outlet surge protector, 210 Joules
MFG#: 62132
Price:  $11.99
They are unique in that they have no power switch to accidentally turn off the equipment AND they also have a power indicator LED and a $2500 connected equipment guarantee.

Lifetime guaranteed replacement if unit takes a surge and stops working.
http://us.kensington.com/html/13265.html

2009/05/20

Free AntiVirus Tools for Windows

Filed under: virtualization — Tags: , , — iben @ 13:36

There are some good free AntiVirus tools you can use to scan and protect your Microsoft Windows based computers.

Are there others you use? Let me know your feedback on these.


2009/04/29

TechNote: duplicate IP address after P2V of Windows Guest with VMware Convertor

Filed under: virtualization — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — iben @ 15:17

This issue is coming up more as we convert Physical machines to Virtual.  It can also happen when you want to change from the old “Flexible” to the newer “Enhanced vmxnet” network adapters.

Flexible shows up in Windows Device Manager as an “VMware Accelerated AMD PCNet Adapter” and Enhanced vmxnet show up as “VMware PCI Ethernet Adapter”.  You may also see “Broadcom NetXtreme 57xx Gigabit Controller” from a Dell or other desktop.

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1001805

  • Flexible — The Flexible network adapter identifies itself as a Vlance adapter when a virtual machine boots, but initializes itself and functions as either a Vlance or a vmxnet adapter, depending which driver initializes it. VMware Tools versions recent enough to know about the Flexible network adapter include the vmxnet driver but identify it as an updated Vlance driver, so the guest operating system uses that driver. When using the Flexible network adapter, you can have vmxnet performance when sufficiently recent VMware tools are installed. When an older version of VMware Tools is installed, the Flexible adapter uses the Vlance adapter (with Vlance performance) rather than giving no network capability at all when it can’t find the vmxnet adapter.
  • Enhanced vmxnet — The enhanced vmxnet adapter is based on the vmxnet adapter but provides some high-performance features commonly used on modern networks, such as jumbo frames. This virtual network adapter is the current state-of-the-art device in virtual network adapter performance, but it is available only for some guest operating systems on ESX Server 3.5. This network adapter will become available for additional guest operating systems in the future.

    • Networking Error, IP Address Already Assigned to Another Adapter
    KB Article 1179
    Updated Jan. 07, 2009
    Products

    VMware Converter
    VMware ESX
    VMware GSX Server
    VMware P2V Assistant
    VMware Workstation
    Details

    Why do I see an error message that “The IP address XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX…” is already assigned to another adapter?
    Solution

    Under certain conditions, you may see the following error message from a Windows guest operating system:

    The IP address XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX you have entered for this network adapter is already assigned to another adapter Name of adapter. Name of adapter is hidden from the network and Dial-up Connections folder because it is not physically in the computer or is a legacy adapter that is not working. If the same address is assigned to both adapters and they become active, only one of them will use this address. This may result in incorrect system configuration. Do you want to enter a different IP address for this adapter in the list of IP addresses in the advanced dialog box?

    In this message, XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX is an IP address that you are trying to set and Name of adapter is the name of a network adapter that is present in the registry but hidden in Device Manager.

    This can occur when you change a network connection’s TCP/IP configuration from DHCP to a static IP address if:

    * You have upgraded VMware virtual network adapters (for example when you migrate a virtual machine from an older to a new version of VMware software.)
    * You have added and removed network adapters multiple times.

    The cause of the error is that a network adapter with the same IP address is in the Windows registry but is hidden in the Device Manager (My Computer > Properties > Hardware > Device Manager). This hidden adapter is called a ghosted network adapter.

    Using the Show hidden devices option in the Device Manager (View > Show hidden devices) does not always show the old virtual NIC (ghosted adapter) to which that IP Address is assigned

    Microsoft addresses this issue in their Knowledge Base article 269155, which is available at the time of this writing at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=269155.

    To resolve this problem, follow these steps to make the ghosted network adapter visible in the Device Manager and uninstall the ghosted network adapter from the registry:

    1. Select Start > Run.
    2. Enter cmd.exe and press Enter. This opens a command prompt. Do not close this command prompt window. In the steps below you will set an environment variable that will only exist in this command prompt window.
    3. At the command prompt, run this command:
      set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
    4. In the same command prompt run this command:
      Start DEVMGMT.MSC (press Enter to start Device Manager.)
    5. Select View > Show Hidden Devices.
    6. Expand the Network Adapters tree (select the plus sign next to the Network adapters entry).
    7. Right-click the dimmed network adapter, and then select Uninstall.
    8. Close Device Manager.
    9. Close the Command Prompt

    Another method of resolving this problem is to use the DevCon utility. This is a command-line utility that acts as an alternative to Device Manager. When you use DevCon, you can enable, utility disable, restart, update, remove, and query individual devices or groups of devices.

    To use DevCon:

    1. Download the DevCon tool from Microsoft Knowledge Base: 311272 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311272/en-us).
    2. Unpack the 32bit or 64bit DevCon tool binary to a local folder.
    3.
    Click Start > Run.
    4.
    Type cmd and press Enter.
    5. Type CD:\path_to_binaries to navigate to the devcon.exe is located.
    6. Use the following syntax to find installed network adapters:

    devcon findall *net* or
    devcon listclass net

    Note: In the output of the previous commands, there is a line for the ghosted network adapter that is similar to, PCI\.
    7.
    Run the following command to remove the adapter:

    devcon remove @device\name

    For example, devcon remove “@PCI\VEN_14E4&DEV_1600&SUBSYS_01C21028&REV_02\4&378EDFA4&0&00E2” .

    Note: IDs that include an ampersand character (&) must be enclosed in quotation marks as seen in the example.

    8.
    Reboot the system and you no longer see the ghost network adapters.

    Product Versions

    VMware Converter 3.0.x
    VMware ESX 1.5.x
    VMware ESX 1.x
    VMware ESX 2.0.x
    VMware ESX 2.1.x
    VMware ESX 3.0.x
    VMware GSX Server 2.0.x (Linux hosts)
    VMware GSX Server 2.0.x (Windows hosts)
    VMware GSX Server 2.5.x (Linux hosts)
    VMware GSX Server 2.5.x (Windows hosts)
    VMware GSX Server 3.x (Linux hosts)
    VMware GSX Server 3.x (Windows hosts)
    VMware P2V Assistant 1.x
    VMware P2V Assistant 2.0.x
    VMware P2V Assistant 2.1.x
    VMware Workstation 3.x (Linux Hosts)
    VMware Workstation 3.x (Windows Hosts)
    VMware Workstation 4.x (Linux hosts)
    VMware Workstation 4.x (Windows hosts)
    Keywords

    urlz; migration; upgrade; 1179; ghost; hidden; NIC
    This Article Replaces

    converter NIC issue (1000212)
    Not able to remove ghost network adapter per the instructions in KB Article: 1179 (1003003)

    Subject: VMware: Solution for “The IP address XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX…” is already assigned to another adapter” error

    Go here:

    http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=1179

    2009/04/19

    BGinfo

    Filed under: virtualization — Tags: , , — iben @ 16:37
    BGINFO Screen Shot

    Since we’ve been setting up a lot of virtual desktops, terminal servers, and windows machines accessed remotely with RDP/MSTSC it’s easy to get confused about what desktop you’re looking at.

    Download the free BGINFO tool from Microsoft’s Sysinternals web site and run this command in a batch file or other login script to set a nice back ground wall paper that tells you the IP address, host name, DHCP Server, MAC address, etc.

    BgInfo v4.15 – By Bryce Cogswell – Published: March 30, 2009
    http://download.sysinternals.com/Files/BgInfo.zip

    bginfo.bgi

    :: Create a shortcut or put this line into a file named bgset.cmd and then run that during login or system configuration:
    %windir%\bginfo %windir%\bginfo.bgi /silent/nolicprompt /accepteula /timer:0

    2009/03/30

    VMware ESX Cost Per GB Calculator

    Filed under: virtualization — Tags: , , , , , , , — iben @ 09:51

    I ran some numbers for a customer recently and discovered the single processor high-RAM hardware configurations can be more cost effective for most corporate windows applications hosted on VMware ESX. Keep in mind that the number of processors a server has doesn’t always need to equal the number of sockets.

    This includes the cost of hardware, ESX Enterprise, and Microsoft Windows Data Center Edition.

    http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p0EnXM-6h5gbFTHB27ffELA

    What did I miss in these calculations. There are also per port costs to include for Network, Storage, backup agents, etc.

    NOTE: Recently updated to show HP blades with 16 GB DIMMS

    Reference:
    VMware’s Multi-Core Pricing & Licensing Policy
    http://www.vmware.com/download/eula/multicore.html

    VMware’s End User License Agreement
    http://www.vmware.com/download/eula/virtualcenter.html
    1.6 "Processor" means a single, physical chip that houses no more than six (6) processor cores.

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