Righteous Hack

VMUG: Tech Data in Clearwater, FL.

himuraken — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:16:52 +0000

Attended my second VMware User Group Meeting (VMUG) today. The first meeting that I attended was held at the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s office a couple of month back. Today’s meeting was sponsored by Tech Data and held at their Clearwater, FL headquarters.

First up was VMware which gave a presentation of upcoming features in View 4.5. Numerous alpha/beta screenshots were displayed which showcased numerous improvements and new features. We were asked as group not to share the exact features as this is still a work in progress so I will end that there.

Next up was IBM with a more hardware CAPEX/OPEX oriented presentation. Some of the hardware that was discussed was really impressive, things like 2TB of system RAM, blade enclosures, and 1.8″ SSD “flash packs” that cut costs and push IOPS through the roof.

The final presenter Qlogic, was pretty interesting. The presentation included 8Gb FC, fibre channel over ethernet, and 10Gb copper.

After the presentations everyone broke up into groups and went on tours of the Tech Data Solutions Center and then into discussions with each of the three presenters.

See you at the next VMUG.

–Himuraken

Useful link from VCPgeeks on ESXi logging

himuraken — Tue, 11 May 2010 19:57:36 +0000

See the following link for a more detailed understanding of ESXi 4.0 log directories and handling VMware ESXi 4 Log Files

Crontab Generator Makes Scheduling Even Easier

himuraken — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:35:38 +0000

For those that have never used crontab, it can be a daunting task to schedule a simple script. As with all things, I highly recommend that you learn the meanings of CLI programs and their usage etcetera. With that said, I wanted to check my crontab job against a generator of sorts just to be sure I had it right. If you want a simple click and go on crontab generator, I recommend using the one provided by HTML Basix. Enjoy!

–Himuraken

VDI. Who Will Win?

habanero_joe — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:32:02 +0000

The VDI marketplace has been heating up. VMware’s recent launch of View 4 seems to have sparked more interest overall.
Microsoft has further cemented its partnership with Citrix to provide virtual desktops. Microsoft has also simplified (and reduced pricing) on using desktop OS in a virtual environment.
Recent promotions by Citrix (and Microsoft) are geared towards taking customers away from VMware. Citrix, which has a large installed base in the remote access arena, should do well with the XenApp to XenDesktop trade-in.
Red Hat has just announced that it will offer desktop virtualization based on KVM.
I expect many companies may wait until their next desktop refresh cycle to implement VDI. Moving to low-cost thin and zero clients certainly makes sense from an administration perspective.
This is an exciting time for anyone involved in virtualization!

- habanero_joe

Hyper9 GuessMyOS

habanero_joe — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:52:01 +0000

This falls under the category of Fun Apps. I recently installed GuessMyOS by Hyper9 (who make several virtualization management apps). This is a plugin for VI3 and vSphere4 client. GuessMyOS replaces the generic VM icons with OS-specific for Linux and Windows. Personally I like seeing the penguin.
This is tied to the client so must be enabled for each client instance.

Hyper9

- habanero_joe

VMware View 4 Evaluation

habanero_joe — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:28:51 +0000

After attending the VMware View 4 Launch tour in Tampa a couple of weeks ago, I loaded up the evaluation to give it a good field test.

NOTE: I recommend reading the documentation BEFORE installing…

A few points to consider prior to rolling out the product:
1) View Server requires a MS Windows Server (2008 is not supported yet) that is a domain member.
2) View Composer requires vCenter Server and is installed as a service on vCenter.
3) So far only Windows desktop OS is supported.
4) There is a 32-bit Open Source client available (Google it).

Note: View Composer is not required to evaluate View but it is worth the slightly extra work to see it in action. Composer certainly makes it easier to rapidly create multiple desktops from a single template.

Observations after a couple of weeks:
After the initial set up, I have not had to do anything other than reboot the View Server after it became non-responsive. This caused a seemingly unrelated error when trying to connect with View Client.

My next steps are to get the Open Source Client working and hopefully to get a PCoIP “zero client” device to test. My initial thought is why would I connect to a Windows desktop from a Windows desktop?

More later…

- habanero_joe

Recreate OWA Virtual Directory IIS7 / Exchange 2007

himuraken — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:23:11 +0000

Ran into an issue today where a clients SBS 2008 server stopped servicing requests made to hostname/owa. I am still unsure as to what caused this issue but find a fairly simple way to recreate the OWA virtual directory for IIS. Many admins are familiar with this procedure / howto for Exchange 2003 but are unable to find something similar for Exchange 2007. While the step that I will describe below is not as in depth as the previous link, it did resolve my issue.

If your OWA is giving you the dreaded 404 treatment try this: Open IIS Manager and delete the OWA virtual directory. Next you will need to open the Exchange Management Shell. Enter in the following command and press enter afterwards: New-OWAVirtualDirectory -OwaVersion:Exchange2007 -Name "OWA" .

That will rebuild / recreate the OWA virtual directory and start accepting client requests immediately. Please note that this recreates the OWA virtual directory under Default Web Site, not under SBS Web Applications like a default SBS / Exchange 2K7 install.

Hopefully, this one liner will save you some trouble.

–Himuraken

Welcoming a new author!

himuraken — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:41:54 +0000

RighteousHack welcomes our newest author, Psythian to the blog. Psythian brings years of network and systems insight to our blog. Among other things, Psythian’s expertises lie within the small business and local government markets.

Welcome to the blog Psythian!

–Himuraken

The Beauty of Being Hardware Agnostic

himuraken — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:54:28 +0000

We can all agree that virtualization has numerous benefits. One of the obvious benefits is that virtualization makes systems hardware agnostic. This is one of my favorite features of going virtual. I am responsible for the network operations of many businesses and being able to forget about hardware compatibilities on the OS level is a major advantage.

We experienced the benefits of this ourselves today while upgrading one of our servers. We added additional RAM and changed CPUs. The memory was no surprise, it is rarely an issue. When it is, it is a hardware issue not an OS one. CPU swaps are generally more complex. I have seen many Windows systems become unstable after increasing or decreasing the number of processors/cores.

So when we got the chance to upgrade one of our ESXi servers from two dual core processors over to two quad cores we had to test it. In true anticlimactic fashion everything worked perfectly. The VMware server booted flawlessly and now shows the additional cores and RAM.

So if you can get your hands on upgrade parts or new servers all together, go for it!

*Update* We have since bumped the server up to 32GB of RAM, great stuff. We plan to upgrade the CPU’s again in the near future. It just keeps getting better.

–Himuraken

Breath a little life into your Small Business Server

himuraken — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:14:49 +0000

This one seems like an obvious one, but I will post it anyways. Chances are that you have deployed and/or maintain Windows 2003 Small Business Server. Many small businesses purchased SBS during “the good times” of 2003-2008.

Due to the licensing restrictions imposed on the product by Microsoft, these servers are always one boxed. That is to say that they have too many servers and services on the same hardware. Most of these systems are reaching their end of life and are running slower than ever.

These 32bit boxes are usually maxed on RAM (4GB) and are starving for more. Lately I have been auditing the list of installed applications and removing as needed. The memory hog is usually some SQL server running even though it isn’t in use. Take into account Backup Exec, WSUS, SBS Monitoring, and Sharepoint and you begin to see where all that RAM is going. Almost all of my clients have been moved over to a managed services platform which handles Windows Updates and system monitoring. That takes out two standard SQL databases/instances right off the bat.

So the long story short is this: Reevaluate the needs of your aging servers and get more from them by removing obsolete tools.

–Himuraken

Welcoming a new author!

himuraken — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:02:41 +0000

RighteousHack welcomes our newest author, KiddAMD to the blog. KiddAMD brings years of network and systems management to our blog. The Kidd has vast experience working with small businesses, web development, and hosting to mention a few.

Welcome to the blog KiddAMD!

–Himuraken

Hiding Windows User Accounts

kiddamd — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:00:28 +0000

Interested in creating a hidden local maintenance account for a Windows box? Is easy to do, just go to the registry under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList, create a new dword and name it the exact same as the account you want to hide. A value of “0″ hides the account and a value of “1″ displays it at the welcome screen. That’s all it takes. This works the same on a Vista or Win7 box.

Welcoming a new author!

himuraken — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:00:07 +0000

RighteousHack welcomes our newest author, habanero_joe to the blog. Habanero_joe brings years of IT management and hands-on experience to our blog. When asked about himself he simply states that he “Enjoys candle lit dinners and long walks on the beach.” I pretty much have zero questions left after that.

We look forward to the insight and experience that habanero_joe brings to our humble site. We have imported all of habanero_joe’s posts from his Blogger site so that our readers can enjoy his previous posts. You can view his previous blog here.

–himuraken

VMware View Launch Tour

himuraken — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:00:33 +0000

Woke up nice and early this morning in lovely Tampa, FL for the VMware View Launch Tour. I have been playing around with various virtual technologies for quite awhile now. What I haven’t used at all is any form of VDI or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. In my ever evolving quest to learn all that I can, I signed up for the View Launch Tour so that I could learn more. The event was informative overall, even though the presentations from VMware and Dell contained the usual sales pitches. VMware focused on View, ThinApp, and related technologies while Dell gave a full demo of the Dell EqualLogic SAN. This is the third or fourth time that I have seen a demo on the Equal Logic and I am always impressed with the simplicity of the system. Anyways, desktop virtualization is a rapidly expanding sector in the virtual world and is well worth a look.

You can find additional information on the tour here: VMware View Launch Tour

–himuraken

Word Press for BlackBerry App

habanero_joe — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:30:45 +0000

Just installed Word Press app for BlackBerry. Writing this post on it.
It works great! If you are BlackBerry & Word Press user get this FREE app today. You will thank yourself later.

Get it from BlackBerry App World

-habaerno_joe

Calling all Ubuntu fans

habanero_joe — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:42:18 +0000

This week I joined the Ubuntu LoCo Florida Team and participated in last night’s team meeting (via IRC). Seems like a great group of people AND an excellent way to get more involved with Ubuntu (and really any Linux).

In addition to the IRC meetings, there are scheduled meetups to perform various activities such as installing networks for youth homes/schools, bug testing, documentation writing, and just plain fun. Anyone out there enjoy bar-b-que and beer???

I look forward to greater involvement!

If you have no idea what IRC is and need a Linux client to get started, I recommend xchat (sudo apt-get install xchat)

For more information and to join:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeams
http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=225
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FloridaTeam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat

- habanero_joe

Ubuntu LoCo Team Meetings

himuraken — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:22:17 +0000

Just wrapped up another Ubuntu LoCo meeting. The meetings are fun, informative, and full of ideas. I am still truly amazed by the community efforts in open source project and Ubuntu is no exception.

You can join your LoCo anytime or idle in ours on Freenode @ #ubuntu-us-fl.

–himuraken

IRC Client for BlackBerry

habanero_joe — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:28:16 +0000

Looking for a no-charge BlackBerry IRC client? (or any J2ME device) I was and found jmirc. It is fairly basic and I feel that the interface is sort of clunky but it gets the job done. Current version is 0.96.

One of the nice features is that you can create profiles for various IRC host, channels and/or nicknames.

“This project started as a fork of Sverre Valskrå’s WLIrc but eventually led to be a complete rewrite project. Its aim is to be as small and lightweight as possible still trying to maintain the ease of use and all needed features. At the same time it tries to be some kind of hybrid implementing all the most useful features from other clients.”

Main info page: jmirc.sourceforge.net

Blackberry download: jmirc.sf.net/beta/jmIrc.jad

- habanero_joe

Android Apps You Need

himuraken — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:00:14 +0000

I am still buzzing with joy over my recent Android phone purchase. The Android Marketplace has proven very useful, I have found many useful apps and wanted to share a few worth trying out.

1. Listen – This Google app is a must have if you listen to podcasts. Forget the old days of downloading them and syncing them to your mobile/DAP. With Listen, you subscribe, download, and stream right from your phone.

2. Seesmic – This great little app is for those Twitter users on the go. After installing and logging into my account, I was able to perform all of the tasks that I expect from a Twitter client. Simple and intuitive.

3. NewsRob – If you are a Google Reader user you probably are familiar with using GR from your mobile browser. It isn’t any fun. NewsRob is simple, fast, and free. With numerous options for reading and syncing, this app is great.

4. Advanced Task Killer Free – The name is pretty self explanitory, it kills running processes. This is especially useful on the Android operating system which seems to leave everything running in the background even though you think that you exited.

5. TorrentFu – This app is excellent for controlling Transmission and other torrent clients. Uploading, starting, pausing, and all the other basic controls are available. A neat feature is the ability to search for torrents right from the phone and submit them to any of your configured profiles for downloading. There is also a built-in barcode scanner which converts barcodes into torrent searches. Perfect for those times in the movie/music aisle.

6. Katawa – Web comics! If you are a fan of XKCD, Indexed, Dinosaur Comics, and the like, this app is for you. It pulls the latest strip on demand.

There are many others… far to many to list actually. Anyways, I hope that this short list helps out new Android users.

–himuraken

User Pending Deletion in BES/BPS

himuraken — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:11:51 +0000

Ran into this one today… Client’s BlackBerry Professional server 1 user license and I had to remove the user from the configuration. After several minutes I attempted to add the user back in and was told that I was out of licenses. The status page showed that a total of one user(s) was configured, while the user page showed zero. I restarted all services and attempted a few other things before running into the following commands which worked immediately.

1. Open a command prompt on the BES/BPS database server and run osql -E

2. Next, enter the following commands one line at a time, pressing enter after each command:
-a. use BESMgmt
-b. select DisplayName from UserConfig
-c. go

3. You should get a name(returned) by the database.
-a. use BESMgmt
-b. delete from UserConfig where DisplayName="name-to-remove"
-c. go

You can now open or refresh the BlackBerry Manager and check the number of licensed users which will not be minus one.

–Himuraken