Tech-Gen

Monitoring ESX Storage using "esxtop" To monitor storage performance per HBA: Start esxtop by typing esxtop at the command line. Press d to switch to disk view (HBA mode). Press f to modify the fields that are displayed. Press b, c, d, e, h, and j to toggle the fields and press Enter. Press s, then 2 to alter the update time to every 2 seconds and press Enter. To monitor storage performance on a per-LUN basis: Start esxtop by typing esxtop from the command line. Press u to switch to disk view (LUN mode). Press f to modify the fields that are displayed. Press b, c, f, and h to toggle the fields and press Enter. Press s, then 2 to alter the update time to every 2 seconds and press Enter.   To monitor storage performance on a per-virtual machine basis: Start esxtop by typing esxtop at the command line. Type v to switch to disk view (virtual machine mode). Press f to modify the fields that are displayed. Press b,...

“esxconsole.vmdk” mssing, ESX host boot stops at the error: VSD mount/Bin/SH:cant access TTY job control turned off   This issue occurs if an esxconsole.vmdk file is missing in which the service console resides. We will need to recreate esxconsole.vmdk file and associate with esxconsole-flat.vmdk. Identify the location esxconsole.vmdk by running this command #grep -i cosvmdk /etc/vmware/esx.conf Output will similar to /boot/cosvmdk = "/vmfs/volumes/<uuid>/<dir>/esxconsole.vmdk" . Make note of the <uuid> and the <dir> values in the output. Verify that the files exist by running the command: #ls -al /vmfs/volumes/<uuid>/<dir>/*.vmdk   The output is similar to: total 7906560 drwxr-xr-x 1 root root        840 May 21 00:45 . drwxr-xr-t 1 root root       2660 Oct 21 09:10 .. -rw------- 1 root root 8095006720 Oct 26 15:37 esxconsole-flat.vmdk -rw------- 1 root root...

Copying or moving the virtual machine in VMware ESX   Select the virtual machine. Commit/delete all snapshots on the virtual machine. Identify the working directory of the virtual machine. Identify the location of all virtual disks. Power off the virtual machine. Create a folder for the copy of the virtual machine. Copy the virtual machine configuration file (.vmx) to the new folder. Copy the virtual disks to the new folder. Register the new virtual machine. Add the virtual disk copies to the virtual machine copy. Upgrade the virtual hardware if necessary. Power on the virtual machine.  

Cannot cancel ESX data-store to data-store copy. If you started a huge copy between data-stores and want to cancel it, you will not able to do it from  VI client or from host console. You can’t switch on the copying VM because the files will be locked by copying job. Only workaround for this is to restart management agent service from host console. SSH to host and run below commands. #service mgmt-vmware stop Once service is stopped run below command #service mgmt-vmware start This will temporarily disconnect VI client if you are directly connected to host.

Eager zeroed thick virtual disk in ESX   This disk provisioning process fully allocating and zeroing out all the data inside the disk array at the time the disk is provisioned. This is an important distinction because a regular thick disk will require a short pause as its data expands to zero out data on the array. This isn't the case in an eager zeroed disk, where the space on the array has already been provisioned and the data zeroed out. The difference in performance between a thick disk and an Eager Zeroed thick disk is very small, but some applications, such as Microsoft Cluster Services and VMware Fault Tolerance, still require eager zeroed thick provisioned disks. 

Use CSVDE to export user accounts from Active Directory Export all user accounts in the domain csvde -f c:\allusers.csv -r "(objectclass=person)" Export only from on OU csvde -f c:\allusers.csv -r "(objectclass=person)" –d “OU DN”

Hyper-V: Configure VLANs and VLAN Tagging The most Generic model:  enable Trunking on the physical switch (specifying the VLAN IDs and native VLAN) and apply a VLAN ID in the settings of the virtual NIC of each VM that needs it and the VM is attached to the proper External Virtual Network. Note:  Hyper-V Virtual Networks are "trunking mode" by default. Configure the switch port as a trunk Specify VLAN IDs / Tags and native VLAN On Hyper-V create an External Virtual Network attached to the configured trunk port of the physical switch Apply a VLAN ID / Tag to each VM in the settings of the virtual network adapter The Network Teaming model:  NIC Teaming is involved (since Hyper-V does not support bonding) - you apply the VLAN tag to the Teaming virtual NIC and attach a virtual switch to this. Create a trunked port on your switch. Create a team Create several Team Virtual NICs in parent partition assigning different VLAN IDs to each virtual NIC ...

Hyper-V Event Logs Explained Hyper-V-Config This log contains entries that pertain to the configuration files that describe individual virtual machines. These are the XML files whose names are globally unique identifiers. They can be found under C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Hyper-V\Virtual Machines or under VM-specific folders on a Cluster Shared Volume. The most common error is 4096, which indicates that Hyper-V is unable to locate an expected configuration file. It isn’t entirely unusual to encounter this error in normal operations, as utilities and operations may move the XML files in a fashion that isn’t entirely in sync with the Hyper-V services. It normally doesn’t require attention unless it is a persistent error. Hyper-V-High-Availability This section contains events related to the interaction of Failover Clustering with Hyper-V.  Most of the events here will be informational recording of actions that the Cluster service took on individual VMs. E...

Using esxtop to identify VMware storage performance issues     Configuring monitoring using esxtop To monitor storage performance per HBA: Start esxtop by typing esxtop at the command line. Press d to switch to disk view (HBA mode). Press f to modify the fields that are displayed. To view the entire Device name, press SHIFT + L and enter 36 in Change the name field size. Press b, c, d, e, h, and j to toggle the fields and press Enter. Press s, then 2 to alter the update time to every 2 seconds and press Enter. See Analyzing esxtop columns for a description of relevant columns. Note : The following options are only available in VMware ESX 3.5 and later. To monitor storage performance on a per-LUN basis: Start esxtop by typing esxtop from the command line. Press u to switch to disk view (LUN mode). Press f to modify the fields that are displayed. Press b, c, f, and h to toggle the fields and press Enter. Press s, then 2 to alter the update time...

How to Zone a Brocade SAN Switch HBA - Host Bus Adapter, which in this case, refers to the Fibre Channel Card. In LAN networking, it’s analogous to an Ethernet card. WWN - World Wide Name, a unique 8-byte number identifying the HBA. In Ethernet networking, it’s analogous to the MAC address. FC Zone - Fibre Channel Zone, a partitioned subset of the fabric. Members of a zone are allowed to communicate with each other, but devices are not allowed to communicate across zones. An FC Zone is loosely analogous to a VLAN. Plug in the FC Connector into an open port on the switch. Login to the server and verify the HBA connection . It should see the switch but not the storage device. Login to the Brocade Switch GUI interface. You’ll need Java enabled on your browser. Check the Brocade Switch Port . On the visual depiction of the switch, click on the port where you plugged in the FC connector. The Port Administration Services screen should pop up. You’ll need to enable the po...

VMware Update Manager Error while upgrading from Esxi 5.0 to ESXi5.5 Remediate task fails with error “Cannot execute upgrade script on host.”. This is an unidentified issue as of now and no KB article available. Workaround is manually disable HA agent on host and start remediate task again. Disable HA agent manually using ssh session . #cp /opt/vmware/uninstallers/VMware-fdm-uninstall.sh /tmp #chmod +x /tmp/VMware-fdm-uninstall.sh #/tmp/VMware-fdm-uninstall.sh

Best practices for Shared Folders Assign permissions to groups, not user accounts. Assigning permissions to groups simplifies management of shared resources, because you can then add users to or remove them from the groups without having to reassign permissions. To deny all access to a shared resource, deny the Full Control permission. Assign the most restrictive permissions that still allow users to perform required tasks. For example, if users need only to read information in a folder, and they will never delete, create, or change files, assign the Read permission. If users log on locally to access shared resources, such as on a terminal server, set permissions by using NTFS file system permissions or access control. Share permissions apply only to users who access shared resources over the network; they do not apply to users who log on locally. For this situation, use NTFS and access control. Organize resources so that objects with the same security req...

Restrict use of a computer to one domain user only Remove "NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users" uses from the list of users group To eliminate the option to logon to one or few computer, follow the instructions bellow: 1. Right click " My Computer " icon on the desktop. 2. Choose on " Manage ". 3. Extract " Local Users and Groups ". 4. Click on " Groups ". 5. In the right side of the screen double click on " Users " group. 6. Remove: " NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users " from the list. 7. Add the require user/s or and group/s to the " Users " local group.

Windows Updates (WSUS) - Update Classifications. Critical updates: Broadly released fixes for specific problems addressing critical, non-security related bugs. Definition Updates: Updates to anti-malware or other definition files. Feature Packs: New product functionality usually included in the next full product release. Security Updates: Broadly released fixes for specific products, addressing security issues. Service Packs: Cumulative sets of all hotfixes, security updates, critical updates, and updates created since the release of the product. Service packs might also contain a limited number of customer-requested design changes or features. Tools: Utilities or features that aid in accomplishing a task or set of tasks. Update Rollups: Cumulative sets of hotfixes, security updates, critical updates, and updates packaged together for easy deployment. A rollup generally targets a specific area, such as security, or a specific component, such as Internet Inf...

Remove Search history from Windows Explorer Delete entries in side below registry location. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\WordWheelQuery

Title: HP ProLiant G6/G7/Gen8 Servers - Network Configuration Utility is No Longer Available Within Microsoft Server 2012 Operating System Object Name:  mmr_kc-0101637 Document Type:  Support Information Original owner:  KCS - ProLiant Servers Disclosure level:  Public Version state:  final Environment FACT: HP ProLiant G6 Servers FACT: HP ProLiant G7 Servers FACT: HP ProLiant Gen8 Servers FACT: Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (all editions) FACT: Network Configuration Utility (NCU) FACT: Network Teaming Questions/Symptoms SYMPTOM: HP Network Configuration Utility (NCU) is no longer available for download for the Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Operating System. SYMPTOM: HP NCU cannot be installed on Microsoft Windows Server 2012. Cause CAUSE: Microsoft Windows Server 2012 has Network Teaming functionality build into the Operating System of Microsoft Server 2012 (all editions). Answer/Solution FIX: Use the Microsoft W...

Reset the Windows 2003 Server DSRM Administrator Password Click, Start , click Run , type ntdsutil , and then click OK . At the Ntdsutil command prompt, type set dsrm password . At the DSRM command prompt, type one of the following lines: # reset password on server null. Type new password #q

Migration of DHCP from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2012 Export DHCP settings from Win 2003 Server 1. Open Command Prompt a. #netsh b. #DHCP c. # server \\Name or IP Address d. #export c:\w2k3DHCPdb all Import DHCP server to Win 2012 Server 2. Select Command Prompt (Admin) to open the cmd prompt using elevated privileges. 3. Select Command Prompt (Admin) to open the cmd prompt using elevated privileges. a. #netsh b. #DHCP c. #server \\Name or IP Address d. #import c:\w2k3DHCPdb 4. Close the command prompt when completed. 5. Close the command prompt when completed. 6. Return to DHCP located in the Server Manager dashboard. 7. Right click the designated DHCP server in the services pane, then select Restart. 8. Disable and remove DHCP from the Windows 2003 server. 9. Authorize Windows Server 2012 DHCP server within your domain.

Since the 7000’s came out I’ve noticed a lot of conflicting information on the way HP recommends zoning to be configured for virtualized environments.  For instance, on page 5 in the HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage and VMware vSphere 5 best practices it is clearly written that on 3.1.2 HP supports both Single Initiator->Single Target and Single Initiator/Multiple Target.  Now, before we go further lets take a look at the difference on a visual level.  Below we have two pictures from the aforementioned document.  Both pictures show a single host with two ports (Two Initiators), a set of Fabrics, and a dual node array with 2 ports each (two targets per node). *Single Initiator/Single Target (RECOMMENDED) *Single Initiator/Multiple Target (AVOID) Now, looking at this and other HP documents out there one could quickly determine that Single Initiator->Multiple Targets would be the right configuration especially since a line on page 5 reads – “Single...

After the installation of 18 3PAR systems for my customer, we decided also to install the additional software that comes with those shiny yellow systems. First: get the software. This can be found on the HP Software Depot . Or use this direct link . HP 3PAR Recovery Manager for VMware Software Suite includes three software components that lower the cost and time required to manage and protect your VMware vSphere environment running on HP 3PAR storage system: HP 3PAR VASA Provider HP 3PAR Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter HP 3PAR Recovery Manager for VMware vSphere (license required) HP 3PAR Recovery Manager for VMware vSphere requires a separate license to enable the functionality; however, the complete software suite can be downloaded at no charge and both the management plug-in and VASA provider can be installed and used at no charge. Installation is straightforward, however there are some specific actions that I will highlight a bit further… Enter...

3Par StoreServ 7000 – Step by step Installation and Configuration (Part 2)   In Part 1 of this 3 part series series we went over the initial installation and configuration of the 3Par 7000.  This included executing the “birth process” of the Virtualized Service Processor and activate the Storage System, which included the “Out of the box” configuration process. Now, we are going to run through the rest of the process to finalize the setup of the 7000 and hook it up to your servers.  Here is a high level list of remaining tasks: Apply license keys Zone the 3Par and servers to Create Common Provisioning Groups Create Virtual Volumes to present to the ESX hosts First, we are going to move forward with applying the license keys to the array so we can enable the hard drive slots and activate 3Par’s full suite of features such as Adaptive Optimization, Dynamic Optimization, etc.  You should have received your license keys form the procedure we per...

HP’s 3Par team was gracious enough to reach out and speak to me regarding some of the hiccups I experienced.  First, on the Virtual Storage processor they state that the file system error could be caused by having the wrong time on the ESX host which I can confirm is accurate.  Since we were also setting up new Blade Servers the right time had not yet been set.  The other issues are currently being worked on by the 3Par team and they will be fixed by the time most see their system.  I can’t say enough about the guys I spoke with, they are truly passionate about the product and are the utmost professionals who will not rest until they have a perfect product.  I look forward to working with them on future enhancements. Last month HP announced the long awaited “baby” 3Par into their storage portfolio, the StoreServ 7000 series.  As predicted, 3Par’s entry into the SMB storage market has created a lot of excitement for the IT dep...