Things to take note of before messing with vShield

vShield adds this line to each VM's .vmx file.

ethernet0.filter0.name = “vshield-dvfilter-module”
ethernet0.filter0.param1 = “uuid=52393e32-ee4f-4420-808d-dd2683015301.000″

Resolving network address conflict after P2V Windows 2003/XP to VMware

set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
start devmgmt.msc

http://freneticrapport.blogspot.sg/2011/05/windows-hiddennot-connected-device.html

Find files based on date of last write change using DIR command

dir /s /a /O-D /TW | find "27/06/2013" | more

Debugging scripts, output to console

Example 1

--- Script start ---

if not exist c:\Logs md c:\Logs
net use \\sourceserver\robocopy /user:username password 1>c:\Logs\test.txt 2>&1

--- Script end ---

"1>c:\Logs\test.txt 2>&1"

"1>" To capture error output; specify a full path for the log file. If not it might end up in the System32 folder.

"2>" = re-direction in DOS Command Prompt (console)

Example 2

--- Script start ---

net use \\sourceserver\robocopy /user:username password 1> c:\output.txt 2> c:\error.txt
dir \\sourceserver\robocopy 1>> c:\output.txt 2>> c:\error.txt

--- Script end ---

Or to use one single log file:

--- Script start ---

net use \\sourceserver\robocopy /user:username password 1> c:\output.txt 2>&1
dir \\sourceserver\robocopy 1>> c:\output.txt 2>>&1

--- Script end ---


References:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/ITCG/thread/b591346e-3ed0-4ed1-9453-24851ebe1bb1

Schedule a robocopy task on Windows 2008 R2 (WIP)

Objective:
1. Schedule a task to copy a set of files from a DC to another DC.
2. Apply least privilege principle.

Environment:
Windows 2008 R2 (
Robocopy version on Windows 2008 R2 (XP10 aka 5.1.10.1027)

Symptoms:
Using robocopy, you will be able to copy folders from source location to destination location (folders will be created). However, files within the source folder will fail to copy.

Common errors:
1. ERROR : You do not have the Manage Auditing user right.
2. ERROR 5 (0x00000005) Copying NTFS Security to Destination Directory -instead-path-here- Access is denied.

Required Permissions:

To use the robocopy /COPYALL switch on a DC, at minimum, user account MUST BE in "Builtin\Administrators" group.

THIS CAN'T BE AVOIDED. Ref URL #4 below - "UAC operates under a dual token method where even if you have the right to have elevated access, until you request it via UAC its not provided. Once requested its a new process."

Tried to minimize security access with credentials "Builtin\Server Operators" (able to open an elevated command prompt but UAC will prompt for password) and "Builtin\Backup Operators"
However, with these credentials, during the copy process, the folders will be created successfully but files inside folders, you will hit error #2 mentioned above.


Required NTFS Permissions

1. Source location, at least read access to the files and folders
2. Destination location, "full control" to files and folders (If not you may have
3. If your destination folder is in a root folder, ie, D:\ or E:\, you will need to
3.1. Disable inheritance
3.2 Grant full control to the user that is used to run the robocopy scheduled task script

Windows 2008 R2 may not copy ACLs properly
Workaround:

1. XCOPY source_folder target_folder /I /E /X /T 
2.  ROBOCOPY source_folder target_folder /COPYALL /SECFIX /E 

References:
1. http://ss64.com/nt/robocopy.html
2. http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverfiles/thread/292b40ec-a6b3-47db-b9ac-e7ab9aa5c913
3. http://serverfault.com/questions/419835/what-permissions-are-required-to-back-up-to-a-remote-folder
4. http://superuser.com/questions/416188/is-there-any-way-to-elevate-a-command-prompt-in-windows-7
5. http://support.simplefailover.com/KB/a5/using-robocopy-with-simple-failover.aspx
6. http://virtualmowfo.blogspot.sg/2009/07/running-scheduled-task-using-system.html

vmware vi fastpath unable to add server

"Error: You don't have permission to execute this command" - Append sudo to command line
"Error: Failed to add users" - Make sure your username parameter has a double "\". Note the red "\" . It is NOT a typo.

Eg: sudo vifp addserver vcenter.addomain.com --authpolicy adauth --username addomain\\adusername

vSphere Management Assistant (vMA) 5.1 hostname not sticking

This is a frustrating problem. Don't understand why in my company's production systems, the standard VMware installation instructions don't work.

I had no issues on my home lab. (hair pulling)

You configure the new hostname using the instructions from the vMA user guide, configuration is done through the web interface on port 5480 and/or directly from the VM console, and/or from a SSH session.

The moment you reboot the system, it reverts back to localhost.localdomain. It does not matter if you initiate the reboot from the web interface on port 5480 or from a shell session.

Anyhow, to fix this problem, create an "A" record on the AD DNS server, then from shell run "sudo -i" (this will drop you into a root session (text color will change to red), then run Suse's network configuration utility "system-config-network-tui"

Reference: http://communities.vmware.com/message/2159792?tstart=0

Edit (4/4/2013):
Same thing happened to my home vMA.