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When trying to use PlateSpin to seed a server image across a WAN connection for a DR site the job would fail after a certain amount of time. Come to find out the process has a time limit of 24 hours to finish or it will fail. This time limit is hard set and cannot be increased. A way around this is to use a local image server at both ends.

Update:  We've added another post that discusses WAN optimizations for Platespin that you'll want to read.

These are the basic steps you need to follow: [more]

1. Create an image server local to the source (Discover then right click in Portability Suite and choose install image server).
2. Capture the image (Drag the source to the image server).
3. Export the image (this step fixes the config.xml file point to the right location after it moves the image files).
   • The Image Operations tool is installed with the PowerConvert server and not with the Image server.
     On the PowerConvert server you have to locate the following folder: “C:\Program Files\PlateSpin PowerConvert Server\bin”
   • In that folder locate the folder: “ImageOperations” and copy it to the Image server.
   • On the Image server:
     1. Open a command prompt.
     2. Navigate to the folder “ImageOperations’ that was copied over from the PowerConvert server.
     3. Run the command “imageoperations /gather /imagepath={path of the image} /output={path that you want to place the copy of the image}” without the quotes.
     4. Once the command completes the folder specified in /output will contain the files that need to be copied to the other image server.
4. Move the files across the WAN (FTP, Physically, etc whatever method best works for the environment).
5. Create an image server local to the target ESX host.
6. Import the image into the image server local to the target.
   • The Image Operations tool is installed with the PowerConvert server and not with the Image server.
     On the PowerConvert server you have to locate the following folder: “C:\Program Files\PlateSpin PowerConvert Server\bin”
   • In that folder locate the folder: “ImageOperations” and copy it to the Image server.
   • On the new Image server:
     1. Copy the folder “ImageOperations” again to this folder from the PowerConvert server that installed this Image server.
     2. Open a command prompt.
     3. Navigate to the folder “ImageOperations” that was copied over from the PowerConvert server.
     4. Run the command “imageoperations /register /imagepath={path of files copied from old Image server}” without quotes.
     5. Once the command completes refresh the details of the Image server from within PowerConvert.
7. From the Discovered Server list expand the image server local to the target and deploy the image to target ESX host
8. Select the deployed server and choose Prepare For Synchronization
9. Setup a filed based server sync job.

Once completed the job should allow for incremental updates over a slower link without hitting the 24 hour time limit.

The Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager seems to have a few quirks.

While trying to push out a machine using the Find Unmanaged Computers tool, I kept seeing the machine in the unknown computers (example shown below). Pushing clients out to these machines would consistently fail. After disabling the firewall, I hit Search Now and tried the scan again. Once again, the machines would appear in the unknown computers tab.

On a whim, I closed the Find Unmanaged Computers tool and reopened it, filled in all the information, and hit search now. Much to my surprise, it appeared under the correct tab and I was successfully able to push out and install the clients.

The FDIC Board of Directors just concluded their special meeting to discuss the Special Assessment Final Rule.  The FDIC Board elected to change the following:[more]

1. Reduce the rate used to calculate the special assessment;
2. Change the base used to calculate the special assessment;
3. Cap the amount of the special assessment
4. Reduce the rate used to calculate any additional special assessment or assessments that become necessary;
5. Change the base used to calculate any additional special assessments or assessments that become necessary;
6. Cap the amount of any such additional special assessment; and,
7. Terminate authority to impose any additional special assessment under this Final Rule on January 1, 2010.

This reduce the initial proposed assessment of 20 points (.20/per $100 of insured domestic deposits) to .05bp of total assets minus capital.  This change is substantial for community banks, since now the majority of the recapitalization will be placed on larger regional and national megabanks.

To read the final rule, visit http://www.fdic.gov/news/board/May22no2.pdf

Today VMware released the much anticipated vSphere.  vSphere 4 is the upgrade to VI3.5 and will replace the VI name.  VMware has also restructured their licensing [more]to the following:

Small Business:

1. Essentials
2. Essentials Plus

Mid-Size & Enterprise Business:

1. Standard
2. Advanced
3. Enterprise
4. Enterprise Plus

To learn more about vSphere, or to download a free trial, visit http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/

We continue to hear positive things from many of our customers (community banks) - many have plenty of money to lend (but only to qualifying customers) - we have even visited with a few banks that are trying to send back the "bailout" money - here is a good article depicting the US community bank - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/magazine/17wwln-rendon-t.html?_r=2&ref=magazine

I was trying to add a scsi controller to a ESX box to use in a VM running on the box. The ESX operating system recognized the PCI-based Adaptec controller (it was on the HCL) but when I added the SCSI controller to the VM, it would not boot and displayed the following error:

The problem was that there was an extra “:0” at the end of the file name. I edited the .vmx file for the virtual machine and it worked! Note that also you need to edit with wordpad (not notepad) because of the construct of the .vmx file. [more]

edit vmx file
Edit ******.vmx (wordpad, etc...)

(Before)
scsi0:1.present = "true"
scsi0:1.deviceType = "scsi-passthru"
scsi0:1.fileName = "/vmfs/devices/genscsi/vmhba3:5:0:0"
scsi0:1.allowGuestConnectionControl = "false"

(After)
scsi0:1.present = "true"
scsi0:1.deviceType = "scsi-passthru"
scsi0:1.fileName = "/vmfs/devices/genscsi/vmhba3:5:0"
scsi0:1.allowGuestConnectionControl = "false"

I was able to find a solution in the following VMware Communities thread: http://communities.vmware.com/thread/199408

I recently worked on a problem where some PCs at a customer site were not able to login. I checked the server and it showed many group-policy errors in the App OS log listing the 'GPT.INI' file.  I also noticed the group-policy mgmt console was not able to open any GPOs - said there was a rights error.  'Net View' only listed the server and no workstations.  I had one of the users experiencing the problem reboot and her system said no domain controller was available.  Further research indicated that 5 minutes after last server reboot, these services crashed:

• TCPIP Netbios Helper
• Alerter
• Windows Time
• Webclient
• WinHTTP web-proxy auto-discovery

The Windows Time was able to restart itself, all others were stopped. Restarting the netbios helper service appears to fix the main problem (all PCs came back in the net view list), including the group policy App errors and mgmt console issues.  More research on the Internet indicated others had problems with the webclient service killing the netbios helper on Server 2003 and that SBS was supposed to have the 'webclient' service disabled by default due to security issues

The FTC has delayed the enforcement of the new "Red Flags Rule" again.  The new enforecement date is now extended to August 1, 2009.  This does NOT affect other federal agencies' enforcement of the original November 1, 2008 dealine (i.e. FDIC, OCC, Federal Reserve, OTS, NCUA).

To read the Press Release visit http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/04/redflagsrule.shtm

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