Microsoft Windows

Windows Server 2008 R2 HyperV Clustering

I have a on going project bringing in 12 new servers and a c7000 HP Blade Enclosure and a MSA 2012i going on right now and one of the interesting things I have done is to setup 2 Windows 2008 R2 HyperV Servers connecting to a HP MSA 2012i iSCSI Storage device and using the new HyperV Clustering in the Failover Clustering piece of 2008 R2. This is my first attempt at Failover Clustering of any kind and it has been pretty simple actually. It was some trial and error with getting the connection presented to the servers off the MSA but it was a matter of the Lun numbers. I was trying to present the LUN to each server with the same ID. I found that is I add a different ID for each one on the different connections it works then. There is a good article out on how to set this up and here it is. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732181(WS.10).aspx#BKMK_Connect

 Til Later just Roger

SBS 2008 Error

I was updating my SBS 2008 Server with Exchange 2007 Sp1 Update 8 and had to stop in the middle of the update because the power was going out in my house. Well I ended up with the Red X when I would open up OWA. OK now what I thought and that was to just reapply the Update 8. OK easier said that done because every-time I tried to run that update I would get a error that I did not have access to update a certain file and the install would stop. I right click on the file and there was no option to run as Administrator. OK I thought a minute and opened up the Command Prompt in the run As Administrator Mode and then change to the directory the file was in and ran it from there. This worked on the installing of the file simple enough just one of those things that didn’t need to be over thought which we all do at times.

Till later just Roger

Windows 2008 R2 ADPrep Problem

I was working on a Windows 2008 DC and getting it ready to Prep the domain for a Windows 2008 R2 DC. I wasn’t on-site so I had no access to the a DVD Drive but I had the iso downloaded. I extracted the files and copied the Adprep folder over to my Windows 2008 32bit DC well when I ran adprep /forestprep I got the warning wrong version of OS 32bit versus 64 bit. OK now what to do as there is no 32bit version of Windows 2008 R2 RTM. I went over my possibilities and went back and looked at the apdrep folder a little closer and what I found as there is a adprep32.exe in the folder so I ran this on my Windows 2008 32bit DC and away Prepping the forest and domain went. I now could bring in my Windows 2008 R2 DC to the domain.

Til Later just Roger

Windows 7 RC to Windows 7 RTM Upgrade.

Ok the title is misleading because the offical line is that you can not upgrade from Windows 7 RC to the RTM which is true kind of. I know if you call in with problems you would probably have a hard time getting support if you did that. But for those of you really wanting to try this if you do pop in your DVD and see what you get. You will get a error that this won’t happen Format and reload like a good little worker bee.

But for those of you who like to push and really have a hard time taking no you can’t do that for a answer the answer is with a little hack you can make the Windows 7 RC to Windows 7 RTM work. My favorite network Admin Randy found this little hack you do and things will go. I did the same thing with a Windows 2003 Server to SBS 2003 Server upgrade when I accidently ran the wrong version of  CD on the Source machine Prepping the Forest and Domain and had the wrong AD Version. That was a matter of editing the ini file that does the version check. Same thing here.

Copy your Windows 7 TRM install DVD over to a folder on your Drives and then go into Sources and Edit the cversion.ini and change the MinClient value to 7000. Also note that you can only upgrade to the Windows 7 RTM as that is what the RC installed. So if you are feeling like taking a chance here you go knock yourself out but if it causes problems you are on your own. That is why I have a backup of my original Vista machine before I upgraded to Windows 7 RC and now upgraded my laptop to the RTM. It worked for me and it worked for Randy but there is always that time that it won’t.

Til Later just Roger

SBS 2008 Best Practice Analyzer

SBS 2008 Best Practice Analyzer  is a good tool to use on your existing SBS 2008 Servers just to see how healthy the server is. Do you do this? I know I haven’t but am thinking this is something that needs to be done at your customer sites when you are doing something for them and could be of added value to you and your customer and I will be doing as we move more of our customers to SBS 2008. If it finds something you look like a star to your customer and if not you have the peace of mind that things are working like they should be and also it is something you would be running when you do a SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 server migration or even a SBS 2008 to SBS 2008 Server migration. You can download it here so give it a shot see if your server is running like it should be.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=86A1AA32-9814-484E-BD43-3E42AEC7F731&displaylang=en

Til later just Roger

SBS 2003 Old Hardware to New Hardware

I wonder is it just getting that easy for me to move a SBS 2003 server from old hardware to new hardware or am I just getting the process down better?  It use to be we would bring the new server in join the domain and then make it a DC and then once you had all of that unplug it off the network and then upgrade the server to SBS 2003. Move data and then export email and bring it in and then re-point the workstations once you bring the new server in the network for Exchange and such.

Not so much anymore as I have taken a job that use to take 2 days to one that I did last night in 4.5 hours. The last one I did this way took 6.5 hours so something is going on here. Basically I use one of my favorite tools and that is Shadow Protect IT version to backup the server and then use it to restore onto the new hardware and loading the new RAID driver in the process of restore it is just that easy. Why waste 2 days when you can cut this down to half a day? Well some would say when you are cutting down billable time you could have had then and that is hurting you. What I say is you are becoming more efficient and can do more jobs. Who is the customer going to remember? The one that took 2 days to do the work or the one that did it in 4.5 with no problems and saved them money and was still done properly and in a good manner? You tell me but I bet they remember you and what you did for them and their bottom line.

Til later just Roger

SBS 2008 and 2008 SP2

Well I bit the bullet and installed the Windows 2008 SP2 off the Windows Update of the SBS 2008 Server. And I did not have any problems with the install everything looks like it is still working and I will be doing some more testing to make sure everything is a go but from first glance it all looks good to me. I will be doing my 2008 HyperV Server soon but from what I seen here this should be ok but will let you know.

Til later just Roger

Windows Server 2008 R2 and Published Apps and Virtual Desktops P4

Takes note to self don’t be so self involved in projects and take time to write posts as you go here. That way not so much to spew in one sitting. Yea right as if that will happen. Mean while back at the ranch

Ok had everything configure like I thought it should be now and still not seeing my workstations in the RemoteApps Web Page or in the Programs list on my Windows 7 laptop. That is a cool feature of Windows 7 where you just point to a URL and it brings in your Published Apps and Desktop Pool. You configure this by going into Control Panel on your Windows 7 computer and then clicking on the RemoteApps and Desktop piece in there. So I logged into the Web Access and noticed that under configuration that it was still referring to Localhost so I changed this to my Connection Brokers Internal NetBios name and saved it and boom there was my Desktop Pool now showing in the Web Access. COOL!!!!!! Sorry moment of excitment there but I then went to my Windows 7 machine and went into the RemoteApps piece and hit update and bam there it was there also. Double dang COOL!!!!!!!!!! now I am cooking. Clicked on the piece and logged in and waited for the Virtual Desktop to spin up and start and waited and waited. Double Dang now what is happening so I went back to the document and read it again and found on the workstations I had to set a registry key for the remote connection to be made to it. Bingo did that and now they launch. WHEW!!!! finally I have it all functional. Another note to self read all doc don’t skim. There was more than that to this but I hate to type also so my words of wisdom is get the document and follow along that helps a lot.

Til later just Roger

Windows Server 2008 R2 and Published Apps and Virtual Desktops P3

Well momentary pause for head banging here as what did I do now to break the stuff. Time to read and I went searching and finally found a document called Deploying RemoteApp and Desktop connection Step by Step guide from MS. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2F5B9705-BC09-466E-882B-7227CBB39183&displaylang=en This helped, you can not install the Remote Desktop Connection broker on the same server as the Remote Desktop Session and Remote Desktop Virtualization Service and Remote Desktop Web.

So I spun up a Virtual Server in our HyperV Environment and installed 2008 R2 RC on it and installed the Broker and Remote Desktop Session Service for Redirection  on this server. I uninstalled the Broker from my host machine for the Remote App and Web Access and TS Gateway and the Virtualization service. Followed the document for setting up the broker and away I went the pieces I broke came back online and worked correctly now. Duh…… Takes note to self maybe read next time but then again where is the fun in that.

When I installed the Virtualization service it also will add HyperV but I had already configured and installed HyperV so I was good there and on the server so I installed 2 Windows 7 workstations into the HyperV on the TS Gateway, RemoteApps and Virtualization Server. One was a 32 bit machine and one was a 64 bit machine. I installed Office 2007 and the Live Communicator 2007 R2 onto the machines. These will be going into the Desktop Pool as they call this and the workstations all have to have the same software on them as this basically runs in a Pool as they say you might not login to the same machine each time.

Til Later Just Roger

I can not believe Arlin had done that to me.

I was going through some old email looking for one I had from a few years ago and came across one that I had with a person from MS. I was thanking them for the opportunity of meeting with his group. Which made me think back to how that happened. I don’t like standing in front of people and talking and my boss Arlin knows this and uses every chance he gets or tries to anyways of making that happen. I like to think of myself as the person not seen just heard from works better that way for me or as I refer to myself as a mushroom keep in the dark and buried in well never mind.

We was out there for some part of the Longhorn/2008 Beta we was involved in and Arlin setup a meeting with the TS Group. He had me in mushroom mode up until the point he mentioned to come up front with him. Well I got to stand up there in front of the whole TS Devolpers Group with my boss as he presented to them and I got to answer any questions they had. I have never been the same since, marked for life I am thinking. 4 years ago this last week it happened. Until he did the same thing to me again at the SBS 2008 thing in Tx last year I am finally recovering or still in the process of healing from that. I have to watch him more closely I am thinking.

Til later just Roger