Zerto Replication – VRA Install and Pairing Sites For the second part of our Zerto Replication install series, we are going install the Virtual Replication Appliances (VRAs) as well as pair our protected site to a recovery site. First, let’s look at the Virtual Replication Appliance(s). VRAs are lightweight, Linux-based virtual machines that handle replication between sites. These VRAs are installed on each host that houses either a protected or a recovery virtual machine. As part of...

VMware Common Logging Alarm and LVM In this byte, we will go over the VMware Common Logging Service Alarm as well as the dynamic resize of vCenter Hard disks. Over the weekend, I received a few traps from a 6.x vCenter Server Appliance. The specific trap came through stating the vmware-syslog status changing from yellow to red. I was able to confirm this within vCenter with a VMware Common Logging Health alarm. Normally this means one of two things: A service (syslog) has stopped....

VMware ESXi Upgrade 6.0 to 6.5 – Conflicting VIBs HPe Custom Image During a recent 6.0 to 6.5 upgrade, we ran into an incompatibility error while upgrading the ESXi version on multiple HP Proliant Blades with an HPe Custom Image. The error stated: The upgrade contains the following set of conflicting VIBs: Mellanox_bootbank_net-mlx4-en_2.0.0.0-1OEM.550.0.0.472560 Remove the conflicting VIBs or use Image Builder to create a custom upgrade ISO image that contains the newer versio...

Patch HP Drivers on ESXi Hosts – VMware Update Manager Today I wanted to run through the process used to patch HP drivers on an ESXi host; specifically through Update Manager. In a vSphere 6.5 troubleshooting post, we discussed a PSOD issue stemming from a specific HP iLO driver. That being the case, it seemed fitting to go through the patch process for the affected iLO driver in this post. Despite this being a very specific patch, the general patch procedure can be applied to other dri...

How to Install ESXi 6.0 from Onboard Administrator  In this byte, we will be going through the install of ESXi 6.0 on an HP c-Class BladeSystem. There are a few different methods to install/upgrade ESXi; namely, ESXi Interactive Installer – Boot from ISO, choose install/upgrade vSphere Update Manager – Import ISO, create upgrade baseline, remediate ESXCLI – Stage ZIP, execute Scripted Upgrades – Update/customize upgrade script Today we will be running the Interactive...

Install SQL Server 2016 for System Center Configuration Manager If you are planning to perform System Center Configuration Manager installation, the first thing which needs to be done before running the SCCM setup will be the SQL Server installation. Make sure you have installed the .NET Framework 3.5 before starting the SQL Server installation otherwise you will get the installation error. You can install .NET Framework 3.5 from Add Roles and Features under Server ManagerDashboard. In ...

CLDC - Connected Limited Device Configuration Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) is the J2ME configuration for smaller handheld devices that are usually battery operated and low in memory with limited processing power and low bandwidth. Most often the CLDC uses the K virtual machine, which is suitable for devices with 16/32-bit RISC/CISC microprocessors/controllers, and with as little as 160 K of total memory available -- 128 K of which is for the storage of the actual virtual mac...

Server 2012 NTFS File and Folder Permissions NTFS (New Technology File System) permissions can be applied to files, folders and drives formatted with NTFS file system. NTFS permissions are same since the release of Windows Server 2000. NTFS permissions control the access of files and folders in NTFS formatted partition. NTFS permissions once applied is effective for both network users and local users. In this post, I will explain Server 2012 NTFS file and folder permissions. Two important rules...

Setup Shared Folder in Windows Server 2012 Microsoft have made lot of improvements in Server 2012. One of the major changes is Server Manager. Server Manager is now linked with almost all the server roles. Server Manager allows you to easily setup shared folder in Windows Server 2012. File Server role must be installed prior to be able to share files and folder on the network. Shared folders on the network allows many users to access the files and folders. Remember, folders can be shared but in...

top-of-rack switching Top-of-rack switching is a network architecture design in which computing equipment like servers, appliances and other switches located within the same or adjacent rack are connected to an in-rack network switch. The in-rack network switch, in turn, is connected to aggregation switches via fiber optic cables. Despite its name, top-of-rack (ToR) switches can be placed anywhere in the rack. But to enable access to the horizontal fiber optic cabling plant that connects in-...