Month: February 2009

Solid State Disks

The NDA at the HP event I’m at while typing this won’t let me talk about most of what I’ve learned.  An interesting thing came up: Solida State Disks.

Putting more SSD’s in your SAN than you have controllers for performance reasons is illogical, e.g. your controller cache can only perform as fast as 1 SSD.  Adding more SSD’s slows down the SSD’s!

SSD’s have a limited life such as USB sticks. A typical SSD component can have a life time of 10,000 writes.  SSD’s have spare capacity for replacing bad blocks.  When you run out of spare capacity then your SSD becomes an expensive read only device.

It’s really good for not-frequently changing data, e.g. a hypervisor, corporate streaming media, etc.

System Centre Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer Update 1

Virtual Machine Manager 2008 and Hyper-V give you a complete management and virtualisation solution.  The scenario I’m in is unique and often confuses server/storage people.  Most virtualisation scenarios are pretty static, e.g. “We have 100 servers and we’ll virtualise them.  We might add a few every year”.  When we started we had this statement “We have zero servers and we hope to add as many customer VM’s as possible every year”.  So if our business does well and thrives, we’ll be growing non-stop and in an increasing manner.  Management of performance and health are critical.  OpsMgr 2007 SP1 integrates with VMM 2008 and gives us that.

But what about configuration?  We’ll add hosts pretty frequently.  I have a WDS image that has 99% of the configuration done.  However, the generation of blades we used at the start is now being replaced by HP.  That means a new generation.  There’s a probability that we’ll have alternate build types for specific projects too.  I want to make sure we do things according to best practices.  Up to now, that’s been a manual inspection process followed by responding to alerts in VMM and OpsMgr.  Then we’d roll out the machine in pilot to test it.  Finally I could push it out.

MS has released a tool called the VMM 2008 Configuration Analyser:

“The VMMCA is a diagnostic tool you can use to evaluate important configuration settings for computers that either are serving or might serve VMM roles or other VMM functions. The VMMCA scans the hardware and software configurations of the computers you specify, evaluates them against a set of predefined rules, and then provides you with error messages and warnings for any configurations that are not optimal for the VMM role or other VMM function that you have specified for the computer.
Note The VMMCA does not duplicate or replace the prerequisite checks performed during the setup of VMM 2008 components.
Before installing VMM, you can use the VMMCA to help you evaluate the configuration of computers that you might use for the following VMM roles:

  • VMM server
  • VMM Administrator Console
  • VMM Self-Service Portal

After installing VMM, you can use the VMMCA to evaluate the configurations of computers that you are now using or might use for the VMM roles listed above, as well as computers that you are using or might use for any of the following VMM functions:

  • Windows Server–based host
  • VMware Virtual Center Server
  • P2V source computer
  • Operations Manager agent”

So now I can fire up this tool on existing servers to analyse them to ensure that things are good.

If you’re still on VMM 2007 then please go here instead.

Management Lie and Everyone Is Replaceable – Oh, And Intel Ireland Lays Off Up To 300

Despite reassurances last month from directors, Intel Ireland announced that it will make between 200 and 300 people redundant.  They came out in the press last month and bare-faced said that this wouldn’t happen.  I wonder how long it takes a behemoth like Intel to decide to lay people off and which ones to select?  A month?  Two months?  More?  You can make up your own mind if Intel management lied or not.

I’ve been made redundant 3 times since 1996.  I’ve learned to smell when it’s coming.  I’ve even managed to avoid it by moving on before the axe started swinging.  In 2001 I was even being talked to about a promotion and a pay rise while the same managers were putting me on a list to cut.  I’ve learned that:

  • If business is down
  • If budgets disappear
  • If phrases like “tightening belts” are said

… all start happening then it’s time to get the CV/resume updated and out there.  Even if you’ve been in a company 10 or 20 years you shouldn’t bank on a redundancy package that’ll pay of your mortgage.  Those days are long gone.  Expect the statutory compensation package if you’re not a banker resigning because of a scandal.

Why do managers lie?  They need you to keep working so that the business can keep money coming in.  They’ll already have prepared your P45 (pink slip for tax) and reassure you.

That leads me on to the next point.  You might be thinking “they can’t get rid of me because I’m do critical stuff and the business needs me”.  I’m sorry to say, everyone is replaceable.  Business people do not value IT in general (not always true but usually true).  I’ve been that critical employee.  I designed and managed a network for an international finance company.  I knew it inside and out.  No one else came close.  We used bleeding edge technology to leverage automation, e.g. 3 of us managed ran 170+ servers.  The directors decided to swing the axe and all senior IT people went, to be replaced by some foreign contractors.  The other 2 in my team went a couple of months later.  Those contractors were to move everything abroad but 3 years later nothing has happened.  They hadn’t a clue.  In fact, I know that despite many efforts the business never really got to grips with the level of tech that we had deployed.  They spent a fortune on contractors and consultants.  They would have been better to keep us on and run things.  It’s not like we didn’t do an ace job.  We did and we were ahead of the business in offering solutions to anticipate the changes of strategy. 

The lesson here?  Non-IT people often see IT as an annoying cost centre, a plaything for geeks or worse, a step above the receptionist.  They often don’t appreciate that we build the foundations that can at least facilitate the business and if done right can make the business more efficient and competitive.

Did Intel do any of these?  I’m not saying that at all.  Like I’ve already said: you can make up your own mind.  Am I cynical?  Am I paranoid?  Funny story … a buddy who I’ve worked with and been made redundant with twice before once said I was paranoid.  The first time, I had already cleared my desk and packed my bag before we were given the news.  The second time, I’d already figured it out 2 weeks before hand.  He doesn’t think that anymore.

GWB got it wrong so here’s the right version: Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.

How To Avoid Salesmen At An Event

I’m at a HP Storage event in Dublin to learn about the next generation of enterprise class storage.  The place is full of “suits” who are allegedly shopping and, of course, sales people from HP and resellers.  Normally at these events, those sales folks are all over you like a cheap suit.

However, I have a cunning and devious plan!

I haven’t shaved in 2 days.  I’m standing in a corner with my Dell laptop looking all moody and dishevelled as if I came in off the street for the free coffee.  Sales folks are assuming I’m not a decision maker and that the suits from the government agencies are here to buy stuff – more fool them!  I’ve learned from being on the dark side with an very clued in salesman that those folks just turn up for the free stuff and the raffle.  They usually have preferred suppliers and have no intention of doing anything.

I’ll see if I can blog anything I learn from here.  I had to sign some sort of NDA when I came in.  I’ll soon see if this is “top secret” or not.

Microsoft Ireland TechDays

A number of us in the IT community have been helping Enda Flynn in MS Ireland put together this series of events to be held in March around Ireland.  Enda and the folks in MS have done a huge amount of planning and work on this and deserve credit for it.  I’ll be involved with the Windows Server 2008 R2/Hyper-V sessions, helping (a small bit) with the SQL session and presenting the Windows 7 & digital photography session.  I’ll update this post when the final details on speakers and locations is available.  What I can say is that the speakers include internationally recognised world leaders, MS Ireland experts and leaders from the Irish community including MVP’s.

Tech Days’ are a collaborative effort between Microsoft and the IT Pro community to re-deliver the highlights of Tech Ed Conference to IT Pros across Ireland. Most of the sessions will be delivered by a combination of Microsoft and Community technical presenters and will involve as much time spent demo the technology, as possible. The content delivered will be technical level 300. March will see the four-city tour stop for evening events in Galway and Cork, with full day events in Dublin and Belfast.
Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to get up-to speed on the latest Microsoft technology at no cost!

See the official page here.

Microsoft Community Tech Days for IT Professionals
Galway, 10th March (Venue tbc)
7pm-9.30pm
Cost: Free
Register Here

Agenda

  1. An Introduction to Windows 7 and Quick Overview of Client Deployment Tools
  2. The Accidental DBA
  3. SQL Server Reporting Services

Microsoft Community Tech Days for IT Professionals
Cork, 12th March (Venue tbc)
7pm-9.30pm
Cost: Free
Register Here

Agenda

  1. Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 R2 working Great Together and WS 2008 R2 Virtualisation (Live Migration is here!)
  2. SharePoint – The Implementation  Journey..from WSS to MOSS
  3. Unified Communications – Using it Today and Preparing for the Future

Microsoft Community Tech Days for IT Professionals
Dublin, 24th March (Venue tbc)
Cost: Free
Infrastructure Morning (9.30am – 1pm)
Register Here

Agenda

  1. Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 R2 working Great Together and WS 2008 R2 Virtualisation (Live Migration is here!)
  2. An Introduction to Windows 7 and Quick Overview of Client Deployment Tools
  3. Virtualising Windows Essential Server Solutions (SBS &EBS)

Unified Communications and Collaboration Afternoon (2.30pm – 6pm)
Register Here
Agenda

  1. SharePoint – The Implementation  Journey..from WSS to MOSS
  2. Unified Communications – Using it Today and Preparing for the Future

Microsoft Community Tech Days for IT Professionals
Belfast, 26th March (Venue tbc)
Cost: Free
Infrastructure Morning (9.30am – 1pm)
Register Here

Agenda

  1. Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 R2 working Great Together and WS 2008 R2 Virtualisation (Live Migration is here!)
  2. An Introduction to Windows 7 and Quick Overview of Client Deployment Tools
  3. Virtualising Windows Essential Server Solutions (SBS &EBS)

Database and Business Intelligence Afternoon (2.30pm – 6pm)
Register Here

Agenda

  1. The Accidental DBA
  2. SQL Server Reporting Services
  3. Integrated BI Solutions with SQL Server 2008, SharePoint Server 2007 (including scorecarding, dashboarding and analytics) & Excel 2007

(including scorecarding, dashboarding and analytics) & Excel 2007

MS @ Home Evenings Event Description:
Placeholder for content

Microsoft @ Home Evening, for IT Professionals
Event Description:
This session will be an overview of the connected technologies of Windows 7, Windows Home Server and Xbox to provide a secure, shared and media rich home computing experience. We will demonstrate parental controls, media tagging, shared media, centralized backup and the extensibility of Home Server and the community that surrounds this product. We will also look at how the web plays a part in this experience through remote web access and a personalized website address for sharing photos and home videos in home server.
Dublin, 23rd March, 7pm-9.30pm (Venue tbc). Register Here
Belfast, 25th March, 7pm-9.30pm (Venue tbc).Register Here
Cost: Free

Agenda

  1. Digital Photography
  2. Home Server & Media Extender
  3. Securing Your Home Network

Cloned WSUS Clients Don’t Appear In The Console

It’s possible that cloned machines (even sysprepped ones) won’t appear in the WSUS console.  Here’s some trouble shooting steps.

 

  • If using the FQDN of the WSUS server then ensure the client can resolve the computer name to an IP address.  Check DNS (NSLOOKUP), ping and/or the hosts file.
  • Ensure that you can telnet from the client to the WSUS server on port 8530, e.g. telnet 10.0.0.10 8530.  That will check connectivity.  This assumes you’re using the default port of 8530 for WSUS connectivity.  Use netstat –an to verify this.
  • Ensure that the application log on the WSUS server is clean.
  • Check the WindowsUpdate log in C:Windows on the client.  Make sure it is connecting to <WSUS Server>:8530.
  • Run wuauclt /detectnow on the client and check the WindowsUpdate log again.
  • If the client does not appear then the SUSCliendID may not be valid.  You can reset this by running this .BAT script on the affected client:

@echo off
Echo Save the batch file "AU_Clean_SID.cmd". This batch file will do the following:
Echo 1.    Stop the wuauserv service
Echo 2.    Delete the AccountDomainSid registry key (if it exists)
Echo 3.    Delete the PingID registry key (if it exists)
Echo 4.    Delete the SusClientId registry key (if it exists)
Echo 5.    Restart the wuauserv service
Echo 6.    Resets the Authorization Cookie

Pause
@echo on
net stop wuauserv
REG DELETE "HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionWindowsUpdate" /v AccountDomainSid /f
REG DELETE "HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionWindowsUpdate" /v PingID /f
REG DELETE "HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionWindowsUpdate" /v SusClientId /f
net start wuauserv
wuauclt /resetauthorization /detectnow
Pause

Refresh the console view by clicking on <REFRESH> (don’t press <F5>) and it should appear.

I Really Dislike Phones

One of the guys in the office is going to be working from home a bit over the next while and called in today asking that his desk phone be forwarded to his mobile.  Fair enough.  Reception asked me to do it as I walked in today.  I sat down and tried it.  A recurring thought came to mind: Why are all desk phones that I see based on software that was obviously written by someone disconnected from humanity and in the 1950’s with punch cards in mind?  In the end I gave up.  Someone else had a go and gave up too.  We had to call in a phone support engineer to get the damn thing to do a simple call forward operation.  After playing Twister with the phone’s keypad and hitting combinations that would make Mortal Kombat look simple the issue was finally sorted out.

Isn’t it about time that phones joined us in the 21st century?

Microsoft Application Request Routing Version 1 for IIS 7

I’ll be honest , I’m not 100% sure what this thing is.  It appears to be some more intelligent software based application load balancer and workload router for IIS 7 based web servers.

“Microsoft Application Request Routing for IIS7 is a proxy based routing module that forwards HTTP requests to content servers based on HTTP headers and server variables, and load balance algorithms.

Application Request Routing can be used to:

  • Increase application availability and scalability.
  • Better utilize content server resources.
  • Facilitate application deployment including pilot management and A/B testing.
  • Lower management costs and create opportunities for shared hosters”

You can learn more here where there are links to documentation.  There are x86 and x64 versions that you can download and install.  It looks pretty powerful and I’m going to have to find 120 minutes somewhere to read a bit more about it.  On the face of it, it looks like a cheaper alternative to pricey hardware based load balancers like the F5 Big-IP or rely on the basic functionality of Windows load balancing (which does work!).