old linux VM trick..

I was re-deploying a vDR2.0 machine today and could *not* get the console keyboard to stop stuttering. I looked up the old trick for delay, but it doesn't seem to be taking effect. The options->general->config params are not available for this appliance, not sure if the machine is ignoring other options on the vmx file.. I ended up using the Microsoft on-screen keyboard to get in and set the IP. Here's the text of the kb article for future personal reference. I haven't had to use this hack in years.

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/196

To reduce these effects, increase the time threshold necessary for auto-repeat in the remote console.

Power off the virtual machine. Add a line, similar to this, at the end of your virtual machine's configuration (.vmx) file:

keyboard.typematicMinDelay = "2000000"

The delay is specified in micro-seconds, so the line in the example above increases the repeat time to 2 seconds. This should ensure that you never get auto-repeat unless you intend it.

Power on the virtual machine. To make the changes using the vSphere Client: Power off the virtual machine Right click virtual machine select Edit Settings Click Options > General > Configuration Parameters Click Add Row Under Name enter keyboard.typematicMinDelay In the Value field 2000000 Click OK Power on the virtual machine

you do not hold privilege "system > read" on virtual machine ""

Yep, blank name for the virtual machine.

More information:
Call storageresourcemanager.configurestoragedrsforpod blah blah
(didn't write it all down)

I did once get the above ^ permission error and then this message:
The guest os id is not valid. Therefore, editing these vm settings is not recommended.

What was I doing?
Cloned a virtual machine and then tried to make any changes to the settings (I tried changing the port group and adding/removing a vCD iso). Saying OK to commit the changes brings up that permission error.

I looked up the Storage Resource Manager parts in the API docs and there are no associated privileges: Drink Me Similar calls need System.View priv set (which this user holds).
Here's the way I've currently been able to get rid of the error: I removed the associated datastores from the datastore clusters (moved it to the parent folder) and now I can't recreate the problem. I moved the datastores back under the datastore clusters (without otherwise making changes) and still no error message.

Sounds like a bug with storage DRS to me... I'll wait to see if it shows back up.

Consolidated server and desktop workload licensing failure

VMware View and a standard vSphere server workload deployment cannot mix. Separate physical hosts, separate vCenters. WHY???
If you have a SMB who wants to get their feet wet with both virtualized Desktop and Server workloads, you're telling them that they need to purchase twice the rackspace to have the same n+1 cluster setup. I can see large shops wanting to keep the workloads (and admins in charge of them) as separate entities, but don't make it a restriction. 


From VMware View 5 Licensing FAQ:
Q: Can I run other server workloads on the vSphere that is included in View?
A: No. The vSphere and vCenter components of the View bundle are restricted to desktop deployments. A desktop virtual machine is defined as a virtual machine running the following operating systems: Windows 95/98, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows Vista Business, or Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows 7.
The only exception to this rule are the components that make up the virtualized desktop infrastructure (View Manager, vCenter Server, another Connection Broker and/or any desktop management and performance monitoring tools used solely for hosted desktop virtual machine(s) within an operating system of a server).

vSphere 5 vCenter Appliance first take

UTC. Do not change the timezone on the appliance or the embedded DB2 database will not start. 

Also watch for the DB2 logsize: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1005259

And the Likewise AD auth needs to be a domain admin, but it won't put the hostname in correctly if it's longer than 15 chars. 

Bugs to work out? Nahhhhh..

Other than those...few..gaping holes, I think VMware's got something going for it. 

ESX 3.0 on ESX 4.0

I was trying to run ESX 3.0.3 U1 inside of my vSphere 4.0 implementation (so that I could test upgrade strategies to 4.1).

I set the OS as RHEL 4 (64bit) and specified "Use Intel VT-x/AMD-V" under the CPU/MMU Virtualization Options area (rather than automatic). It seemed to boot fine at that point.
Note that the install went fine without poking in the settings area, but it was just hanging at "vmkernel has been loaded successfully" rather than actually booting into the OS.

Now I can get to work.

VMW 2011 sessions

Using the bash script linked below will download all available flv presentations or the session pdf if no flv was available. Some sessions did not have any content (about a dozen or so). Resulting folder size is currently 16.5G. Requires lwp-download that should work on sol/nix/OSX ..as long as perl is installed.
Or just browse the script for sessions you want. Session name will be the file name.

...if anyone asks, i got it from a friend of a friend.

Drink Me

virtualappsonline redirect

I'm going to redirect a site I own and have done nothing with over here.. It's virtualappsonline.com

The only real topic on that site was a VM I made for the marketplace in Jan 2007. This is the text, just for fun:


activeCollab 0.7.1 Project Management Solution
Description
From http://www.activecollab.com website:
activeCollab is an easy to use, web based, open source collaboration and project management tool. Set up an environment where you, your team and your clients can collaborate on active projects using a set of simple, functional tools. 100% free!
Download links at the bottom of this post
Highlights
1. Easy to install and easy to use
2. Web-based. After installation only thing you'll need to use it is web browser
3. 100% open source, 100% free
4. No limitations on number of projects, clients, team members...
5. Per project permissions
---
Google for other reviews of this project management platform. Most reviews compare it to Basecamp by 37signals.
---
Below is text from included readme file:
==Debian Settings==
Login to server: root toor
Login to mysql: root toor
ac 4ct1v3
Login to activeCollab website: admin 4ct1v3
* mysql database ac created for activeCollab
* ssh access available to root
* no firewall settings
* vmware tools not installed (no GUI installed)
==Virtual Machine Settings==
floppy1, sound adapter turned off
ethernet1 bridged (will receive a DHCP address from your local network). To change network settings to static, see the /etc/network/interfaces file.
==Getting the Server / activeCollab Setup==
change /var/www/activecollab/config/config.php ROOT_URL listing to the server's FQDN for active collab to work
/etc/apt/sources.list should be changed to a mirror closer to you. See http://www.debian.org/mirror/list for a listing.
Dotdeb should stay in the sources list for php5 / mysql5 updates. http://www.dotdeb.org/
Operating system: Debian Sarge 3.1 Stable
Applications installed:
Debian Sarge 3.1: Apache2-mpm-prefork, MySQL-server, PHP5, PHP5-MySQL, PHP5-gd, activeCollab 0.7.1
VMware Tools installed: No - With no GUI, VM tools doesn't change performance.
Size: 222.3 MB MB
Primary account
Username: root
Password: toor
Memory allocated: 256MB
==Download Links==
Available upon request... but come on now..
md5sum: ad8904b13d56f5c6c6221fb8f9ce6e60