vSphere 5.5 Question - "How can I get a VM (running Win2008 R2) to boot to Safe Mode?

vSphere 5.5 Question - "How can I get a VM (running Win2008 R2) to boot to Safe Mode?

 ** Here is a question asked over at Experts Exchange that I had answered previously.

https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/28474115/bring-VM-into-Safe-mode-to-replace-Rdp-client-disable-UAC.html

"servergoboom
Commented: 2014-07-11
 

It's best to adjust the Power-on Boot Delay setting first to make it easier to see the F8 Safe Mode option so you can get focus on the vSphere client VM console window in time to have your pressing of F8 acknowledged:

It is easy to do from vCenter

1. Connect to vCenter Server/VirtualCenter using the VMware Infrastructure/vSphere Client.
2. Right-click on the virtual machine you want to edit in the Inventory view.
3. Click Edit Settings > Options > Boot Options.
4. Set the Power-on Boot Delay to the number of seconds you feel will give you enough time.

Once you see POST information, make sure your mouse focus is inside the virtual machine by clicking inside the console window and press F8 once the screen goes black.

Also note that depending how your keyboard is configured, you may need to press fn+F8 rather than just F8 for Safe Mode."

A little dated but I have seen a lot of vSphere 5.5 environments still in production in the field. Hopefully you'll find this info useful.

Sonicwall SSL-VPN and Windows Remote Desktop on Chromebook (ChromeOS)

Officially there are no SSL-VPN clients for ChromeOS from Sonicwall. A little research will also reveal that Java is not available for Chrome / Chrome OS either. And ActiveX on anything other than Windows Internet Explorer is well .. right out.

So what is a poor little Chromebook to do to get SSL-VPN access to RDP on their Windows PC/RDS Server at work? 

Turn on the old L2TP VPN on their Sonicwall and then configure their Chromebook to connect using L2TP with PSK?

Possibly ... 

But why go back in time when you can go forward?

It turns out that since Sonicwall now supports HTML5 options in their SSL-VPN Bookmark services that another option presents itself:

Use the Terminal Services (RDP - HTML5) service under a SSL-VPN Bookmark 

Recently, I was able to setup and successfully test a Remote Desktop session from a Chromebook across Sonicwall SSL-VPN using the Terminal Services (RDP - HTML5) service under a SSL-VPN Bookmark -

 

You're welcome GoogleFanBoys!

... now you can continue to work on melding your minds with the AI hive master mind and get your consciousness transferred into your robot bodies... Fear the "Google" - Robot Overlord 

My Top Recommended Books for IT Networking Professionals

"Repetition of the fundamentals of any discipline brings Mastery" ~ Tao of ServerGoBoom

I have posted before (years ago) about some books which I have found to be game changers for me as an IT Professional. Some of them are still on my Top Recommended list as they are fundamental to helping those new to IT or those moving into more responsibility within IT organizations get their "House of IT" foundation built right.

I have mentioned "Sams Teach Yourself Network Troubleshooting in 24 hours" from Jonathan Feldman previously I stand by what I said in that original post. Excellent Network Troubleshooting Fundamentals. This is probably the first book you should read and practice if you are just starting out in the "Way of Network/System Troubleshooting"

Next I would recommend  "Time Management for System Administrators" by Tom Limoncelli. It has a lot of very useful fundamental IT-specific time management techniques and explanations for helping you be successful and happy as an IT Professional.

As you move along in your career and are getting ready to really improve as or move up from being an individual contributor to managing IT teams and infrastructure deployment, I recommended "The Practice of System and Network Administration" by Tom Limoncelli, Christina Hogan and Strata Chalup. This one will help you build an IT department and it's infrastructure from the ground up based on best practices that have been proven in production. Just an Excellent resource. Check it out and see.

I have some more books which I will add later to the list but I feel these books will be of the most immediate use to you and can be looked at as the materials which will help you build your solid foundation and frame upon which you will build the rest of your career as an IT Professional.

As always, I hope these help you as much as they have helped me.

Whoops I just googled all over myself and found an old useful answer I had provided over at Server Fault

- quoted below mostly for my own edification and maybe a little for yours:

Question:

I'm looking for a good, free, visual traceroute utility. Anyone know of any?   networking edited Nov 1 '11 at 23:38 Bart De Vos 13.6k34269 asked Mar 30 '10 at 17:02 John Himmelman 3582715

ServerGoBoom Says:

"There is a new java-based project called Open Visual Trace Route. It's free at http://sourceforge.net/projects/openvisualtrace/ - It does include geolocation as part of it's free feature set. None of the other locally installed applications listed provide the geolocation to map view for free.

You can get it for free if you use an online tool like Visual Trace Route Tool at http://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/visual-tracert/

Hope this helps, Enjoy!

answered Sep 19 '11 at 10:07 servergoboom 411

You did WHAT after opening an email attachment?!

It's crazy how often I hear something similar to the following:

"Hi, Tech Support? I opened an email attachment in Outlook and edited it and made changes, but now that I closed it I can't find that updated file and the one in the original email doesn't show my changes ..."

It should go without saying .. but seems to still need to be said:

"Don't open attached files directly from your email and edit them. Ever. Never-Ever."

If people pay attention to that advice we may have just solved about 70% of the future Tech Support calls related to this PEBCAK issue for end-users using Outlook 2003 and 2007.

If only ...

UPDATE: Thankfully Microsoft has taken action to resolve this being an issue going forward and has made it so that if the user is using Outlook 2010 for Windows or Outlook 2011 for Mac - Documents open in read-only mode, cannot readily be saved in the temporary folder structure and are saved in the "My Documents" folder by default.

For users with this issue in Outlook 2003 - 2007, try the following methods to find the temp file for the user:

Method 1:

1. If you have not already done so, set Windows Explorer to display hidden files and folders from its Tools > Folder Options > View menu >Advanced Settings > Files and Folders > Hidden files and folders > tick the Show hidden filers and folders radio button.
2. Then from the Windows > Start > Run dialog - type "%Temp%" and press Enter
3. This will open an Explorer Window into your user temporary file area of Windows:
4. In the left pane click "LOCALS~1" which will open another Explorer Window
5. Then open the "Temporary Internet Files" folder
6. Then open the "OLK**" folder (This is the Outlook temporary file area)
7. Select the file you were looking for and move it to the Documents folder

Method 2:

If the locations discussed above do not apply on your PC, then the safest procedure to adopt would be to:

1. Attach a test document (it doesn't matter what the actual content of the file is) to a message and e-mail it to yourself.
2. View the message.
3. Right click the attachment and use 'Open' to open the attachment in Word.
4. Opening the document will create temporary working files in the temporary folder Outlook uses for this purpose. The file will be opened from the temporary location which your PC uses to store attachments.
5. Save the document in the temporary folder.
6. With that document still open, select 'Open' from Word, which will now have set its focus to the temporary location.
7. Open the required document which should have your changes and save it to your usual document folder e.g. My Documents, as shown in the following sequence of illustrations.
8. You can then open the document from Word.
9. If the document does not appear in the folder in the above illustration, or if you have opened it again from the attachment and saved it with the same name (which should no longer be possible) any changes you originally made to it are lost.

iPhone and Exchange 2010, you better play nice!! Or I'll ....

I ran into an interesting Mobile Smartphone issue recently with an iPhone and Exchange 2010 ... and by "interesting" I really mean annoyingly frustrating . >.<

The end-user reported that he had copied the settings from another iPhone user and he was able to get the Exchange account setup, but it would error out when he tried to send an email.

We had him delete the account and we went through the setup a second time; same results - no sendy no receivey

I attempted to reproduce the issue on an iPad I had available. I was able to create the account and confirmed that the security certificate was accepted correctly but still was unable to send or receive email.

Remotely accessed the client's Exchange 2010 email server and confirmed that the user's mailbox and Active Directory account looked correct when compared to a user who was using their iPhone successfully with the company's exchange email and had 'Manage Mobile Phone' showing their iPhone had successfully made a partnership with Exchange via ActiveSync  but the account for the user I was working with did not show that any devices have been synced/partnered successfully. ARGH!

Things smarter people would do = With ActiveSync enabled correctly in Exchange/AD etc; this is where, if I was smarter, I would have gone directly to using the Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer

But ... Alas .. I didn't

The next thing I did was review the Event logs and found ActiveSync errors in the Application log.

I researched resolutions for the following error:

Source: MSExchange ActiveSync
Event ID: 1053
Task Category: Configuration
Description:

Exchange ActiveSync doesn't have sufficient permissions to create the "CN=MailboxName,OU=OrganizationalUnitName,DC=domain,DC=suffix" container under Active Directory user "Active Directory operation failed on DOMAINCONTROLLER.domain.suffix. This error is not retriable. Additional information: Access is denied.

Active directory response: 00000005: SecErr: DSID-031521D0, problem 4003 (INSUFF_ACCESS_RIGHTS), data 0".

Make sure the user has inherited permission granted to domain\Exchange Servers to allow List, Create child, Delete child of object type "msExchangeActiveSyncDevices" and doesn't have any deny permissions that block such operations.

I applied a few fixes but was still having issues ... it was at this point inspiration hit and I started using the Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer and was eventually able to get ActiveSync working on the iPad and then on the user's iPhone.

The Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer linked me to this TechNet entry which fixed the issue:

“In Exchange Server 2010, you may also experience this issue if the Exchange Servers group does not have the appropriate permission to the mailbox object in Active Directory. The most common cause for this is broken Access Control List (ACL) inheritance in Active Directory.

To check whether inheritance is disabled on the user:

1. Open Active Directory Users and Computers.
2. On the menu at the top of the console, click View then Advanced Features.
3. Locate and right-click the mailbox account in the console, and then click Properties.
4. Click the Security tab.
5. Click Advanced.
6. Make sure that the check box for "Include inheritable permissions from this object's parent" is selected.

If the user is a member of certain protected groups such as Domain Administrators, it is normal for this box to be unchecked. If you are experiencing a problem with members of these protected groups you should check the permissions on the AdminSDHolder object.”

So this brings me to my real point here: Be smarter than me ...

** Always use the Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer  FIRST to test for ActiveSync issues by default with the user’s email account and credentials" **

Note: Admin accounts will not work with the Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer or with ActiveSync at all (Check to make sure the user having the issue is not a member of an adminstrators group in AD)

I hope this information helps you resolve this issue faster than I did! :)

How to open Xcode iPhone Simulator

I have been providing a lot of iPhone support recently and I don't own a iPhone so I have been using Xcode's iPhone Simulator which you can launch from through Finder here:

/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform/Developer/Applications/iOS Simulator.app.

Also, you can make it available from Applications/QuickSilver by right clicking it and select 'Make Alias' and put the alias/shortcut wherever you want (like in your Applications folder).


Here's iOS Simulator information quoted from the iOS Developer Library which can be found here:

http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/Xcode/Conceptual/ios_development_workflow/25-Using_iOS_Simulator/ios_simulator_application.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40007959-CH9-SW1

Using iOS Simulator

You use the iOS Simulator app to run your iOS app on a Mac. By simulating the operation of your app you:

• Learn about the Xcode development experience and the iOS development environment before becoming a member of a development team.
• Find major problems in your app during design and early testing.
• Test your app’s user interface.
• Measure your app’s memory usage before carrying out detailed performance analysis on iOS-based devices.

The iOS Simulator app (located in /Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform/Developer/Applications) presents the iPhone or iPad user interface in a window on your computer. This app provides several ways to interact with it by using the keyboard and mouse to simulate taps, device rotation, and other user actions.
This chapter describes the ways in which you use your computer’s input devices to simulate the interaction between users and their devices. The chapter also describes how to uninstall apps from a simulator and how to reset the contents of a simulation environment.

Content specifications: This content is written for Xcode 4.0.2 and iOS SDK 4.3.

Setting the Device and iOS Version

iOS Simulator can simulate three devices (iPhone, iPhone with Retina display, and iPad) and several iOS versions.
To specify the device you want to simulate, choose Hardware > Device, and choose the device.
To specify the iOS version to simulate, choose Hardware > Version, and choose the iOS version.

Manipulating the Hardware

With iOS Simulator you can simulate most of the actions a user performs on a device. When your app is running in a simulator, you can carry out these hardware interactions through the Hardware menu:

• Rotate Left. Rotates the simulator to the left.
• Rotate Right. Rotates the simulator to the right.
• Shake Gesture. Shakes the simulator.
• Home. Takes the simulator to the Home screen.
• Lock. Locks the simulator.
• Simulate Memory Warning. Sends the frontmost app low-memory warnings. For information on how to handle low-memory situations, see <!--a target="_self"

“Observing Low-Memory Warnings” in iOS App Programming Guide.

Toggle In-Call Status Bar. Toggles the status bar between its normal state and its state when a phone call or FaceTime call is in progress. The status bar is taller in its in-call state than in its normal state. This command shows how your app’s user interface looks when the user launches your app during a call.

Simulate Hardware Keyboard. Toggles the software keyboard on an iPad simulator. Turn off the software keyboard to simulate using a keyboard dock or wireless keyboard with an iPad device.

TV Out. Opens a window simulating the TV out signal of a device.

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Performing Gestures

Table 4-1 lists gestures you can perform on a simulator (see iOS Human Interface Guidelines for more about gestures).

Table 4-1 Performing gestures in iOS Simulator

Gesture	Desktop action
Tap	Click.
Touch and hold	Hold down the mouse button.
Double-tap	Double-click.
Swipe	1. Place the pointer at the place where you want the swipe to start. 2. Hold down the mouse button. 3. Move the pointer in the direction you want to swipe and release the mouse button.
Flick	1. Place the pointer at the start position. 2. Hold down the mouse button. 3. Move the pointer quickly in the direction you want to flick and release the mouse button.
Drag	1. Place the pointer at the start position. 2. Hold down the mouse button. 3. Move the pointer in the direction you want to drag.
Pinch	1. Place the pointer where you want the pinch to occur. 2. Hold down the Option key. 3. Move the circles that represent finger touches to the start position. 4. Move the center of the pinch target by holding down the Shift key, moving the circles to the desired center position, and releasing the Shift key. 5. Hold down the mouse button, move the circles to the end position, and release the Option key.

Installing Apps

Xcode installs apps in simulation environments automatically when you build your app for a simulator. See “Building and Running Apps” for details.

Note: You cannot install apps from the App Store in simulation environments.

Uninstalling Apps

To uninstall apps that you have installed in a simulation environment, use the same method used to uninstall apps from devices:

1. Place the pointer over the icon of the app you want to uninstall and hold down the mouse button until the icon starts to jiggle and a close button appears.
2. Click the close button.
3. Click the Home button to stop the icon from jiggling.

Resetting Content and Settings

To set the user content and settings of a simulation environment to their factory state and remove the apps you have installed, choose iOS Simulator > Reset Content and Settings.

Viewing iOS Simulator Console and Crash Logs

To learn how to view your app’s console logs when it runs in a simulator, see “Viewing Console Output and Device Logs.”
If your app crashes while running in a simulator, the CrashReporter facility displays details about the crash. You configure how CrashReporter deals with such crashes using the CrashReporterPref app, located in /Applications/Utilities (, which is the directory where the Xcode toolset is installed).

Simulation Environment File System Location

The file systems for the iOS releases the iOS Simulator can simulate are stored in your home directory, ~/Library/Application Support/iPhone Simulator. That directory contains one subdirectory per iOS release supported by iOS Simulator.
Within each iOS-release directory, iOS Simulator stores system app preferences files in Library/Preferences and third-party–app preferences files in Applications/Library/Preferences.

Hardware Simulation Support

iOS Simulator doesn’t simulate accelerometer or camera hardware.