Virtually all I know is…
Patch Tuesday rolls around again, and I get asked – how can I make my server check for updates from WSUS right NOW? Or, if you have just set up a new environment and want to manually configure a server to report in to one particular WSUS server to check… Continue Reading Force a manual check-in with WSUS server
Christian WickhamWithout exception, every organisation I have worked at (or for) has had concerns over coping with the disaster of data loss or being unable to use their systems for business. It’s not surprising as it is reported that 60 percent of businesses that suffer data loss will end up failing… Continue Reading The silver bullet for a perfect DR plan
Christian WickhamSometimes I get asked, where can I download the client integration plugin for Firefox or Internet Explorer? The simple answer is that it is on your vCenter server. However, let’s answer some questions first; Why do I need the Client Integration plug in? You can do many tasks in the… Continue Reading Download Client Integration Plugin for Webclient
Christian WickhamAccording to Moore’s Law, the number of transistors on an integrated circuit chip will double every two years (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore’s_law). This loosely translates into new CPUs released every year, and not only do those CPUs perform faster, but also have more features. One of the best capabilities of a VMware based… Continue Reading Which EVC mode should I use?
Can I create multiple default instances of SQL server on the same Windows server? If, like me, you thought that due to the way that a SQL failover cluster has multiple IP addresses and host names, that you could make them all default instances, then you are mistaken. I was… Continue Reading Multi-instance SQL with clusters
Christian WickhamCan I vMotion a VM from an Intel to AMD server? It’s one of the big things that you have to learn about a VMware cluster, that vMotion cannot be performed between an AMD and Intel CPU – but this is only true when the virtual machine is running. If… Continue Reading vMotion between AMD and Intel CPUs
Christian WickhamRunning release N minus 1? What about release N plus 45 days? Software update best practice should mean that patches and updates are tested, but not held back when it provides known fixes. It is common practice for risk-averse companies to not run the very latest release of software, instead… Continue Reading n-1 is dead, long live N+45
Christian WickhamWhat is the difference between ESXi and vSphere? I get a lot of confusion from customers about the right terminology for VMware products. I’m not surprised, because VMware frequently re-brand and re-name products and we all get confused. VMware’s Hypervisor Here’s the key one. When you download VMware’s Hypervisor from… Continue Reading VMware product name glossary
Christian WickhamI have been asked a few times, how do I upload files to a datastore, using the vSphere Web Client? I thought that it would be as easy as it is in the C# (Windows) client – but if you want to upload an ISO or VMDK directly to a… Continue Reading Upload files with the vSphere Web Client
Christian WickhamWould you like an easy way to open text files in Notepad without having to associate 100s of file extensions?Are you always working with text files that do not have .TXT extension, but you want a simple way to just edit them? Open for editing .XML files, .PROPERTIES and .CONF… Continue Reading Open any file in Notepad
Christian WickhamAfter converting a physical operating system installation to a virtual server, you should follow some additional steps to clean up the new virtual server. I recommend you read my previous guides on preparing for conversion and how to accelerate a P2V, and then once you have your new VM, clean… Continue Reading Cleaning up after a P2V conversion
Christian WickhamIf you are converting the Window installation on a physical server to a virtual server, and keeping all the operating system and installed software in place (called a P2V or Physical-to-Virtual conversion), here are some tips and tricks for speeding up your P2V to make a faster P2V. Converting a… Continue Reading Tricks for a faster P2v
Christian WickhamOK Google – take a note of this. Bing is never going to be good for IT professionals until Microsoft change the search results. In my opinion, each time I use Bing to search for something like a hardware driver for a laptop or desktop PC, the top few results… Continue Reading OK, Google. Take a note
Christian WickhamThe VMware vSphere Web Client console can be customised to meet your needs. It’s an often un-noticed capability, but you can move around all the windows within each pane for objects within the vSphere Web Client. Just drag and drop, holding the top of the block. There’s no standard terminology… Continue Reading Customise the web client
Christian WickhamHow do you restore the private key for a certificate? You may have generated a certificate request, and sent that request to either your internal Microsoft based Certification Authority (CA) or you sent the CSR to an external SSL certificate provider, and now you try and install the CRT (certificate… Continue Reading Recovering an SSL private key from a certificate
Christian WickhamWhat is the default password for VMware appliance “x” is a question that I get asked a lot when people deploy a new VMware Appliance or system. Here is a list of the default VMware password for the most commonly used applications, plus a link to the guide on this… Continue Reading Default passwords for VMware products
Christian WickhamHow do you make VMs automatically start after an outage? You may want a virtual machine to start by itself when a host is powered on, to maintain availability of the service of that VM – particularly if you don’t have a VMware High Availability cluster (like a single ESXi… Continue Reading Configuration of VM auto-start options for Service Machines
Christian WickhamHow long does it take you to boot up a server? I don’t just mean the time it takes to start Windows or Linux, I mean the time it takes the hardware to begin starting Windows. Next time you reboot a physical server, go and time it – you won’t… Continue Reading Hidden benefits of virtualisation – reboot time and the impact on server availability and regular operations
Christian WickhamVMware are often focussing on the latest and greatest features and capabilities offered by their newest software. Of course, they are always driving forward and the next version’s enhancements and benefits are forefront of their minds – but there are still some people out there who are just starting on… Continue Reading Hidden benefits of VMware – uneven hardware
Christian WickhamIn my interaction with new and existing VMware customers, it strikes me how often people forget one of what I consider to be one of the best benefits of a VMware based clustered solution. It is often pleasant news for people planning or implementing a new VMware virtualisation solution to… Continue Reading Hidden benefits of VMware – pick and mix
Christian Wickham
