Nice Random Password Generator

Nice random password generator for AD user account creation or reset. It's a Powershell script (Get-RandomString.ps1) available on  Generating Random Passwords in PowerShell.

If you need to reset the password of an AD user account, there is another script (AD_Password_reset_v1.0.ps1) that uses this random password generator.

Unable to add Hyper-V host due to failed agent installation

I wasn't able to add a domain-based Hyper-V host using SCVMM 2012. The error was:

Error (415)
Agent installation failed copying C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012\Virtual Machine Manager\agents\Amd64\3.1.6011.0\vmmAgent.msi to \\HyperVHost\ADMIN$\vmmAgent.msi.
The network path was not found

Hence, I attempted to perform a manual installation. On the Hyper-V host, I copied the agent installation files from the VMM server "\\VMMServer\C$\Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012\Virtual Machine Manager\agents\Amd64" to a temp folder.

Step 1: Install "vcredist_x64.exe"

Step 2: Install vmmAgent.msi by double-clicking on it. Installation ended prematurely due to an error.

Retry step 2: Install vmmAgent.msi using elevated command prompt: msiexec vmmAgent.msi. Installation completed successfully.
Step 3: Restart the Add Host job on VMM console

SQL Server 2008R2 Reporting Service Failed to Start after Sysprep

I was attempting the step-by-step guide for sysprepping SQL Server 2008R2 in my gold VM image on SCVMM2012. After successfully created a VM template out of this image, the Complete SQL wizard couldn't get a service to start. I noticed the failure was due to the SQL Reporting Service.

Thankfully, there was a resolution mentioned in this blog post, which I've reproduced here:

1. Open Regedit on the problematic SQL server
2. Navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control
3. In the Right Pane create the following Key (If not already created)

• Value: DWORD (32-bit)
• Name: ServicesPipeTimeout
• Value Data, Click Decimal and type 60000 (Not less than 60000)

Restart the server and the reporting service should be able to start up correctly. I went back to my gold VM and pre-created this registry setting.

New Server Form Factor: Cluster-in-a-Box

Traditional server clustering has always been one of the main 'bottlenecks' and complaints for most IT project roll-outs. The most common excuses from server admins: too complex, too expensive, taking too much power, rack space, air-con and the list goes on. To address these issues, there is a new breed of servers - not 1U or 2U rack mountable server and monstrous server blade - it's "Cluster-in-a-Box" or CiB in short. 

Simply put, all server clustering components, including computing, storage, clustering software and network, are pre-fabricated and pre-installed in a single box when deliver to your data centers. You don't have to worry about what kind of detailed specifications that you should put in your procurement tenders. Most importantly, most products claim to save power, cooling, and rack space. Take Nutanix for example. It claims to do away with expensive SAN storage and simplify cluster setup in 30 min. Furthermore, a 4-node cluster in a 2U rack mountable chassis. Compare Nutanix 1450 against traditional server clustering, the Dell equivalent would look something like:

1. 4 x Dell R610 servers
• 2 x Intel 6-core Xeon E5-2620
• 64GB RAM
• 400GB SSD
• 2 x GE and 2 x 10GE
• 2 x HBA controllers
2. 2 x FC SAN switches
3. 1 x FC SAN storage 
• 16 x 1 TB SATA HDD

Adding up all components would take up about 8U of rack spaces with 7 different boxes or about 400% in saving in rack spaces against a single 2U Nutanix box.

Of course, traditional server vendors are not sitting back. Now, we are seeing new server product offerings like:

• Dell Power Edge VRTX
• Fujitsu’s PRIMERGY
• HP Cluster Platform Express

Look like we are entering the next wave of data center revolution.

Does DELL MD32xx support hardware VSS snapshot for DPM Backup?

Answer: Yes, but it's not official. It's best effort (due to its low cost as compared to its high cost Compellent counterpart).

Hardware VSS snapshot provides an efficient way for DPM to backup Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs) on Hyper-V cluster. Without hardware assisted snapshot, the CSV access would be placed under Redirect I/O mode as long as the backup process is taking place (which can be a long process). This can significantly reduce the I/O performance for other VMs on the same LUN. That's why it's more efficient to keep as small number of VMs per CSV as possible for software VSS. With hardware assisted VSS, a temporary snapshot is instead created on the free space on the SAN volume. CSV would only be placed on Redirect mode for a couple of minutes.

Screenshot of VSS Hardware Snapshot (new virtual disk temporarily created denoted with a clock icon) on MD Storage Manager during DPM backup:

How do we configure VSS setting on Dell MD storage?

Step 1: Install the VSS provider given on the Dell MD Storage Manager DVD or ISO image.

Step 2: Confirm Dell hardware VSS provider is installed on the system
C:\> vssadmin list providers
vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2001-2012 Microsoft Corp.

Provider name: 'SmVssProvider'
   Provider type: Hardware
   Provider Id: {24e4e8a3-69cb-4370-8b7b-c5276cd49765}
   Version: 10.84.02

Step 3: Configure the default VSS behavior on the storage as shown below. Run "C:\Program Files (x86)\Dell\SMprovider\provider\SmRegTool.exe" on the console installed with Dell Storage Manager. Connect to the storage using OOB Management IP addresses.

Insufficient counts after KMS host migration

For this new AD forest, I've been leveraging on someone else KMS service. As it grows bigger, time to setup its own KMS host. It's pretty straightforward to migrate KMS server. Plenty of step-by-step online like this. I have also manually updated the _vlmcs._tcp SRV record on DNS server.  And there is a problem. If you attempt to activate small number of new KMS clients after migration, it would report insufficient count. For KMS to work, you would need at least either 5 KMS servers or 25 KMS clients.  

So, I tried to re-activate existing machines by uninstalling existing KMS client key and re-installing it. The count level on the KMS host still won't jump and remain under 5. You can see the current count level by entering "slmgr -dlv" on the KMS host.

After going through all the slmgr options, I noticed an option to disable KMS host caching. Could it because the existing machines still activate on old KMS server? 

On a number of existing KMS client machines:

> slmgr -ckhc

> slmgr -ato

Hurry, the count is raised! New KMS clients are activated at once.

How to delete Virtual Disk in Dell MD during Operation?

How to delete Virtual Disk in Dell MD during operations? Answer is you can't, you've to wait for the operation to complete.

That sounds fair but not when you've waited several hours (if not days) for the operation to complete. Power cycle the MD storage still can't abort the operation. From the DellMD manager console, you've absolutely no idea to know when it would ever complete.

The next best news is that you can run a command utility "smcli.exe" to roughly gauge the progress. This is typically found under  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Dell\MD Storage Manager\client" folder.

> smcli -n ArrayName -c "show virtualdisk [\"VirtualDiskinOperation\"] actionprogress";

Performing syntax check...

Syntax check complete.

Executing script...

Virtual Disk xxx
Action: RAID Level Change
Percent Complete: 66%
Script execution complete.

SMcli completed successfully.