What the.....?

What The Blog Reader v0.7 (Beta 3)

2012-05-18T21:57:00.000+01:00

Yep all 'pimped out' and looking good in its new Android Ice Cream Sandwich compliant style, checkout beta 3 of What The.....? Blog Reader for android. Fully backwards compatible for those not yet running Google's latest version Android operating system.

For more detail, checkout WTB4A's very own page here

As usual, details as follows:

Change log: github

Latest installer (whatthe.apk 34kb): github

- Chris

Easy Bootable Antivirus CD/USB: UPDATED

2012-05-02T20:23:00.000+01:00

Weighing in at fourth place most popular post on this site is Easy Bootable Antivirus CD/USB written in April 2010, just over two years ago (yes, time does fly!)

Recap:
With the prevalence of Viruses / Rootkits / Spyware and all sorts of other malware these days, quite often I get asked to take a look at machines that are suspected of infestation with one or more of the above "nasties".

Quite often this comes about because the nasties have "grown resistant" to the antivirus tool being used - that is they do not clean as expected. Sometimes this can be because the nasty hooks itself deep into the operating system or it locks itself as in use and hence cannot be deleted.

One way around this is to boot the computer from an alternative operating system located on a device such as a CD or USB pen drive. This will get around both issues, thus making the removal much easier.
/Recap

Many tools have come and gone over the last two years, however luckily for us an even easier CD/USB based anti-virus tool has been released. Surprisingly it's written by Microsoft.

Windows Defender Offline
Follows is the process to create and use a Windows Defender Offline (WDO) CD/USB.

Prerequisites:

Find out if the infected (or suspected infected) machine is running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows. See Is my PC running the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows?
The infected (or suspected infected) machine must have a minimum of 512Mb memory
A blank CD, DVD, or USB flash drive(250Mb minimum)
500Mb free hard disk space to download to and create the CD/USB
Download the appropriate version of the WDO creation tool from here (download links are at the bottom of the page)

Prerequisites satisfied, lets get on an use the tool.

Process:
Launch the downloaded executable (mssstool32.exe or mssstool64.exe). You will be presented withe the following welcome page:

Click Next

Choose the media to create, CD or USB or create an ISO image file. I chose to create an ISO file to burn to CD later.

Choose the location of the ISO file

The tool will now download the required files from the Microsoft website. Remember that at this point the WDO creation tool is downloading the latest version of the WDO boot media and the very latest anti-virus definition files for use with WDO.

All done. Click finish.

I burnt my ISO image onto a CD using the excellent free ISO burning tool ImgBurn

Upon booting the infected (or suspected infected) machine from the WDO CD/USB, you are presented with the following:

The tool will boot into a quick scan. This will scan only areas of the computers hard disk that are known to potentially harbor nasties.

I chose to cancel the quick scan and run a full scan instead.

All being well you will / will not (depending whether you were expecting to) be notified with details of an infection and that WDO has cleaned the infection.... or infections plural!

Shut down, eject the CD / remove the USB, and boot back up as normal.

Final word:
As most nasties spread due to lack of security patching, upon first boot I would highly recommend a visit to Windows Update to install all missing security patches as soon as possible.

Perhaps even look at running Microsoft Security Essentials anti-virus instead of whatever windows anti-virus application you were running.

Update:
If you find that your WDO CD/USB is not working as expected, have a look at this post over at Alex Verboon's blog: How to add drivers to the Windows Defender Offline Tool

- Chris

Fixing Remote Desktop Annoyances

2012-04-25T11:31:00.000+01:00

Please don't get me wrong, Microsoft Remote Desktop is a great tool for remote control / administration of Windows Servers and desktops.

However in later versions of the remote desktop client, a couple of 'features' have crept into the tool making it increasingly both annoying to use and slow to connect to remote desktops.

So, object of this post then is to look at the features that I find most annoying and perhaps more importantly, how to FIX THEM!

Firstly, is the ultra annoying prompt for credentials before attempting to connect, each and every time I connect to a remote desktop:

Having to enter the user name and password for the remote computer BEFORE the client will even try to connect is ultra annoying. Having to enter the same credentials each and every time I connect is a killer. 99.999% of the time I'm connecting to a computer on the local area network (or via VPN), so I'm not using a remote desktop gateway. Because I'm not using a gateway, we can switch this feature off.

Here is how:

Close all remote desktop connections and exit the remote desktop client.
Click Start, click Run, type notepad, and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Open.
In the Files of type list, click All Files.
In the File name box enter Default.rdp (The full path to this file would be similar to the following: C:\Users\<your username>\Documents\Default.rdp)
A file similar to the following should open:

At the bottom of the Default.rdp file, add the following text:
enablecredsspsupport:i:0
Save the file, exit notepad and test remote desktop. You should no longer be prompted to enter credentials before connecting to remote desktops.

Next up is the also annoying remote identity pop up:

Not quite as annoying, but getting there... Here we go then:

Open your Default.rdp file again (as per steps 1-6 above)
Add the following to the bottom of Default.rdp:
authentication level:i:0
Save the file, exit notepad and test remote desktop. You should no longer be prompted confirm that you do indeed intend to connect.

As a freebie bonus, completing the above tweaks speed up the initial connection. That is you spend less time looking and waiting at:

and more time getting on with your remote desktop session. Bonus!

For further reading, have a look at Microsoft KB article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941641: Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 prompts you for credentials before you establish a remote desktop connection

Job done. Remote desktop annoyances dealt with.

- Chris

vSphere 5.0 Update to Build Number

2012-04-11T10:24:00.001+01:00

Once again, continuing series of VMware vSphere update to build number tracking.

As always, it's a simple bit of info, often hard to find.

ESXi 5.0:

ESXi 5.0 = Build 469512 - Released 24 August 2011
ESXi 5.0 Update 1 = Build 623860 - Released 15 March 2012

vCenter 5.0:

vCenter 5.0 = Build 456005 - Released 24 August 2011
vCenter 5.0 Update 1 = Build 639890 - Released 15 March 2012

For previous versions, see these posts:

ESX / ESXi 3.5 : Here
ESX / ESXi 4.0 : Here
ESXi 4.1 : Here

If you need the vSphere Client see Here

- Chris

Cloud: What is it? Free Cloud?

2012-03-12T20:33:00.002Z

OK lets cut the jargon, the buzz words, the misconceptions, the downright rubbish. What is this 'cloud' all about? What exactly is cloud computing (to give it it's correct name) is and is available to me today - for free?

First, what is cloud computing? Finding the answer to this question is easier than you would have at first thought. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines cloud computing in their publication SP 800-145 - A NIST Definition of Cloud Computing (Sept 2011), available here (PDF)

So using the NIST cloud definition document as a basis - specifically the three cloud service models - lets look at cloud and where we can use it for free.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

The capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider’s
applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through either a thin client interface, such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email), or a program interface. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings.

This is perhaps the easiest area to find free services. Free examples include:

Email = Gmail / Hotmail / Yahoo mail
Blogging = Blogger / Wordpress.com / Twitter
Image Hosting = flikr / Picasa / Imgur
Social Networking = facebook / Myspace

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

The capability provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages, libraries, services, and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly configuration settings for the application-hosting environment.

A little harder to find. Free examples include:

Application hosting = Google apps
Build your own application = Yahoo pipes
ISPs (Some ISPs allow you run your own apps on their platforms as part of your internet subscription)
Predetermined application hosting = host1free.com

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

The capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, and deployed applications; and possibly limited control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).

Not easy to find - well for free at least! I couldn't find any free providers of IaaS, which kind of makes sense as I don't believe there are the alternative revenue streams available yet allow the provision of IaaS for free.

So all in all a very quick look into the cloud. Minus the garbage and the jargon. Not all that hard to comprehend now is it?

- Chris

ESXi Command Line Networking Configuration

2012-02-17T17:26:00.001Z

Ages and ages ago, I posted an article detailing ESX Command Line Networking Configuration, and at the bottom of the post I added the sign off "Next time.... ESXi." Well, finally here is said ESXi post: How to configure ESXi networking from the command line.

Why? Because there doesn’t appear to be any single place (that I can find at least) where all of the this is detailed. So hold onto you hats, again, here we go... Again!

Changing IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, Hostname and DNS Settings (All Versions)
Very simple. Use the console configuration tool:

OK, whilst strictly not "command line", why not use the built in configuration tool? It is far simpler!

Word of warning - Whilst not prompted for a reboot when changing the ESXi's Hostname, I would complete a reboot anyway. I and others have seen spurious issues later on through ESXi configuration when a post rename reboot has not been completed.

Linking and Unlinking Physical Network Cards to Virtual Switches and Network Card Teaming (All Versions)
Again sure you can do this through the console configuration tool for the service console / management vSwitch. However, what happens if you want to make changes on other vSwitches?

First lets look at how the vSwitch is configured post install. Screenshot from a VI Client:

If you were to view the same information at the service console command line we would use the following command to list the virtual switches configured:

esxcfg-vswitch -l

To connect a physical adaptor to a virtual switch, you need to Link it, using the following command:

esxcfg-vswitch -L vmnic1 vSwitch0

Where vmnic1 is the physical network card being connected to the virtual switch vSwitch0.

To disconnect a physical adaptor to a virtual switch, you need to Unlink it, using the following command:

esxcfg-vswitch -U vmnic1 vSwitch0

Where vmnic1 is the physical network card being disconnected from the virtual switch vSwitch0.

Basic network card teaming is achieved by having two or more physical adaptors connected to the same virtual switch. From the VI Client:

Which in turn looks like this from the console:

Further reading on Linking and Unlinking Physical Network Cards to Virtual Switches: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1000258

NIC Teaming Policy and Load Balancing (ESXi 4.1 and Earlier)
First lets look at how the vSwitch load balancing configured post install. Screenshot from a VI Client:

Which in turn looks like this from the console:

To specify the NIC teaming load balancing policy on a vSwitch, run the command:

vim-cmd /hostsvc/net/vswitch_setpolicy --nicteaming-policy='[policy]' vSwitch0

Where [policy] is one of these NIC teaming policies:

loadbalance_srcid (Route based on the originating virtual switch port ID)
loadbalance_srcmac (Route based on source MAC hash)
loadbalance_ip (Route based on IP hash)
failover_explicit (Use explicit failover order)

For example, to set the NIC teaming policy to route based on IP hash, run the command:

vim-cmd /hostsvc/net/vswitch_setpolicy --nicteaming-policy='loadbalance_ip' vSwitch0

To confirm the setting, run the command:

vim-cmd /hostsvc/net/vswitch_info vSwitch0 | grep policy

When run on console:

NIC Teaming Policy and Load Balancing (ESXi 5.0 and Later)
To specify the NIC teaming load balancing policy on a vSwitch, run the command:

esxcli network vswitch standard policy failover set -l [policy] -v vSwitch0

Where [policy] is one of these NIC teaming policies:

portid (Route based on the originating virtual switch port ID)
mac (Route based on source MAC hash)
iphash (Route based on IP hash)
explicit (Use explicit failover order)

For example, to set the NIC teaming policy to route based on originating switch port ID, run the command:

esxcli network vswitch standard policy failover set -l portid -v vSwitch0

To confirm the setting, run the command:

esxcli network vswitch standard policy failover get -v vSwitch0

When run on console:

Further reading on NIC Teaming Policy and Load Balancing: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1011520

VLAN Tagging (All Versions)
Use the following command to assign a VLAN to a console port / port group

esxcfg-vswitch -v [VLANID] -p "Management Network" vSwitch0

Where [VLANID] is the VLAN number, "Management Network" is the console port / port group name and vSwitch0 is the virtual switch the console port / port group is connected to. A zero [VLANID] here specifies no VLAN.

Further reading on VLAN Tagging: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1000258

Overview
In this post we looked at how to configure the following, all from the ESXi console, no VI client required!

Changing IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, Hostname and DNS Server Settings
Linking and Unlinking Physical Network Cards to Virtual Switches and Network Card Teaming
NIC Teaming Policy and Load Balancing
VLAN Tagging

- Chris

Chris' Better Jam Cams

2012-01-30T18:52:00.000Z

No one likes to get stuck in a traffic jam. Much less one that could be avoided. Even more annoying is the 'jam out of the blue' on what is usually a clear piece of road...

Short of pulling an 'Italian Job 1969' (original and best!!) and driving through shopping arcades, up on roofs, across weirs etc what can you do to avoid such jams?

Luckily we can spot traffic issues for ourselves from the comfort of our own homes using the excellent UK Highways Agency / BBC Jam Cameras site.

That said however, there is just one slight annoyance with this site; namely you can only view one camera at a time.

This is where Chris' Jam Cams page comes in! OH YES!

An all in one dashboard showing all the Jam Cams you are interested in, plus a frame detailing traffic conditions in your area. Whats more, you too can follow what I've done here and create your very own Jam Cams page. Dead easy.

So how is it done? It is really quite easy. What follows looks a minefield but it isn't all that complex. I promise.

The golden rule here is SIMPLICITY: I want to be able to do all of this using just one html file. Whilst I am positive that there are cleverer ways of achieving the same results, I'm purely after something dead simple to write, understand and maintain as and when required (in other words, please don't laugh at my html code!!)

Grab Your Copy
First step, grab a copy of Chris' Jam Cams from Github:

Chris' Jam Cams - Original. Should work in any browser on any platform
Chris' Jam Cams Mobile - Includes a couple of layout tweaks to make it easier for mobile viewing

Cut and paste a copy into a text editor of your choice. (Notepad on Windows is just fine).

Traffic Images
First step is to define your images. Dead simple, just make sure each image has a unique id. For example, I've used the motorway and junction number. You need one img statement per traffic image.

img border="0" height="261" width="320" src="#" id="M20J7" alt="M20 J7"

Now for the picture handling. Load up the BBC Travel News page and select the area you are interested in.

Next, click on the "Traffic Jam Cameras" button, just above the map.

Lastly find a motorway junction camera that you are interested in right-click the link and choose "Copy Link Location" (firefox) or "Copy Shortcut" (IE). Open a text editor (eg notepad) and paste the text in.

You should have a piece of text that looks something like this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/travelnews/kent/trafficcameras/highwaysagency
/16588?epoch=1234567890&enabled=1&asset=16588.jpg

From this you are only interested in two pieces of information:

The region (kent in the example above)
The camera asset number (16588 in the example above)

Enter the region and camera asset number into the 'document.getElementById' statement towards the bottom of the Jam Cams html page (I suggest copying, pasting and editing the example given in the github file):

script type="text/javascript"
var d1 = new Date(); 
var eptime = parseInt(d1.getTime()/1000);

document.getElementById('M20J7').src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/travelnews
/kent/trafficcameras/highwaysagency/16588/image?epoch="+eptime+
"&enabled=1&cachebuster="+eptime;

document.write("Page Last Refreshed: "+d1);
/script

Lastly update the img id to match the id you chose earlier ('M20J7' in the example above).
Save your Jam Cams page and test.

Traffic News
The travel news is pulled from BBC mobile site using a simple iframe:

iframe height=750 width=600 align=right src="http://www.bbc.co.uk
/mobile/travelnews/search/process/page/1/filter/road/q/kent"

Replace 'Kent' in the src tag as required. (Suggest using the Traffic Images region found above)

Jam Cams Mobile
As mentioned above, this file is a slightly tweaked version of Chris Jam Cams.htm that hopefully renders slightly better on smaller screens. Update with your own Jam Cams in the same as the non-mobile version:

DO NOT USE THIS WHILST DRIVING!
(Goes without saying really)

Job done. I usually save the htm file on my desktop.

Jam Cam images copyright? OK:

Highways Agency Traffic Cameras Standard Terms and Conditions
Reproduction for Private Use
The traffic images are Crown Copyright protected and may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium as long as it is for non-commercial research, private study - subject to the material being reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context.

No problems there then.

As I say, The golden rule here is SIMPLICITY: all done using just one html file.

Enjoy.

- Chris

Access VM Consoles From Linux

2012-01-23T12:52:00.000Z

So you want to access the consoles of your VMware virtual machines, yet your chosen administration client is running Linux?

No problem.

Sure VMware provide the vSphere 5 Web Client, that can be used from a Linux client (or Mac or whatever) however to use this you have to install the vSphere 5 Web Client Server on your Virtual Center server in order to be able to use the client.

Not all vSphere implementations need or run a Virtual Center server - let alone a dedicated web client server.

Here is how is how to access your VMware VM consoles from a Linux client using the VMware Remote Console Plug-in application, and how to create a launcher so the application runs happily, even under Gnome 3.

In your home folder create a new folder called vmware and navigate to it:

mkdir ~/vmware
cd ~/vmware

Grab the VMware remote client from here: vmware-vmrc-linux-x86 (21.3Mb, from my dropbox account) [see below for alternatives] and download it into the vmware created above.
Extract the downloaded zip. Use the following command:

unzip vmware-vmrc-linux-x86.zip

Navigate to the plugins folder created by unziping the downloaded file:

cd plugins

Create and edit a new file called vmware-vmrc2. Use the following command:

gedit vmware-vmrc2

Paste the following into vmware-vmrc2 and change the $PATH_TO_VMRC variable (currently "/home/chris/vmware/plugins") so it points to the folder plugins you've extracted earlier:

#!/bin/bash

# Please define this variable with the path to the plugins folder
PATH_TO_VMRC="/home/chris/vmware/plugins"

export VMWARE_USE_SHIPPED_GTK=yes
cd $PATH_TO_VMRC
./vmware-vmrc > /dev/null 2>&1 &
cd - > /dev/null 2>&1

Change the text highlighted in blue to match the location of your vmware folder created in step 1.

Save and close the file and then change it to be executable:

sudo chmod +x vmware-vmrc2

Launch the VMware remote client using the following command:

./vmware-vmrc2

You should be presented with the following (after accepting any security prompts):

Enter the details of your VMware ESX / ESXi server and hit connect.

Job done!

I especially like the VM menu the client provides upon successful connection. Something like this:

Pick a VM and go for it:

Grab your own install
Alternatively if you do have access to a Virtual Center server, you can grab the file from "C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\tomcat\webapps\ui\plugin" Also available in this folder are 64bit Linux and Windows versions of the remote client.

The file linked to in the process above is a v3.0.0 build-418557 client with the extension renamed from .xpi to .zip to stop Firefox trying to install rather than download. As .xpi files are .zip files in disguise, the process above will remain the same.

If you don't have access to a Virtual Center server and you don't want to use the client linked to above, a third place to grab the client is here: https://github.com/vmware/rvc/downloads

Thanks should goto Joel Bastos for this workaround, originally posted here

- Chris

Disable IE Enhanced Security

2012-01-19T12:38:00.001Z

Another one to file in the "Yes, done that before, but I can't remember how" pile. Probably because it is so easy to do has some bearing on not being able to remember how... Anyway, here is how to disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration (aka IE ESC) on Windows 2003 and 2008 Servers.

Yes I know, IE ESC is a security feature there to protect the user and it should never be disabled etc etc etc. However most of the time it is 'a right royal PITA'. So here goes then.

Windows 2003
Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs, Add/Remove Windows Components:

Disable or enable as you please.

Windows 2008 / Windows 2008R2
Run the following:

servermanager.msc

Check current status and / or make the required changes here:

On clicking Configure IE ESC:

Disable or enable as you please.

So there you have it. One less pain to deal with.

- Chris

Build it Again

2012-01-16T09:41:00.000Z

Lego.

Hate it when stepping barefoot on a stray piece left hanging around or love it for keeping the kids quiet for hours... and hours.

What other toy gives you the freedom to design and build absolutely anything your heart desires?

Car? No problem. Aeroplane? No problem. Rocket to the moon? No problem. Luna delta spaceship? Again, no problem.

Until a couple of years ago, a box of my childhood Lego resided in the attic, unplayed with but by no means forgotten. I prefer to think of it "on hiatus", to be played with again at some point in the future. That is until one day I retrieved it from the attic and introduced my youngest son to the world of Lego. Could he be trusted? Would it all disappear up the vacuum cleaner?

At the time I remember him almost saying, "hmm what is this pile of blocks for? Where do the batteries go? What you mean you have to build something?"

Of course after buying him some new sets and helping him build those he got the idea. The big box of Lego from the attic were suddenly additional cars / houses / spaceships / whatever just waiting to be built.

So here we are a couple of years later and he is well onto Lego Techninc, and we are both still having a great time our Lego building. For example, last weekend we spent just over 6 (yes SIX) hours* building this:

Here is it in full animated glory. Winch, motorised tilting / lowering flatbed and wheel lift:

During the build the question "Daddy do you still have the instructions for any of your Lego?" was asked. Unfortunately no I didn't... not any more. I used to have build instuctions for houses, cars, trucks and space Lego - lots of space Lego (very popular in the 1980's!)

I still have the parts, but the knowledge to rebuild has long since passed.

Of course, me being me; some days later being presented with a empty Google search box (other search engines are available) and having forgotten what I was originally going to look for, I punched in "Lego instructions". I was amazed when the results came back.

It turns out there are several simply excellent Lego instruction library sites out there, providing scanned instruction manuals for download. That was it. An hour spent in the quest to find all those long lost build instructions for as much of my Lego from the attic as I could.

By way of saying thank you to some of those library sites, here is a (by no means an exhaustive or ordered) list of the sites that have provided the Lego instructions from my childhood so that my sons may also enjoy building my Lego again:

Worldbricks.com - PDF downloadable instructions. Sometimes a bit slow, but well worth the wait.
Letsbuilditagain.com - Online instructions. Find your set and hit the blue arrow to view the instructions.
Brickfactory.info - Online instructions. More of a basic site, however still plenty there!
Brickset.com - No instructions, however good listing of newer sets, links to purchase sets on ebay and set barcodes (scan with Android barcode scanner to get best prices? ;))
Official Lego Site (direct link to instructions portal) - PDF downloadable instructions. Of course, no list would be complete without mentioning this site!
Official Lego Technic Site (direct link to instructions portal) - PDF downloadable instructions. As above, except for Lego Technic

If you don't own any Lego sets with perhaps some of the more specific pieces, then no need to worry. These sites are still a great source of inspiration. Look for the 1960 / 1970 / early 1980's instructions. Some, if not most, of the realy early sets are made up of the more standard square brick variety meaning that anyone should be able to build them using whatever parts they have.

That should keep your little ones quiet for a while. Perhaps you too. Welcome to the world of Lego.... again!

- Chris

*6 hours to build a flatbed truck? Have a look at the three instruction booklets for yourself!

Sky HD: Highlight HD Programmes

2012-01-11T00:05:00.001Z

So you have got a High Definition Television. You have also taken the plunge and gone for a Sky HD box (other HD solutions are available). You have even connected the two together using a propper HDMI cable and you have configured the two to use HD across the board.

So you sit down to watch some nice HD TV.

You spot your chosen TV channel's little 'HD' logo in the top corner, so you know that you are watching a HD channel.

Final question; how do you know that the TV programme you are watching on your nice HD setup was actually filmed in HD? Sure you could confirm by simply looking at the picture* but can you be 100% sure every time that the TV station isn't simply upscaling a standard definition programme?

If you are a Sky HD customer, then the fix is simple. Configure your HD box to highlight programmes originating in HD in the TV Guide, like this:

Here is how to configure your Sky HD box to do the same. All actions are done via the remote control.

1. Whilst watching Sky HD, press Services button:

2. Press Blue down navigation button, to highlight centre bar.

3. Press Blue right navigation button to scroll to the CUSTOMISE option:

4. Press Blue down navigation button, to select Highlight Programmes Originated in HD option.

5. Press Blue right navigation button to enable the option (set it to ON):

6. Press Green button to save changes.

7. Press Backup button to exit.

Job done. Now you know that you are watching HD!

*Re spotting a HD picture: Hmm OK, how do I put this politely?
Here goes: In my very limited experience, through a very small straw pole of asking friends etc, I have noticed that female of the human species rarely notices (or even cares?) that they are watching a TV show in HD.

Just stating what I have noticed, nothing more! Please don't shoot the messenger!

Perhaps this article from 2006 helps to redress the balance: Why Women Don't Care About HDTV?

- Chris

New and Improved What The Mark IV!

2012-01-09T09:21:00.001Z

Happy new year. No your eyes do no deceive you, it is all change on the only blog that counts (TM). Now it counts even more!!!

Hopefully you'll find the new site easier to navigate and find your favorite content.

As with all changes of this type, I'm sure are still some bugs to work out, so stay tuned and we will get this 'Cosworth powered Mini of a blog' up and running smoothly in no time.

Stay tuned and as always, have fun.

- Chris

Raspberry Pi - A £16 Linux PC!

2011-12-24T00:45:00.003Z

A credit card sized computer being developed by a UK based charitable foundation that is hoped will promote the education of computer science at school level and beyond.

The idea is simple - develop, manufacture and distribute an ultra-low-cost computer, for use in teaching computer programming to children.

That said, the computer can be used for many of the things that a desktop PC is, like spreadsheets, word-processing, games and high-definition video playback.

The name of this computer is the Raspberry PI:

OK, so what is the idea here? What are they trying to achieve? Games developer David Braben explains to BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones, holding an early alpha model, back in May 2011:

Here is a basic layout, detailing the features on board:

As can be seen from the above, the RasPi will be shipped in two variants:

Model A = 128MB RAM on board, no Ethernet = $25 / £16
Model B = 256MB RAM on board, 10/100 UTP Ethernet port = $35 / £22

So what do you get for your money? Well, quite a lot actually:

700MHz ARM11 Processor - The same processor as found in many mobile phones (including my ZTE Blade!)
1080p full HD video output - via HDMI connector
Composite connector - for direct connection to a TV
Dual USB2 ports - for keyboard, mouse, etc
SD/MMC/SDIO memory card slot - for operating system etc etc

Talking of operating systems, it is envisaged that Debian Linux, Fedora Linux and ArchLinux will be supported from the start. Other Linux distributions maybe supported later.

So what does it run like? Have a watch for yourself:

Not to shabby at all!

As a father of an 11 year old son who is nuts on anything computer related (wonder where he gets that from? hehehe) I can certainly expect to see at least one of these winging their way to Kent!

What's even better is that there are already RasPi based coding tutorials on youtube, such as Liam Frasier's Raspberry Pi Tutorials channel.

So when is it going to be available? By the looks of it very soon. At the time of writing this (24 Dec 2011), the beta boards are currently undergoing testing and with all going well, the first first production run will be early in 2012.

Keep an eye on the Raspberry Pi Blog and on the official Raspberry PI Twitter feed for updates.

Excellent stuff!

- Chris

vSphere VM Clone Problems + Fixes

2011-12-19T13:31:00.000Z

Just recently a colleague of mine had some fun and games completing what should have been a simple clone of Windows 2008 R2 64bit VMware virtual machine.

We managed to get to the bottom of the issues and get the clones completed, so for future info and help of others here are the issues and resolutions to those issues encountered.

autochk program not found - skipping AUTOCHECK and STOP: c000021a BSOD

Clone VM created successfully, however upon first boot of the VM, the following were seen:

According to VMware KB Article 2004505 this is caused by the entry:

disk.EnableUUID = "TRUE"

in the source VM's virtual machine configuration (vmx) file. Download, edit and upload the vmx with the following setting:

disk.EnableUUID = "FALSE"

See the VMware KB article for further details around editing virtual machine vmx files.

Windows could not finish configuring the system...

Again, clone VM created successfully, however upon first boot of the VM, the following was seen:

According to the Microsoft KB Article KB981542 this issue occurs if the original operating system contains a registry key that is larger than 8 kilobytes (KB).

The resolution being to install a patch on the source VM.

Unfortunately the patch is not available on the MS website, however it is available here:

32bit Windows 2008R2 / Windows 7 = Windows6.1-KB981542-x86.msu
64bit Windows 2008R2 / Windows 7 = Windows6.1-KB981542-x64.msu

After overcoming both those issues, the VM clones completed and booted successfully and what should have been a quick and easy job was done.

Thanks should go to Alan for highlighting the issues and persevering with the fixes.... both of them!

- Chris

Find HBA WWNs from ESXi Console

2011-12-15T10:35:00.000Z

A question this comes up quite a bit: How can I find the World Wide Names (WWNs) of the fibre channel Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) my ESXi server from the console?

Sure you can use the VMware VI client to gather the required info, but what happens if you do not or have network connectivity to your ESXi yet?

The WWN information is very often needed to for the zoning configuration on the fibre channel switches to ensure that the ESXi server can only access the Storage Array Network (SAN) disks it is supposed to access.

Here is how to find the HBA WWNs:

First log on to your ESXi console:

Now select Troubleshooting Options:

Then select Enable Local Tech Support:

Now press ALT F1 to enter local ESXi console:

At the # prompt enter: cd /proc/scsi and ls to list the SCSI adaptors fitted in your ESXi:

You are looking for qlaxxxx for QLogic HBAs or lpfc for Emulex HBAs. As you can see from the screenshots, my ESXi has QLogic adapters fitted (qla2xxx).

Next, cd qla2xxx (or cd lpfc for emulex) and then list (ls) adaptors:

As you can see I have adaptors fitted at 5 and 6. Your numbers may (and quite likely will) be different. The last step is to list each of the adaptors found, using the cat x |more ("x" being one of the numbers listed) command:

You are looking for the Host Device Name and the SCSI Device Information:

OK. To get the full WWN address, simply note down the node and port hex ID's from the SCSI Device Information, and separate each pair with colons ":" to make your full HBA WWN. In my case, from the screenshots above, my HBA WWN would be:

WWN of vmhba2 = 20:00:00:1b:32:8a:f3:42 21:00:00:1b:32:8a:f3:42

Repeat for the last command (cat x |more) for all the other HBA's in your ESXi (so in my case I would run the command cat 6 |more to find the SCSI device information for my other HBA.

When finished type exit to return to the ESXi tech support console login and ALT F2 to switch back to the standard ESXi console.

Don't forget to login, select Troubleshooting Options and Disable Local Tech Support when completely finished!

- Chris

Beta 1 What The Android Released

2011-11-08T22:53:00.000Z

Yes that's right the What The.....? Android application has just gone Beta!

To mark this momentous occasion (remember developing in Java is completely new to me!), I have given the app it's very own page on this here blog. The page has the reasons for development, links to the change log, source code and (more importantly) the apk file itself.

Use the What The Android link in the links bar above or click here to have a look at the What The Android page.

If you fancy being an early adopter / beta tester, then feel free. Please post any feedback in comments below.

- Chris

VMware vSphere Client Download URL

2011-10-21T17:27:00.005+01:00

Ever since VMware stopped bundling the vSphere client in with ESX / ESXi, try as hard as I can, I can never seem to quickly and easily find the URL to download the flipping thing.

VMware: If you are not going to bundle the client, then at least make it easy to find and download from your website! Alternatively, use a bit of SEO and get the direct download URL as result #1 when searching for "vsphere client download" in Google. Surely it's not that hard is it?!?!

Anyway, sure I can extract it from the the Virtual Centre ISO image (see below for location), but it is not always practicable get a 150MB+ file to someone over email etc.

Being the suspicious type, I'm not interested in sending links to 3rd party file sharing sites either. Who knows what could be included in the client installer? No, if I'm sending anyone a link for them to install vSphere client for themselves, (or installing it for myself) I want to refer DIRECTLY to VMware's website.

So here we go then, a rolling post containing vSphere client download links direct from VMware's website (hover your mouse over the URLs if you don't believe me!)

- VMware vSphere Client v4.1 : VMware-viclient-all-4.1.0-258902.exe
- VMware vSphere Client v4.1 Update 1 : VMware-viclient-all-4.1.0-345043.exe
- VMware vSphere Client v4.1 Update 2 : VMware-viclient-all-4.1.0-491557.exe
- VMware vSphere Client v5.0 : VMware-viclient-all-5.0.0-455964.exe
- VMware vSphere Client v5.0 Update 1 : VMware-viclient-all-5.0.0-623373.exe

Location of vSphere client in vCenter 4.1 ISO:

Nice.

Be sure to checkout vSphere Update to Build Number before you go.

- Chris

Extended Disks Remain Wrong Size

2011-07-27T18:00:00.002+01:00

Whats wrong with this picture?

Spotted it yet?

Yes, that's right. The Data (D:) Properties dialogue does not tie up with the details shown in Disk Management. Disk Management shows the partition as 80GB where as the properties show it as only 10GB in capacity.

Ohh that's clever, how did you do that!? ...well actually it isn't, but luckily enough for us dear reader, it's easy to fix.

How did I got into this predicament? Simple:

Standard Windows 2008 VM, VMware ESXi, 4.1 Update 1

Didn't have enough datastore space during VM build, so built the VM with 10GB D:\ drive. No problems there.

Had some storage added, created new datastore and Storage vMotioned the VM to new datastore, again all pretty standard stuff

Inside the VM, at the Windows 2008 level, I expanded the D:\ drive partition into extended 80Gb disk using Windows Disk Management. Here is where we started having problems.

I received this oh so helpful error message during the partition expansion:

Thats how!

So, why? and - perhaps more importantly - what's this simple fix?

Why? After some extensive Microsoft knowledge base bashing, I found this article:

KB832316 - The partition size is extended, but the file system remains the original size
when you extend an NTFS volume

The stated cause being "This problem occurs because the NTFS driver exhausts its resources when it tries to extend the volume."

The KB also details how to fix. But I'll include the four step fix that worked for me here too:

Open an administrative Command Prompt (Right click "Command Prompt" and select "Run as Administrator") and Run Diskpart

At the DISKPART> prompt, enter list volume

select volume # (where # is the number of the incorrect volume)

extend filesystem

Now the file system size should match the extended partition size:

Job done.

- Chris

ESX Command Line Networking Configuration

2011-05-06T18:00:00.003+01:00

So you’ve built your VMware ESX server and your dead impressed with yourself that you got this far. You leave the datacentre head back to the office safe in the knowledge that the install went well. However once safely back at your desk, oh no! You find that you shiny new ESX install is uncontactable from the network.

We’ve all been there. So here is my guide to configuring ESX networking from the server console post install. No VI client or GUI tools required. Just good solid command-line stuff. Specifically we will be looking at:

Changing IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, Hostname and DNS Server Settings
Linking and Unlinking Physical Network Cards to Virtual Switches and Network Card Teaming
VLAN Tagging
NIC Teaming Policy and Load Balancing

Why? Because there doesn’t appear to be any single place (that I can find at least) where all of the this is detailed. So hold onto you hats, here we go.

UPDATE: For ESXi Command Line Networking Configuration see THIS POST

Changing IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, DNS Server Settings and Hostname
Happens to us all. Perhaps you just ‘fat fingered’ the IP? Use

[root@server root]# ifconfig |more
[root@server root]# cat /etc/sysconfig/network

to confirm that IP config is indeed wrong

IP Address / Subnet Mask
Run this command to set the IP address:

[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswif -i [a.b.c.d] -n [w.x.y.z] vswif0

Where [a.b.c.d] is the IP address and [w.x.y.z] is the subnet mask and vswif0 is the Service Console adapter that is the interface to which you are applying the IP address change.

Open the /etc/hosts file with nano and modify it so that it reflects the correct IP address and hostname.

Default Gateway
To change the default gateway address and the hostname, edit the /etc/sysconfig/network file and change the GATEWAY and HOSTNAME parameters to the proper values. For the changes to take place, reboot the host or restart the network service with the command:

[root@server root]# service network restart

DNS Server Settings
To change the DNS server settings, update the nameserver IPs and search domain in the /etc/resolv.conf file.

Further reading on Changing IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, DNS Server Settings: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/4309499

Hostname
Change the hostname and domain name (if applicable) of the host in the following files:

/etc/hosts
/etc/sysconfig/network

Execute this command where [hostname] is the new hostname for the ESX host:

[root@server root]# esxcfg-advcfg -s [hostname] /Misc/HostName

Reboot the ESX host
Further reading on Changing ESX Hostname: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1010821

Linking and Unlinking Physical Network Cards to Virtual Switches and Network Card Teaming
This is possibly my most used ESX console command. Often used when there has been a cabling mix up or the software installation has detected the physical network adaptors in a different order than anticipated prior to the install. Sure I could just swap cables around, but if physical changes are not possible (i.e.cabling is as documented or moving cables is not allowed) then these commands will help.

First lets look at how the vSwitch is configured post install. Screenshot from a VI Client:

If you were to view the same information at the service console command line we would use the following command to list the virtual switches configured:

[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswitch -l

To connect a physical adaptor to a virtual switch, you need to Link it, using the following command:

[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswitch -L vmnic1 vSwitch0

Where vmnic1 is the physical network card being connected to the virtual switch vSwitch0.

To disconnect a physical adaptor to a virtual switch, you need to Unlink it, using the following command:

[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswitch -U vmnic1 vSwitch0

Which in turn looks like this from the console:

Further reading on Linking and Unlinking Physical Network Cards to Virtual Switches: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1000258

VLAN Tagging
Use the following command to assign a VLAN to a console port / port group

[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswitch -v [VLAN] -p “Service Console” vSwitch0

Where [VLANID] is the VLAN number, "Service Console" is the console port / port group name and vSwitch0 is the virtual switch the console port / port group is connected to. A zero [VLANID] here specifies no VLAN.

Further reading on VLAN Tagging: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1000258

NIC Teaming Policy and Load Balancing
First lets look at how the vSwitch load balancing configured post install. Screenshot from a VI Client:

Which in turn looks like this from the console:

To specify the NIC teaming load balancing policy on a vSwitch, run the command:

[root@server root]# vimsh -n -e "hostsvc/net/vswitch_setpolicy --nicteaming-policy [policy] vSwitch0"

Where [policy] is one of these NIC teaming policies:

loadbalance_srcid (Route based on the originating virtual switch port ID)
loadbalance_srcmac (Route based on source MAC hash)
loadbalance_ip (Route based on IP hash)
failover_explicit (Use explicit failover order)

For example, to set the NIC teaming policy to route based on IP hash, run the command:

[root@server root]# vimsh -n -e "hostsvc/net/vswitch_setpolicy --nicteaming-policy loadbalance_ip vSwitch0"

To confirm the setting, run the command:

[root@server root]# vimsh -n -e "hostsvc/net/vswitch_info vSwitch0" | grep policy

Further reading on NIC Teaming Policy and Load Balancing: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1019864

Overview
In this post we looked at how to configure the following, all from the ESX console, no VI client required!

Changing IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, Hostname and DNS Server Settings
Linking and Unlinking Physical Network Cards to Virtual Switches and Network Card Teaming
VLAN Tagging
NIC Teaming Policy and Load Balancing

Next time.... ESXi.

- Chris

Location via Wi-Fi MAC Address

2011-04-28T00:21:00.002+01:00

With all the iPhone tracking claims and counter claims, (see here for details) it appears that Google have been silently collecting and building a publicly accessible Wireless router location database via their Streetview camera cars and virtually all Android devices.

And now you too can interrogate that database to find any wireless router in the world! All you need is the MAC address of the wireless router in question.

Have a look at http://samy.pl/androidmap/

When the phone detects any wireless network, encrypted or otherwise, it sends the BSSID (MAC address) of the router along with signal strength, and most importantly, GPS coordinates up to the mothership. This page allows you to ping that database and find exactly where any wi-fi router in the world is located.

For furter reading on what a MAC address is have a look here

Finding your Wireless Router's MAC Address
Following assumes that you are wirelessly connected to the router you wish to find the MAC address of.

Windows (any current version)
Open a command prompt and enter the following command:

ipconfig

The return should look something like this:

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy

Taking the default gateway IP address, plumb it into the following command (obviously you will have numbers rather than y's):

arp -g yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy

The return should look something like this:

Internet Address Physical Address
yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy zz-zz-zz-zz-zz-zz

Copy and paste the physical address (again you should have alphanumerics rather than just z's) into http://samy.pl/androidmap/ and hit probe.

Linux
Open a terminal session and enter the following command:

route -n

The return should look something like this:

Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
0.0.0.0 yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy 0.0.0.0 UG 0 0 0 wlan0

Taking the default gateway IP address, plumb it into the following command (again, you will have numbers rather than y's):

arp -vn yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy

The return should look something like this:

Address HWtype HWaddress
yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy ether zz:zz:zz:zz:zz:zz

Copy and paste the HWaddress (again you should have alphanumerics rather than just z's) into http://samy.pl/androidmap/ and hit probe.

====

Oh look Google know where you are... again.

Thanks goto @samykamkar for making android map available.

- Chris

Reminder: Win2008R2 SQL Clustering

2011-02-23T09:00:00.002Z

Yet another reminder / quick fire how to post. This time Windows 2008 R2 Clustering ready for a clustered SQL install.

In it's latest guise, Windows 2008 and 2008 R2 clustering is completely different beast from a Windows 2000 or 2003 cluster.

For full details of what's new in 2008 Clustering, have a look at this technet library article.

Pre-Requisites
So you need to build a cluster? OK. Here is what you need:

Some shared storage (SAN / NAS / ISCSI etc) to hold data that is to be hosted by cluster
Small shared storage for Quorum Disk (MS KB208345 states minimum 500Mb for Quorum)
A hostname and IP address for the Cluster
A hostname and IP address for each MSDTC instance
A hostname and IP address for each SQL instance

SQL Cluster will require individual per instance shared storage areas for:

SQL Data
SQL Transaction Logs
SQL Database Backups
MSDTC (Again a minimum of 500Mb should be fine)

How to Configure
A movie tells more than a thousand words. Here is how to create a Windows 2008 / 2008 R2 cluster and how to get around some of the more common problems:

Thanks to eniackb.blogspot.com for putting this together

Getting SQL and 2008 Failover Clustering to Play Together Nicely
The following is taken from this MSDN blog post:

While installing SQL Server 2008 the DBA will face following warning in the installation window:

Receive a warning about the network binding order on the Setup Support Rules page when install SQL Server 2008 in a failover cluster

This is because the domain / production network card is not the first bound network card. This will cause domain operations to run slowly and can cause timeouts that result in failures.

Use the command to enumerate network card GUID's:

wmic nicconfig get description, SettingID > C:\nicconfig.txt

Open C:\nicconfig.txt and regedit to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\Tcpip\Linkage\Bind

Cut and paste GUID's so that production network card (or NIC team) is at the to of the list. Save key and confirm binding is correct via ipconfig/all.

Ready for SQL install!

- Chris

The Dot Slash Login Shortcut

2011-02-21T09:00:00.002Z

Consider the above login screen, as seen when you login to either a Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 2008 machine that is joined to an Active Directory.

The question is a simple one: How do I login locally?

That is login using local machine credentials rather than those belonging to an active directory account.

Normally you would enter < Local Computer Name >\< Local Account Name > in the username field.

But isn't that is too much like hard work? What happens if I don't know the local machine name? For example, logging in via a RDP session connected to the computer's IP address, rather than the system's machine name.

Also what happens if you mistype or enter an incorrect computer name? As the "incorrect login" response is exactly the same as that for an incorrect password, you tend to believe that you've simply 'fat-fingered' the password...

OK, enough already, here is the fix. Simply login using the following:

.\< Local Account Name >

Hey presto, you've just saved your fingers from typing the computer name and you have removed all local computer name doubt in the process.

Loverly jubberly - oh yes!

- Chris

Making Good Use of Technology

2011-02-12T12:00:00.000Z

Think of some of the great technological advances of the 20 century, the industrial revolution, the advent of the internet, the desktop computer, the mobile phone and so on.

And here is one great modern use for almost all of that...

FartDroid - the mobile fart machine

Well you didn't think that those advances were going to be put to good use did you???

Screenshots:

Amazing Facts according to Neat-O-Fun, FartDriod's Developer:

FartDroid is the Number 1 Fart App on the Android Market!
FartDroid comes on STRONG with over 30 different Farts to keep your Android phone tootin!
FartDroid has TWO different Interfaces to make sure that you can effectively make your phone fart in a way that makes you comfortable.
Classic Mode is for the power user that NEEDS to have access to ANY and Every Fart at any given moment.
New Mode is for those of you that NEED to fart in style. Classic mode consists of a Big Green Fart Button to make sure you can hit the button with ease.

Oh yes!

I bet you wish you had an Android phone now don't you..... here are the links: FartDroid on AppBrain and FartDroid on Android Market

If you are not yet the cheerful owner of such a device, never fear! You too can enjoy in some flatulent fun, using the:

FartDroid Webapp

Have fun.... oh and grow up!

- Chris

What the....? Anywhere

2011-02-09T17:37:00.000Z

Thats right, What the.....? is now mobile! There's no excuse now for a bit of What the.....? even on the move! Everyone needs a bit of What the.....? in their lives now and again. Now you can What the.....? mobile.

oh yes.

- Chris

Vertigo? Don't Look Down!

2011-02-08T19:00:00.002Z

"Vertigo is the conflict between the fear of falling and the desire to fall."

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Have you ever suffered from vertigo without leaving your seat? No? Try this.

Oh and if you are convinced you won't be affected, try watching the following in full screen...

Love the fact you can see the curvature of the earth without leaving the ground...

Watching the above put me in mind of a certain Mr Dibnah:

(No, you hearing isn't going, the sound is a bit duff on this clip)

Fred on reaching the top: "You could ride a bike around here!" Er no thanks Fred, I'll take your word for it!

- Chris