Richard's myITforum Blog

A Very Interesting Read: The Top 5 .NET Memory Management Misconceptions

2011-09-28T18:43:00Z

.NET Memory management is an impressive and comprehensive system, but it's not flawless, and can be anti-intuitive. As a result, there are a few common misconceptions which need to be dispelled before you can really get the most out of the .NET framework.

.NET Memory management is an impressively complex process, and most of the time it works pretty well. However, it’s not flawless, and neither are we developers, so memory management problems are still something that a skilled developer should be prepared for. And while it’s possible to have useful information about .NET memory management and write better code without fully understanding the black box inside the framework, there are a few common misconceptions which need to be dispelled before you can really get started:

Trackback:http://www.simple-talk.com/dotnet/performance/the-top-5-.net-memory-management-misconceptions/?utm_source=simpletalk&utm_medium=email-main&utm_content=rickyleeks-20110808&utm_campaign=.NET

MDOP 2011 R2 Generally Available, Get MBAM and DaRT 7.0

2011-08-03T15:57:00Z

MDOP 2011 R2 is generally available and can be downloaded from the Microsoft Volume Licensing website, MSDN and TechNet. This version of MDOP includes Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM) which is brand new to MDOP, and updates to the Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT) 7.0, and Microsoft Asset Inventory Service 2.0.

Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM):

Building on BitLocker in Windows 7, MBAM will help simplify BitLocker provisioning and deployments, improve compliance and reporting, and reduce support costs. To simplify provisioning and deployment, MBAM integrates into your existing Windows 7 deployment process to help automate the encryption process. If you have already deployed Windows 7 but have not enabled BitLocker, you can now have your end users with standard user permissions can start the encryption process. You can also target BitLocker encryption by targeting hardware by make and model, making sure that only machines capable of meeting the encryption policy are encrypted.

Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolkit 7.0 (DaRT):

Building on our previous version to help drive the cost to support Windows based PCs even lower. DaRT 7.0 will speed up recovery and provide IT organizations with more flexible ways to deploy it. In this version we provide flexible deployment options like network boot (PXE), USB, or via the local recovery partition, on top of the CD and DVD method we already have. Just think, you can now walk an end user through the network boot process over the phone and help them troubleshoot their machine without leaving your desk. To make it even easier to not have to visit the user’s desk, DaRT also now includes software based remote control so can securely diagnose and recover PCs. DaRT also now gives you the ability to restrict end-user access to DaRT tools while making these same tools available to you. This is achieved using the remote control feature so end users cannot use the tools without the remote session being active.

Trackback: http://blogs.technet.com/b/mdop/archive/2011/08/01/mdop-2011-r2-generally-available-get-mbam-and-dart-7-0-today.aspx

New IPv6 DNS and BIND Book

2011-07-31T21:47:09Z

New book provides important information for IPv6 BIND configuration

I was excited when I saw that Cricket Liu published an update to his popular DNS & BIND book covering the IPv6-specific details of DNS. I rushed right out and pre-ordered "DNS & BIND on IPv6". Enabling your DNS servers for IPv6 is an important step in your Internet-edge IPv6 implementation strategy. This book covers all the pertinent information BIND DNS administrators need to get started with IPv6.

I had first purchased the O'Reilly and Associates "DNS and BIND" book back in the mid-1990s. At the time I was administering some large DNS servers and I wanted to be sure I knew what I was doing. The book was considered the definitive guide on DNS. These DNS books also made Cricket Liu a household name. Back then we just worked on zone files for IPv4 hosts and in-addrs. It wasn't untilBIND 8.4 (or BIND 8.X with the IPv6 patch) we able to configure the new-style zone file syntax with IPv6 resource records and IPv6 reverse-mapping zones. Now, all releases of BIND 9.X have essentially feature parity for IPv4 and IPv6.

Read the full story: http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/new-ipv6-dns-and-bind-book

Microsoft NAP follows through on Linux and Mac agents

2011-07-31T21:24:47Z

Back in July 2007, Amith Krishnan, senior product manager for NAP at Microsoft, appeared on my podcast (StillSecure After All These Years podcast) to talk about Microsoft's announced support for the Trusted Computing Group's TNC standard, Trusted Network Connect.

As part of that announcement, Microsoft claimed they would open up the NAP agent to other platforms. But rather than develop Linux and Mac NAP clients, Microsoft would make the technology available for third parties who could create NAP agents for non-Microsoft operating systems. True to Amith's word, UNETsystem announced NAP compatible versions of their AnyClick product for Linux and Macintosh OS X operating systems. Microsoft NAP and network access control (NAC) are technologies I'm very familiar with, having created a product in this space with my former company, StillSecure.

Read the full story: http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/21928

World IPv6 Day Results: New Internet Protocol Proves It's Ready

2011-07-31T19:50:00Z

Today was a significant day in the development of IPv6. Today is IPv6's Bar Mitzvah, Baha'i, Shinbyu ceremony, Genpuku ceremony and Quinceañera all rolled into one. It was a day where IPv6 could prove to the world that it was ready for duty as the Internet Protocol successor to IPv4. Those are pretty big shoes to fill and IPv6 has had some stumbles in the past decade. This article covers what was learned by this big Internet experiment.

IPv6 has been stuck in this "Chicken and the Egg" problem for years where the ISPs and content providers are pointing fingers at each other. The ISPs didn't want to deploy IPv6 if their customers weren't asking for it because there wasn't any content on the Internet reachable over IPv6. Content providers couldn't connect their content to the Internet with IPv6 because they lacked IPv6 connectivity options. Additional complications have been added with the discovery of some "IPv6 Brokenness" that exists on the Internet. This has caused many content providers to separate their IPv4-only and their IPv6-only web presence with two URLs. World IPv6 Day was a single 24-hour period where content providers would bravely have their primary web site handle both IPv4 and IPv6 connections. The web site operators published an authoritative A record and AAAA record for their primary FQDN hostname and learn about what problems they encounter.

Read the full story: http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/world-ipv6-day-results

StickySorter, Running a virtual business, Need to capture collaboration notes on the Fly

2011-07-31T17:46:00Z

Form Microsoft Office Labs

I believe this is a very useful tool. Check it out! –> http://www.officelabs.com/projects/stickysorter/Pages/default.aspx

Ever found yourself lost in the eye of a brainstorm? Lots of great information, but it’s all over the place! Sticky Sorter is a Grassroots Project, developed by two Microsoft Employees, that you can use today to manage such challenges. The inventors, Julie and Sumit, were looking for an easier way to capture, sift through, and organize hundreds of research observations traditionally done on physical sticky notes in an affinity diagramming exercise with researchers from around the world. The result is StickySorter which met their complex needs, supports virtual collaboration, and is now available for you to use in managing your next brainstorm.

Microsoft Office Labs

I believe this is a very useful tool. Check it out! –> http://www.officelabs.com/projects/stickysorter/Pages/default.aspx

Good Point

2011-07-26T13:14:00Z

Good Points are collection articles that has helped me out in one way or another. I consider these articles or blogs as having a real answer or a solution that really works in a given situation. I decided to aggregate articles and blogs that I have either used or assisted me in some solution or project. If you run across a Good Point, know that it has a solution or answer to it if the issue matches your current problem.

I decided to aggregate and group these types of articles together due to the fact that I build solutions many times over and as we all know we can now remember everything in IT even though memory is a BIG part this type of career. Not all of us leaves a comment when we find a solution or answer that helps us. So I decided to start grouping any solution or answer that has helped me under the Good Point Category which is another way of spreading the posters answer in the community.

Help Spread the word of good solutions or answers by labeling articles that has help you as a Good Point.

Phoenixtekk Good Point

Good Point: How to fix Server Manager Errors after installing updates (HRESULT:0x800F0818 / HRESULT:0x800B0100)

2011-07-26T13:03:00Z

Symptoms
You install several Updates. After the successful installation, you notice you cannot add or remove features/roles in the Server Manager.
Error: Unexpected error refreshing Server Manager: Exception from HRESULT:0x800F0818
Alternatively you can also get:
Server Manager: Unexpected error refreshing Server Manager: No signature was present in the subject. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800B0100)

Resolution

First you run the Microsoft Update Readiness Tool located here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947821
After the scan has completed check: C:\Windows\logs\CBS\Checksur.log. You should see the following errors:
Checking Package Manifests and Catalogs
(f) CBS MUM Corrupt 0x00000000servicing\Packages\Package_for_KB978601~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum Expected file name Package_for_KB978601_server~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum does not match the actual file name
(f) CBS MUM Corrupt 0x00000000servicing\Packages\Package_for_KB979309~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum Expected file name Package_for_KB979309_server~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum does not match the actual file name
Or
(f) CBS MUM Corrupt 0x800B0100servicing\Packages\Package_for_KB978601~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum servicing\Packages\Package_for_KB978601~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.cat Package manifest cannot be validated by the corresponding catalog
(f) CBS MUM Corrupt 0x800B0100servicing\Packages\Package_for_KB979309~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum servicing\Packages\Package_for_KB979309~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.cat Package manifest cannot be validated by the corresponding catalog

(f) CBS MUM Missing 0x00000002servicing\packages\Package_114_for_KB955839~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum
(f) CBS MUM Missing 0x00000002servicing\packages\Package_83_for_KB955839~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum

Further down you will see:
Unavailable repair files:
servicing\packages\Package_for_KB978601~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum
servicing\packages\Package_for_KB979309~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum
servicing\packages\Package_for_KB978601~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.cat
servicing\packages\Package_for_KB979309~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.cat

These files need to be copied into: %systemroot\Windows\Servicing\Packages

1. You first need to gain control over that folder. In order to do this use the following commands:

This makes the current logged on user (needs to have Administrative privileges) owner of that folder:
takeown /F c:\Windows\Servicing\Packages /D y /R
Then assign full control using:
cacls c:\Windows\Servicing\Packages /E /T /C /G "UserName":F

This will grant you full control over the directory.

Optionally you can download this ZIP. Inside you have 2 REG Files. If you install TakeOwnership.reg you will have a handy Take Ownership entry in the right click menu every time you use it on a Folder.

2. Now you need to gather the missing or corrupted files from the checksur log:

- Download the KB Files for the missing files:
servicing\packages\Package_for_KB978601~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum
- Unpack them using the following command:
Expand -F:* UpdateKBXXXX.msu x:\DestinationDirectory
After you expand you will see a UpdateKBXXXX.cab File. Expand it as well:
Expand -F:* UpdateKBXXXX.CAB x:\DestinationDirectoryCAB

Inside of this cab you will need to grab 2 files: update.mum and update.cat
3. Rename the gathered update.mum and update.cab files exactly as they are specified in the checksur.log:
Ex.: update.mum for KB978601 will be:

Package_for_KB978601~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.0.1.0.mum

Do the same for all the other missing/corrupt files and place them into the directory specified in checksur.log (/servicing/packages)
After these steps the problem should be fixed. No reboot required.

If the Server Manager is not working even after doing these steps, run the Update Readiness Tool again and double-check the steps described above.

By Author

Completely Virtualized SQL Server 2008 R2 Cluster for SCCM 2007 R2 to enable High Availability

2011-07-04T12:58:00Z

I had the need to test a solution against a SQL Server 2008 R2 Cluster with the limitation of only have virtual machines to work with. So I started off doing research to find the information on what it would take to build a SQL Server 2008 R2 Failover Cluster. What I did notice is I did not find a blog, doc or Article with all the information I needed or required to get this design developed. The documents I read assumed allot of settings are in place. So as I when thru KB’s and Articles solving one issue, I hit another issue and had to go find a resolution for the next problem.

So this is my attempt to bring all required information together to build this Step By Step Guide on building a 100% Virtualized SQL Server 2008 R2 Cluster for SCCM 2007 R2 to enable High Availability for Self Service or any service application you have a need to provide high availability for.

After building 3 Windows Server 2008 R2 virtual machines with the intent on using 2 as the nodes to the SQL Clustering Service and 1 for the virtual machine acting as the back end storage. I came to realize that you cannot use a virtual Windows Server 2008 R2 machine to host the SCSI drives, this server must be physical.

Crap! Now what I’m going to do. I only have access to a virtual Hyper-V environment…

Back to doing some more research: As it turns out you can use a virtual machine as the back end storage server, but it just cannot be done with the Windows Server 2008 R2 version. It can only be done with the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 SKU.

Nice! Didn’t know they had this SKU…

So I’m off to search for Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 download in my MSDN subscription. What I found on MSDN was 2 versions. Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials version and a Embedded version for Standard, Enterprise and Workgroup with iSCSI Software Target 3.3 (x64).

I didn’t read the difference of the two server versions, so I didn’t know how to get storage server installed. Truthfully this is my first time using an embedded application. It took me the whole day of research to determine on how to install Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 before finally realizing that it’s an Embedded version. And there is just a bunch of updates that needs to be installed 1 by 1 that converts the Windows Server 2008 R2 version into Windows Storage Server 2008 R2. After installing the updates and rebooting the server, the server is now Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 SKU. See the difference below.

Before

After

That was a pain! I would script this part if I had many deployments like this to do.

So Let’s get off into the details while I tell this story and provide the Steps to building this solution.

Note: These steps uses Hyper-V for the virtualized environment.

Requirements.

3.5.1 .NET Framework Feature

Step 1. Build 3 Virtual Machines.

I’m using Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2 for my virtualized environment. Build 3 virtual machines using Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2. The following list is how I will be using each virtual machines.

VM1, host installation of SQL Server 2008 R2 for node 1 and Clustering Service.
VM2, host installation of SQL Server 2008 R2 for node 2 and Clustering Service.
VM3, host installation of Storage Server 2008 R2 Embedded, SCCM 2007 R3 and SCCM Self Service.

The Virtual Machine configuration settings to use for VM1 and VM2 is outlined below.

Memory:
- 2048 MB
CPU:
- 1 Virtual Processor
Drives:
- 1 IDE Controllers
  - 50 GB VHD file for C:\ OS installation
  - Virtual DVD Drive
- 1 SCSI Controller
  - 50 GB VHD file for I:\ SQL Instance installation
Network:
- 1 Virtual Network Adapter

The Virtual Machine configuration settings to use for VM3 is outlined below.

Memory:
- 2048 MB
CPU:
- 1 Virtual Processor
Drives:
- 1 IDE Controllers
  - 50 GB VHD file for C:\ OS installation
  - Virtual DVD Drive
- 1 SCSI Controller
  - 100 GB VHD file for E:\ To host the Cluster iSCSI Target shared drives VHD files
Network:
- 1 Virtual Network Adapter

Step 2. Install & Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems

After you build the 3 virtual machines, Install Windows Server 2008 R2 on all three virtual machines. You will run thru additional steps to convert VM3 from Windows Server 2008 R2 into Windows Storage Server 2008 R2.

Next add each VM to a domain and give each virtual machines virtual adapter static IP address.

Important: Ensure to APPLY ALL REQUIRED UPDATES on all virtual machines. Remember after installing detected updates, run a Windows Update scan after each installation of updates to ensure you have installed all required updates. Note: Some Software Updates will not show as required until other required updates are installed.

Step 3. Setup Windows Storage Server 2008 R2

After you have all 3 virtual machines installed with Windows Server 2008 R2, each assigned with static IP address, you will now configure one of the VM’s (VM3) to become Windows Storage Server 2008 R2.

Download from MSDN the following Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 SKU.

Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Embedded (Standard, Enterprise, Workgroup) with iSCSI Software Target 3.3 (x64) - DVD (Multiple Languages)

Note: There is no Product Key required for this installation of Windows Storage Server 2008 R2. This is because it will turn your existing installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 into Storage Server 2008 R2 and uses the existing license.

After you download the ISO file and mount it to your computer or burn it to a DVD, you should see the following file.

WSS2008R2+iSCSITarget33.exe

Run this EXE to extract the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 components with elevated rights.

Click Accept on the following screen.

Enter a destination where you want the files to be extracted. Then click Install.

monitor the installation

After extracting the components, you should see the following 2 ISO files.

Windows_Storage_Server_2008_R2.iso
iSCSI_Software_Target_33.iso

Mount the (Windows_Storage_Server_2008_R2.iso) file to your computer or burn it to a DVD. You should see the following folder structure.

Open the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 folder, you should see the following patches.

Install Windows Server 2008 R2 updates

Included with the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Component Pack is a collection of Windows Server 2008 R2 updates that must be installed as part of your deployment process. These updates are designed to increase the reliability or security of your storage appliance.

You can deploy these updates in one of three ways:

By adding updates to the Install.wim (which is included on the product DVD or the ISO file). For more information on how to do this, see the topic “Scenario: Service an Offline Image” in the Windows OPK User's Guide (Opk.chm).
Use the expand.exe tool to extract all of the .cab files manually from the .msu files (for example, expand *.msu c:\temp), and then use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool to install all of the .cab files without necessitating system reboots. For more information on the Expand command, see Expand Command-Line Options (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=198216). For more information about the DISM tool, see the “Deployment Image Servicing and Management Technical Reference” topic in the Windows OPK User's Guide (Opk.chm).
Use Windows Update Standalone (WUSA) installer to install updates manually in audit mode. For more information on how to do this, see the “Service an Online Image” topic in the Windows OPK User's Guide (Opk.chm).
Add references to the updates to an answer file that supplements installation of the Windows Server features when Windows Setup runs.

Apply the following high lighted patches on VM3 to start preparing it to become a Storage Server. Install the patches in the order listed below.

In my environment I’m running Enterprise Server 2008, so in my case I would need to apply the Windows6.1-KB982050-x64-EnterpriseBranding.MSU patch.

Windows6.1-KB982050-x64-EnterpriseBranding.MSU
Windows6.1-KB976835-x64-WebRDP.msu
Windows6.1-KB976833-x64-SIS.msu

You might be asked for a reboot after the last patch is installed. Reboot before continuing anyway.

After applying the patch updates, ensure to reboot VM3. Rebooting the server will complete the installation and provisioning of the Storage Server embedded installation. When the server returns from the reboot, the server will be a Windows Storage Server 2008 R2. You can check this by Right clicking on the Computer and clicking Properties. Shown below.

Now that you have Windows Storage Server running, you now need to install the Microsoft iSCSI Target software 3.3.

Steps 3. Install iSCSC Target Software 3.3

Now mount the (iSCSI_Software_Target_33.iso) ISO file. You should see the following files and folder structure.

Navigate to the folder matching the architecture you are using. In my case I would use the x64 folder. You should see the following files in the folder. Start the installation by running the iscsitarget.msi installer file.

The installation is pretty simplistic, so just run thru the installation wizard and complete the setup.

Now that you have the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 software installed, you now need to create simulated virtual shared disks that the SQL Server cluster will use for its shared storage. Virtual disk are created on NTFS volumes as a file. As with any other file, the file system determines where to place the file on the physical disk. This offers flexible provisioning, snapshots that persist after restarting the iSCSI target server, and compatibility with replication software.

Note: Don’t worry too much about the size of the virtual disk, they can be extended later. If you have the need to extend you virtual disk, you can find info to accomplish that here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg232619(WS.10).aspx.

Note: If you set up failover clustering for iSCSI storage, the virtual disk can reside only on a cluster disk.

Configuring a virtual disk for access by more than one iSCSI target can cause data corruption unless the virtual disk is part of a cluster environment or the iSCSI initiators use a storage area network (SAN) file system to coordinate access to the storage.

Install the Failover Clustering Feature.

Now we need to install the Failover Cluster Service on each virtual machine.

Go the the Server Manager and Navigate to the Features Node and Click Add Features.

Click Failover Clustering and then Click Next.

Click Install to start the installation of the Failover Clustering service.

Click Close when the installation of the Failover Clustering Service completes.

Configure the iSCSI Initiators on Node servers

Now you need to configure the initiators on each of the SQL node servers.

Login to one of you servers that will participate in the cluster and go to the Start Menu, Administrative Tools, and Click on Failover Cluster Manager.

REQ: First, Enable Port 3260 in the firewall on all three virtual machines.

The first time you load the iSCSI initiator, it will ask you two questions.
The first question is about loading the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator service every time.

When the iSCSI Initiator windows opens, Click on the Discovery Tab and Click Discover Portal.

Enter the IP address of the Storage Server acting as the target. Click Ok to add the portal.

You should now see something similar to the following.

Configure Failover Clustering Service

Go to the Failover Clustering Console and navigate to the Failover Cluster Manager node and Right Click and Select Create a Cluster.

Click Next on the Before You Begin screen.

On the Select Servers screen, Click the Browse button and enter the name of the servers that will participates as nodes in the cluster.

On the Select Computers dialog and Click Ok to accept the names.

Click Next to continue.

If you see the following screen, you should run the Validation Wizard by leaving the Yes, When I click Next, run configuration validation tests, and then return to the process of creating the cluster. option selected.

Click Next to continue.

Client Next on the Before You Begin screen.

Leave the option Run all tests (recommended) selected and click Next.

Click Next on the Confirmation screen.

Tests will run.

Click Finish when the tests completes to close the Validation Wizard.

Provide a name for the Cluster in the Cluster Name field. This will be the Cluster name you connect to when configuring and managing the SQL cluster.

Provide an IP address that will be assigned to the cluster name. Click Next to continue.

Click Next on the Confirmation screen to start running the Create Cluster process.

The Failover Clustering service will now be created and assign resources.

Click Finish on the Summary screen to complete the process of creating the cluster.

You should now have a Failover Clustering Service running.

Select the Services and applications node, Right Click it and select Configure a Service or Application.

Select the Distributed Transition Coordinator (DTC) service and Click Next to continue.

On the Client Access Point screen, leave the default name given for the name clients will connect to when accessing this service.

Provide an IP address for the network this cluster will be used accessed by.

Click Next to continue.

Select the Cluster Disk to assign to the Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC) service and click next to continue.

Click next to create the Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC).

Setup and configure the iSCSI Software Target

Ok, now lets get on with configuring the iSCSCI software target.

After the in the installation of the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target, navigate to the Administrative Tools and Click the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target to start the application.

Select the iSCSC Targets node.

Right click the iSCSI Targets node and select Create iSCSC Target.

Click Next on the Welcome to the Create iSCSI Target Wizard screen. Enter a iSCSI target name and Description. Click Next to continue.

On the iSCSI Initiators Identifiers screen, enter the IP address of VM3 and click next.

In the Add iSCSI Inititator, select the iqn you created in

Select the Devices node.

Right click the Devices node and select Create Virtual Disk.

The Create Virtual Disk Wizard will start, Click Next to continue.

You will see the following screen allowing you to the VHD file name and location where the virtual disk will be created. Here you want to select the 100GB VHD drive I created for VM3 the storage server.

Select the Browse button above, then select the drive that is the 100GB drive. In my case the E:\ drive is the 100GB.

After selecting the drive and clicking OK, enter a file name for the VHD virtual disk file. Example shown below. Click Next to continue.

On the Size screen enter the size you want the virtual disk to be created with. Click Next to continue.

On the Description screen enter a description maybe. Click Next to continue.

On the Access screen, click the Add button to Enter a

Select the iSCSI target from the list and click OK.

Click Next to continue.

Then click Finish to complete creating a virtual disk.

Do this three times until you at least have 3 disk with the following sizes for this setup.

10 GB
30 GB
50 GB

Now that the target is created, you can add virtual disks to it. These will be the logical units that will be presented to the initiator. You will do this by right-clicking the target T1 and selecting the option to “Add Existing Virtual Disks to iSCSI Target”.

Click next on the Intro page.

Select the Virtual Disk to add the the cluster Target and click OK.

You should now see all virtual disk you have added in the left pane of the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target console.

Bring the Volumes online

You should now see offline LUNs in the Server Manager under Storage > Disk Management.

Right Click each unallocated space and bring the drive online.

Then Right Click each drive to initialize the dive.

Select the Disk to initialize and click OK to continue.

Now Right Click the drive and Click New Simple Volume.

Ensure you have formatted and assigned a drive letter to each drive.

Setup SQL Cluster

At this point you can follow the installation required for installing a SQL Server instance in a Failover Cluster. You have two option to do this.

Integration Installation with Add Node
Advanced / Enterprise Installation

For the instruction this article, I used the Integration Installation with Add Node option. You can find those instruction here: (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms179530.aspx) under

I pasted those instructions below from the link above. After installing SQL in Cluster mode, you now have a completely virtualized SQL Cluster.

Steps to Install the SQL Cluster. You can access and download the document I used to

Insert the SQL Server installation media, and from the root folder, double-click Setup.exe. To install from a network share, browse to the root folder on the share, and then double-click Setup.exe. For more information about how to install prerequisites, see Before Installing Failover Clustering. You may be asked to install the prerequisites, if they are not previously installed.

Windows Installer 4.5 is required, and may be installed by the Installation Wizard. If you are prompted to restart your computer, restart and then start SQL Server 2008 R2 Setup again.

After prerequisites are installed, the Installation Wizard starts the SQL Server Installation Center. To create a new cluster installation of SQL Server 2008 R2, click New SQL Server failover cluster installation on the installation page

The System Configuration Checker runs a discovery operation on your computer. To continue, click OK. You can view the details on the screen by clicking Show Details, or as an HTML report by clicking View detailed report.

On the Language Selection page, you can specify the language for your instance of SQL Server if you are installing on a localized operating system and the installation media includes language packs for both English and the language corresponding to the operating system. For more information about cross-language support and installation considerations, see Local Language Versions in SQL Server.

To continue, click Next.

On the Setup Support Files page, click Install to install the Setup support files.

The System Configuration Checker verifies the system state of your computer before Setup continues. After the check is complete, click Next to continue. You can view the details on the screen by clicking Show Details, or as an HTML report by clicking View detailed report.

On the Product key page, indicate whether you are installing a free edition of SQL Server, or whether you have a PID key for a production version of the product. For more information, see Editions and Components of SQL Server 2008 R2.

On the License Terms page, read the license agreement, and then select the check box to accept the license terms and conditions. To help improve SQL Server, you can also enable the feature usage option and send reports to Microsoft. Click Next to continue. To end Setup, click Cancel.

On the Feature Selection page, select the components for your installation. A description for each component group appears in the right pane after you select the feature name. You can select any combination of check boxes, but only the Database Engine and Analysis Services support failover clustering. Other selected components will run as a stand-alone feature without failover capability on the current node that you are running Setup on.

You can specify a custom directory for shared components by using the field at the bottom of this page. To change the installation path for shared components, either update the path in the field provided at the bottom of the dialog box, or click the ellipsis button to browse to an installation directory. The default installation path is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\.

Note

When you select the Database Engine Services feature, both replication and full-text search are selected automatically. Unselecting any of these sub features also unselects the Database Engine Services feature.

On the Instance Configuration page, specify whether to install a default or a named instance. For more information, see Instance Configuration.

SQL Server Network Name — Specify a network name for the new SQL Server failover cluster. This is the name that is used to identify your failover cluster on the network.

Note

This is known as the virtual SQL Server name in earlier versions of SQL Server failover clusters.

Instance ID — By default, the instance name is used as the Instance ID. This is used to identify installation directories and registry keys for your instance of SQL Server. This is the case for default instances and named instances. For a default instance, the instance name and instance ID would be MSSQLSERVER. To use a nondefault instance ID, select the Instance ID box and provide a value.

Note

Typical stand-alone instances of SQL Server 2008 R2, whether default or named instances, do not use a nondefault value for the Instance ID box.

Instance root directory — By default, the instance root directory is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\. To specify a nondefault root directory, use the field provided, or click the ellipsis button to locate an installation folder.

Detected SQL Server instances and features on this computer - The grid shows instances of SQL Server that are on the computer where Setup is running. If a default instance is already installed on the computer, you must install a named instance of SQL Server 2008 R2. Click Next to continue.

The Disk Space Requirements page calculates the required disk space for the features that you specify, and compares requirements to the available disk space on the computer where Setup is running. For more information, see Disk Space Requirements.

Use the Cluster Resource Group page to specify the cluster resource group name where SQL Server virtual server resources will be located. To specify the SQL Server cluster resource group name, you have two options:

Use the drop-down box to specify an existing group to use.

Type the name of a new group to create. Be aware that the name "Available storage" is not a valid group name.

On the Cluster Disk Selection page, select the shared cluster disk resource for your SQL Server failover cluster. The cluster disk is where the SQL Server data will be put. More than one disk can be specified. The Available shared disks grid displays a list of available disks, whether each is qualified as a shared disk, and a description of each disk resource. Click Next to continue.

Note

The first drive is used as the default drive for all databases, but can be changed on the Database Engine or Analysis Services configuration pages.

On the Cluster Network Configuration page, specify the network resources for your failover cluster instance:

Network Settings — Specify the IP type and IP address for your failover cluster instance.

Click Next to continue.

Use this page to specify Cluster Security Policy.

Windows Server 2008 and later versions - Service SIDs (server security IDs) are the recommended and default setting. The option to specify domain groups is available but not recommended. For information about service SIDs functionality on Windows Server 2008, see Setting Up Windows Service Accounts.

On Windows Server 2003, specify domain groups for SQL Server services. All resource permissions are controlled by domain-level groups that include SQL Server service accounts as group members.

Click Next to continue.

Note

If you are installing a SQL Server 2008 R2 Failover Cluster Instance in a Windows 2000 mixed mode domain, you must use domain global groups for SQL Server Clustered Services.

Note

Windows 2000 domain controllers can operate in mixed mode and native mode. Mixed mode enables down-level domain controllers in the same domain.

Work flow for the rest of this topic depends on the features that you have specified for your installation. You might not see all the pages, depending on your selections (Database Engine, Analysis Services, Reporting Services).

On the Server Configuration — Service Accounts page, specify login accounts for SQL Server services. The actual services that are configured on this page depend on the features that you selected to install.

You can assign the same login account to all SQL Server services, or you can configure each service account individually. The startup type is set to manual for all cluster-aware services, including full-text search and SQL Server Agent, and cannot be changed during installation. Microsoft recommends that you configure service accounts individually to provide least privileges for each service, where SQL Server services are granted the minimum permissions they have to have complete their tasks. For more information, see Server Configuration - Service Accounts and Setting Up Windows Service Accounts.

To specify the same logon account for all service accounts in this instance of SQL Server, provide credentials in the fields at the bottom of the page.

Security Note Do not use a blank password. Use a strong password.

When you are finished specifying login information for SQL Server services, click Next.

Use the Server Configuration - Collation tab to specify nondefault collations for the Database Engine and Analysis Services. For more information, see Server Configuration - Collation.

Use the Database Engine Configuration — Account Provisioning page to specify the following:

Security Mode - select Windows Authentication or Mixed Mode Authentication for your instance of SQL Server. If you select Mixed Mode Authentication, you must provide a strong password for the built-in SQL Server system administrator account.

After a device establishes a successful connection to SQL Server, the security mechanism is the same for both Windows Authentication and Mixed Mode. For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - Account Provisioning.

SQL Server Administrators - You must specify at least one system administrator for the instance of SQL Server. To add the account under which SQL Server Setup is running, click Add Current User. To add or remove accounts from the list of system administrators, click Add or Remove, and then edit the list of users, groups, or computers that will have administrator privileges for the instance of SQL Server. For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - Account Provisioning.

When you are finished editing the list, click OK. Verify the list of administrators in the configuration dialog box. When the list is complete, click Next.

Use the Database Engine Configuration - Data Directories page to specify nondefault installation directories. To install to default directories, click Next.

Important

If you specify nondefault installation directories, make sure that the installation folders are unique to this instance of SQL Server. None of the directories in this dialog box should be shared with directories from other instances of SQL Server. The data directories should be located on the shared cluster disk for the failover cluster.

For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - Data Directories.

Use the Database Engine Configuration - FILESTREAM page to enable FILESTREAM for your instance of SQL Server. For more information about FILESTREAM, see Database Engine Configuration - Filestream. Click Next to continue.

Use the Analysis Services Configuration — Account Provisioning page to specify users or accounts that will have administrator permissions for Analysis Services. You must specify at least one system administrator for Analysis Services. To add the account under which SQL Server Setup is running, click Add Current User. To add or remove accounts from the list of system administrators, click Add or Remove, and then edit the list of users, groups, or computers that will have administrator privileges for Analysis Services. For more information, see Analysis Services Configuration - Account Provisioning.

When you are finished editing the list, click OK. Verify the list of administrators in the configuration dialog box. When the list is complete, click Next.

Use the Analysis Services Configuration — Data Directories page to specify nondefault installation directories. To install to default directories, click Next.

Important

For more information, see Analysis Services Configuration - Data Directories.

Use the Reporting Services Configuration page to specify the kind of Reporting Services installation to create. For failover cluster installation, the option is set to Unconfigured Reporting Services installation. You must configure Reporting Services services after you complete the installation.

For more information about Reporting Services configuration modes, see Report Server Installation Options.

On the Error Reporting page, specify the information that you want to send to Microsoft to help improve SQL Server. By default, option for error reporting is disabled. For more information, see Error Reporting.

The System Configuration Checker runs one more set of rules to validate your configuration with the SQL Server features that you have specified.

The Ready to Install page displays a tree view of installation options that were specified during Setup. To continue, click Install.

During installation, the Installation Progress page provides status so that you can monitor installation progress as Setup continues.

After installation, the Complete page provides a link to the summary log file for the installation and other important notes. To complete the SQL Server installation process, click Close.

If you are instructed to restart the computer, do so now. It is important to read the message from the Installation Wizard when you have finished with Setup. For information about Setup log files, see How to: View and Read SQL Server Setup Log Files.

To add nodes to the single-node failover you just created, run Setup on each additional node and follow the steps for AddNode operation. For more information, see How to: Add or Remove Nodes in a SQL Server Failover Cluster (Setup).

Note

If you are adding more than one node, you can use the configuration file to deploy the installations. For more information, see How to: Install SQL Server 2008 R2 Using a Configuration File.

The SQL Server edition you are installing must match across all the nodes in a SQL Server failover cluster. When you add a new node to an existing SQL Server failover cluster, make sure that you specify that the edition matches the edition of the existing failover cluster.

Technorati Tags: Virtualization,SQL Server,2008,R2,Cluster,SCCM,2007,High Availability,Self Service

Microsoft iSCSI Software Target Error: The virtual disk cannot be created on the selected volume. One or more arguments are not correct.

2011-06-24T18:31:00Z

Microsoft iSCSI Software Target Error: The virtual disk cannot be created on the selected volume. One or more arguments are not correct.

Ok, I have always been able to search and find resolutions to problems on blogs and forums. The last few days I have been unsuccessful in finding a solution to a problem I'm seeing. I'm trying to create a virtual disk using the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target, and when i click OK, i get the following error
"The virtual disk cannot be created on the selected volume. One or more arguments are not correct."
The following is what's logged in Event Viewer:
The Microsoft iSCSI Software Target service could not create the virtual disk using device I:\bin\vDisk01.vhd. The operation failed with error code 0x800700a0.
and the following:
Volume Shadow Copy Service warning: VSS was denied access to the root of volume \\?\Volume{fafd968f-9d84-11e0-8c18-00155d00110a}\. Denying administrators from accessing volume roots can cause many unexpected failures, and will prevent VSS from functioning properly. Check security on the volume, and try the operation again.

Richard
The Phoenixtekk

SCCM WSUS Client Deployment Solution Updated

2011-05-28T02:19:00Z

Summary

The following information are general detailed instructions on how to setup the Windows Server Update Service Client Deployment and Client Remediation life cycle management.

Requirements

Windows Server Update Service (WSUS)

WSUS must be setup and configured on the primary site server client will connect to for scanning for updates.

Configuration Manager Site with Software Update enabled

A SUP role must be setup and configured on the primary site server client will connect to for scanning for updates.

Organizational Unit or Security Group

An OU and Security Group must be setup that will hold the machine accounts of computers that will be managed by this solution.

2 Configuration Manager ADM Templates

There are 2 ADM templates that are required for this solution. You can obtain these ADM template from the Configuration Manager installation CD/DVD.

Active Directory Group Policy Object

An Active Directory group policy (GPO) is required for this solution. Ensure you have permissions to created AD group policies.

Setup and Configuration

Follow the step by step instructions below to setup and configure WSUS Client Deployment. These instructions assume you already have System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R3 installed. The following solution will help you obtain 99% client reach, discovery, remediation and deployment of the Configuration Manager client. This solution will automatically install and provision machine with the Configuration Manager client when the computer joins the domain and is a member of a specified OU or Security Group.

If for any reason the client is uninstalled or removed, this solution will automatically reinstall the client on the very next time the client machine scans for updates against the WSUS server on the primary site where this solution is configured.

WSUS

Windows Server Update Service (WSUS)

Install the WSUS service on a Windows Server 200 R2 server.

Do not configure the WSUS service with the WSUS console at the completion of the WSUS installation.

SUP

Enable Software Update

Install / Enable the Software Update Point Role on the Primary site server where WSUS is installed.

Ensure this will be Active Software Update Point. This means this will be the SUP point clients actually connect to.

Groups

Organizational Unit (OU) or Security Group (SG)

Identify an Active Directory OU or Security Group that will contain all systems expected to be managed by your System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R3 site.

Note: There can only be one OU or Security Group designated for a Configuration Manager site. Meaning 1 site code per managed group. You cannot have an AD group provision clients for multiple site codes.

ADM Templates & GPO

2 Configuration Manager ADM Templates are required

Obtain the ADM Templates that comes on the Configuration Manager 2007 CD, located: on the CD\TOOLS\ConfigMgrADMTemplates.

ADM template names:

“ConfigMgr2007Assignment.adm"
"ConfigMgr2007Installation.adm"

The "ConfigMgr2007Assignment.adm" is used to place the Configuration Manager site assignment settings in the clients registry

The "ConfigMgr2007Assignment.adm" template sets the following settings in the registry under: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\Mobile Client

GPRequestedSiteAssignmentCode = <your site code>
GPSiteAssignmentRetryDuration(Hour) = <Retry Duration (hours)>
GPSiteAssignmentRetryInterval(Min) = <Retry Interval>

The image below shows the settings for the ConfigMgr2007Assignment.adm template after it’s imported into the GPO.

Definitions

The "GPRequestedSiteAssignmentCode" is the site code your client should and will be assigned to. When the client is reassigned by any other method to a site code other than the site code specified in the GPO, these GPO policy settings will automatically reassign the client back to the site code you defined in the GPO policy.

The "GPSiteAssignmentRetryDuration(Hour)" is the amount of hours the client will keep attempting to reassign the client until successful or till reassigned to the site code specified in the GPO.

The "GPSiteAssignmentRetryInterval(Min)" is the interval the GPO policy will wake up and check to see if the client is assigned to the site code specified in the GPO.

The "ConfigMgr2007Assignment.adm" template sets the following settings in the registry under:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\ccmsetup in a Value Name: SetupParameters.

The below settings is the CCMSETUP parameters that will to be set in the above location, which are the parameters the client will use when the installation starts.

/MP:msserver SMSSLP=smsslp.domain.com SMSSITECODE=XR2 FSP=smsfsp.domain.com CCMLOGMAXSIZE=100000 CCMENABLELOGGING=TRUE CCMLOGLEVEL=0 DISABLESITEOPT=TRUE DISABLECACHEOPT=TRUE CCMLOGMAXHISTORY=5 SMSCACHESIZE=9000

NOTE: When a client installation starts, ccmsetup.exe will first look to the command-line first for the ccmsetup parameters. If it does not find ccmsetup command-line parameters, the ccmsetup.exe will look to the registry for the ccmsetup.exe parameters, if the parameters are not found in the registry, the ccmsetup.exe will use Active Directory and assign the client based on Configuration Manager site boundaries.

The image below shows the settings for the ConfigMgr2007Installation.adm template after it’s imported into the GPO.

This type of client assignment forces clients to remain assigned to the site of choice.

Import these ADM templates, into a Group Policy Object targeting the OU or SG of clients to be managed.

An additional setting must added to this GPO the will set the Windows Update URL the clients will use to connect and scan for required offered updates.

This setting location can be found with the local GPO Mgr or GPO Management Console. You can find the location for these settings in the path below.

Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update

The image below shows the setting in a GPO object that allows you to set the WSUS/SUP server for clients to use to scan for updates.

A Got Cha: Watch Out! The policies settings these ADM templates places in the clients registry cannot be un-done by removing or disabling the GPO applied.

If you ever want to reassign clients that has been assigned and provisioned by the "Client Management GPO’s" (I call this solution client management GPOs) You must either manually remove the settings by hand or script. Or you can drop the computer object in another OU or SG having different "Client Management GPOs applying these settings for another Configuration Manager site.

Note: The reason why these settings don’t go away when a GPO is removed is because these ADM templates are not set in the Policies Hive of the registry. Settings set in the registry outside of the Policies Hive can’t be removed with a GPO, they only can be changed or modified with a GPO.

Active Directory Group Policy Object (GPO)

Apply a Group Policy Object targeting the OU or SG with membership of the systems you want assigned to a specific site.

Remember

Once the above settings and configurations are set, publish the Configuration Manager client into WSUS.

To publish the Configuration Manager client to WSUS, from within the Configuration Manager console Navigate to the Site Management node > Then to the Site Settings Node > Then the Client Installation Methods node, Right click on Software Update Point Client Installation and click Properties.

At this point just simply enable the option "Enable Software Update Point Client Installation" shown below.

Warning: Also, ensure that no other AD policies are configuring the WSUS URL via any other policies in your environment. If clients receive policies from other GPO’s to also configure the WSUS URL, that client will generate AD Group Policy Conflict and fail the WSUS scan. The Configuration Manager client will seem like its broken and not communicate with the Site/MP.

Error Opening Task Sequence “There may be too many steps in the task sequence object”

2011-02-18T17:04:00Z

RESOLVED

This worked for me. I believe the issue is if you make a major change the the site system where the control file is updated. In my case I was troubleshooting the PXE role which involved uninstalling and reinstalling the Role. Although I was able to open the same Task Sequence prior to removing and adding the PXE role, I did not re-run the Configure ConfigMgr Integration tool afterwards. After doing so, I was successfully able to open any task sequence.

When I open My SCCM console and try to edit a task seq., this message popups.

"There may be too many steps in the task sequence object. "

ANSWER –> http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/configmgrgeneral/thread/1310a5ae-5a4d-4dc9-b3be-cb30527802d2

The answer is, if You use Microsoft Deployment Toolkit for SCCM, dont forget to run Configure ConfigMgr Integration afther You reinstalled the server and SCCM

Are you well-versed in comment etiquette?

2011-02-17T23:23:00Z

Which comment would you rather receive?

“Great post! Check out my blog at someblog.wordpress.com.”

“Well said! I know exactly what you mean about X, and I’m glad that I’m not the only one who thinks so. I would even say that A, B, C! Your candor is greatly appreciated.”

The second one, of course. Why? For one thing, it follows the etiquette guidelines below. But even more importantly, it was written with the intent to forge a relationship, not to self promote.

Relationship building is a much more effective and rewarding strategy for attracting new visitors to your site than spamming, so if you’re interested in boosting your readership, keep the following tips in mind when you leave comments on others’ posts:

1. Be specific. Personalized comments show authors that you’re genuinely interested in what they have to say, and that you actually took the time to read what they wrote. This doesn’t mean you need to write a long comment, just be sure to articulate why you felt compelled to say something in the first place. Did you learn something new? Did you have a similar experience? Do you want to voice a different perspective? Quote the author directly if you need to clarify what specific sentences you’re responding to.

Even if you simply want to compliment someone’s work, explain what you liked about it. Avoid vague comments like “Awesome! Thanks for sharing.” If you’re not sure what to say, consider using the Like button to show your support.

2. Don’t leave a link to your blog. When you leave a comment on a WordPress.com blog post, your name will automatically link to your blog, so there’s no need to include it twice. (This setting can be found under Users → Personal Settings in your dashboard, in the Account Details section.) Blatant self-promotion is generally frowned upon and is likely to be ignored, so be careful not to tarnish your reputation by creating the perception that you’re a spammer.

Read more from the original source: http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/comment-etiquette/

Thanks

Last of the IPv4 Addresses Allocated

2011-02-03T22:47:00Z

Early this morning, the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) announced that it had been allocated two /8 address blocks from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA ). Those two blocks, 39/8 and 106/8, were the last unallocated blocks in the IANA free pool of IPv4 address available to Regional Internet Registries (RIR). With the allocation, the final days of IPv4 have moved closer as the number of available addresses that can be allocated will dwindle.

Read the Full Story here!

Also check out what some people think about what will happen when there is only IPv6.

IPv4's Last Day: What Will Happen When There Is Only IPv6?

TORONTO -- How will we know when IPv4 address space is all used up? And what will happen when that day comes?

The modern Internet has been built using IPv4 (define), which provides for 4.3 billion address, a supply that could run dry within the next two years. Organizations that allocate IP address space like the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) have attempted to forecast when IPv4 address space will be gone, but it's not an exact science, and there is no precise date to mark on a calendar.

Read Further:

Richard’s Photos of MMS 2007

2011-01-09T22:13:00Z

Photos of MMS 2007

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL