Hi all,
It has been once again a very long week. And on top of it I am teaching a class next week - the first VAO class. Which I am looking forward to actually but so much to get ready. We need to get this class right so it does the best for customers to learn about VAO.
I have a couple of my own articles to share - including one on cleaning temporary snapshots. I like how that article can be used to solve a few different issues. And I finally got tired of people that only knew to use sysprep with VMware templates so I did an article on using custom specification with deploying vSphere templates. A good article I think that can help if you are not used to using custom spec’s.
The whitepaper I have been working on for quite some time about vRealize Automation and Veeam is now out. You can find it here. The title of it is misleading - the whitepaper doesn’t teach you how to build, but it shows you what is possible when you combine vRealize Automation and Veeam with SovLabs. I wrote it for the managers and directors that are curious about what more automation is like. It is in fact very cool when you see it how it all works.
I also thought I should mention that in this technical whitepaper I talk abut how to use Veeam, and VMware encryption together very effectively. Lots of good info but the title is misleading and you may think it only does VMware Encryption. I have seen questions lately that are answered in this doc. So if you want to learn more this doc will help!
The Microsoft KB article (KB4077525) that had some great ReFS fixes in it had some problems and was pulled. I did not know that but heard recently via a tweet from my boss. The patch - still with the ReFS fixes in it - has been released again as KB4098787.
I have a variety of things to share, and less time than normal so lets get started!
Have a great week everyone!
Michael
vExpert 2018 Announcement
You can see the announcement here. I am very proud and happy to share that I too am part of it for the fifth year. Thanks very much to Cory and team, the amount of work they have to do is legion. And with a new website for it I think the work is even more.
RUSH POST: Microsoft Convenience Update, KB4088875 and KB4088878 vNIC Incompatibilities
In this VMware article they talk about the issue in Win2K8 where you may lose your vNIC after installing these updates. The article provides some background but also a link to the MS article that has a VB script that will fix the issue. I have not tested it mind you.
Missing NSX vdrPort and Auto Deploy
In this important article you can learn about an interesting problem - which I think more than a few people will run into. It has the background info that is good to know as well as a good workaround. So if you have Auto Deploy and NSX you really need to read and understand so that you know what to do when things don’t work.
Doing maintenance on a Two-Node (Direct Connect)
Duncan talks about and explains nicely an odd circumstance that a customer came into unexpectedly. He also mentions that this issue will be addressed in the future, but also a way to avoid it now. Nice info!
Announcing the vSphere 6.5 Update 1 Security Configuration Guide
Mike has released a new version of the SCG and I just love the direction things are going. More and more secure in vSphere means less for us to change! Really impressed and much appreciated. The reason this has been release for a point release is that there is so much in that point release for security. A good reason to upgrade in fact.
vCenter Server and Platform Services 6.5 Architecture
A nice video of a light-board discussion around vCSA and PSC architecture. Good info! I really like these whiteboards sessions.
vCloud Director 9.1 - Tenant Portal displays “No Datacenters are Available” after upgrade
I talked about the new 9.1 vCD release last weekend but here is an article about an issue that may impact you after an upgrade. Good info but I don’t think it will impact everyone, but certainly a lot of you.
vRealize Automation 7.3.1 now GA
In the release notes I see that there is 73 fixes in this small release. And I have heard that there are some very important updates too. The RN mention that the Production Test Upgrade Assist Tool will test for any configs that will have issues with the upgrade. That sounds interesting. The RN also suggests you look at the Upgrade doc as the upgrade is different than in the past. No idea what that means. Here are the bits. I will not update my lab just yet - need to figure out some things and get some things done.
Managed Service Accounts (GMSA) and vRA
In this article you will learn about how you can use group managed service accounts for vRA. But this is great info. I did know about managed service accounts, but group managed was new too me but also, very cool. I definitely see a use for them.
vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins Info
You can find all you need for vRO plug-ins at this link. Some good info links as well.
Monitoring VMware Horizon with vRealize Operations Manager Part 1
This article will help you install and configure the connection from vROps to Horizon. This is quite useful as the power of monitoring desktops is very important. When a desktop user says things are slow, it is not helpful but using this tool you can investigate much easier.
Horizon 7.3.1 Help Desk Tool, new cool things
I saw this article, and I remember recently mentioning the Help Desk and people not being familiar with it.
Easy Upgrades with Horizon Cloud Service on Microsoft Azure!
If you are using desktops in the Azure cloud there is an interesting upgrade methodology. Learn more about this in this article. There are interesting pros and cons using SaaS.
Storage Field Day 15
Lots of good info can be found from the videos of SFD, and even some entertainment too! See the list here.
vExpert perk - Login VSI VIP Program
You can learn more about this interesting vExpert perk in this article. These guys have some very interesting and useful tools. I would love to find some time to play!
vExpert perk - Ravello Free Lab Service for 2018 vExperts
You can learn more about this very nice perk in this article. Ravello has come a long way, and it is quite impressive.
vExpert perk - overview
You can get a good overview of the resources and benefits of the vExpert program at this page.
Software-Defined-Storage Architectures, a gift that keeps on giving! PostgresSQL and Datrium.
Andre has an interesting article about how much more performance is coming in the next release of Datrium. And with only changing the software he proves it nicely. So the gift that keeps on giving is pretty cool and accurate too.
Automating Windows as a Service
This very long, and deep article is interesting about Windows as a Service. Good background for a Professional Services person who deals with a lot of customers.
Thunderbolt to 10 GbE Network adapters for ESXi
William has an article that talks about some new 10 GbE adapters that can be use with Mac Mini’s and ESXi. Great info for home labs.
China ALTERED its public vuln database to conceal spy agency tinkering - research
Some interesting reading, but not really that surprising. China is a very interesting, and very different place. I have visited and worked there and I like it a lot but I can see all the differences which most visitors don’t always see. This article sort of illuminates some of the differences. Like the Great (fire)Wall does too.
How ransomware variants are neutralizing data backups
In this article it talks about how some ransomware is actually attacking backup files. This article is much nicer to read if you are using Reader View in Safari as it gets rid of all the crap. I do believe that you need to really practice defense in depth more now than ever and protect your backups nicely too. I have more info on that here. And if you protect yourself well, and keep an eye on your environment well, that means if - or when - you have an issue with ransomware you can not pay, and recover from it.
Why Server ASPs are Rising the 2017 - 2018 DDR4 DRAM Shortage
You can learn more about what you already know - memory is getting much more expensive.
Introducing the 1U Supermicro SuperServer SYS-E300-9D featuring the new Intel Xeon D-2100, the only somewhat home lab friendly system announced
Paul talks about some new hardware - which I agree - is only somewhat friendly for home labs.
How to not run a CA
Mike shared this article with the world, and wow, what a great example of how to not do things.
AI has a Hallucination problem that proving tough to fix
This is a fascinating look into a serious issue that will cause problems for things that I am looking forward to like self-driving cars.
Thanks for reading or skimming this far!
Michael
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Great content as usual Mike! Congrats and thanks for sharing!
Thanks very much, much appreciated to hear that.
Michael