Esxi : Recovering from a bad update : Last known good configuration for vmware

Recovering from a bad update.Press Shift+R at the boot prompt.Esxi should fall back to the last known good state.You have t o be real fast!From GleedESXi is a dual-image hypervisor in that it stores two copies of the ESXi image at any one time.  If you install a patch and something breaks, you can press [Shift+R]  at the boot prompt during boot to have it automatically fall back to the last known good state.Pasted from <http://communities.vmware.com/message/2090467#2090467>...

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convert thick disk to thin using a command line via the vmkfstools on the esxi host

So you have a thick provisioned disk and you want to convert it to a thin provisioned disk.Another issue you have is that you don’t have storage vmotion.Well, what do you do then?Here is out think provisioned diskStep 1: power off you virtual machine.Step 2: ssh in to the esxi host.Step 3: go to the directory where you have your vmdk diskStep 4:  convert the thick disk to think using this commandvmkfstools -i SERVERNAME.vmdk -d thin...

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Setup NTP for your ESXi host

Go to esxi configuration tabGo down to the time configuration tabClick propertiesWhen the time configuration box opens click OptionsWhen the NTP daemon options shows up click on  NTP settingsAdd your NTP server Check the restart NTP service when you are finished.     &nb...

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Boot virtual machine from ISO : tips on if you are having trouble :: set bios boot delay

If you have problems booting from an ISO or installing form and ISO here are some tips.Settings for deploying ISO:EDIT the vm settingsClick  OptionsGo to Boot optionsChange Boot on Power Delay to 9000. This is so you get a 9 second delay in the boot. You can increase it more if you need more time.Click OK .Start your VMPress escape to enter the boot menuNow attach your CD ISOClick the cd drive and "connect to iso image on the local disk"Then...

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Best practices for using VMware Converter : Checklist

This is my checklist for conversions of windows operation systems, along with best practices.Its not a direct 1,2,3 step because some things are assumed known.Conversion Preparation : Windows OS and applicationsWindows operating system: Recommended  perform a hot migration with VMware Converter installed locally. Domain controller :: not recommend  virtualizing : build a new one from scratch Database server:  Exchange, SQL, etc : Stop application (Microsoft Exchange/SQL) and database services ...

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Iometer test of USB flash drive connected to a Vmware virtual machine

Reason for these test:I wanted to see if adding a usb device has speed differences if a usb device is connected to a vm from the host directly or from a client pc.Drive: Nano Pro 4gb flash drive by ImationWhere to get iometer:  sourceforge.net/projects/iometer/Go to Greg Porter's site if you don’t know how to setup iometer: http://greg.porter.name/wiki/HowTo:iometerTest 1 Test name: Usb connected to vm via vpshere client. Usb location: Usb drive on client. notes: 1GB connection between client and host....

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Can you storage vmotion (svmotion) your virutalized vcenter server?

Being that vcenter is just another virtual guest os, there isn't any limitation documented that says vcenter itself cannot be moved via storage vmotion.Someone seemed to have a problem doing so.This is a proof of concept that it is doiable.I believe they have other underlying issues.Vcenter server is on  250Stor02Moving to 250stor01Looks like the storage vmotion of the vcenter server worked fine…If there are problems it is most likely...

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vCenter and Hosts Disconnected -- Reason: Cannot verify the SSL thumbprint

Just saw this over on the forums, but if your hosts are getting this error:Cannot syncronize the host <hostname.fqdn>, Reason: Cannot verify the SSL Thumbprintyou might need to update to  vCenter Server 5.0 Update 1see here: http://www.vmware.com/support/vsphere5/doc/vsp_vc50_u1_rel_notes.html#resolvediss...

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Network configuration not updated in configuration networking / 2 port groups appear for 1 nic

Here we have this server with one nic but two port groups.Here we have the 2 port groups.But there is only 1 nic.  So why is there two network connections/ 2 network labels associated with this?The server had its port group updated from vmnetwork to vmnetwork New.Yet both appear.The reason is that there is a snapshot that has the old port group associated with itIf we look in snapshot manager we will see a snap.Lets remove itBefore Snapshot...

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There are issues communicating with the following vCenter Server(s) : Failure to authenticate with the server

 Getting this error.  Tests 1-3 are vmware suggested, the rest are from me, the last one is from searching.http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2004720CauseThis issue may occur as a result of an incorrect name resolution, or if an nslookup results in an error for one of the vCenter Server's Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).ResolutionSteps To resolve this issue:Verify...

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"The Fully Qualified Domain Name cannot be resolved. If you continue the installation, some features might not work correctly." when installing vsphere vcenter

When I was installing vpshere vcenter  on one of my boxes I got this error"The Fully Qualified Domain Name cannot be resolved. If you continue the installation, some features might not work correctly."I know the server was found in DNS by checking nslookupI turned off firewall too just in case.Still the same error.Then I found this article by vmadmin, aka Andy BarnesI didn’t have a reverse DNS pointer for the machineSo I added it.No...

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Notes: Linked-mode vsphere vcenter pre-requisites quick checklist

Vsphere 5 cannot mix with previous versionsAll the vpshere servers must be part of a domain.vCenter Server instances in a Linked Mode group can be in different domains if the domains have a two-way trust relationship. Each domain must trust the other domains on which vCenter Server instances are installed.To join a Linked Mode group the vCenter Server must be in evaluation mode or licensed as a Standard edition.  DNS must be operational for Linked Mode replication to work.All vCenter Server instances ...

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What to the DCUI console logs show

The DCUI is made of these logsSyslog.logVmkernal.logConfig  ((sysboot.log))Management Agent (hostd.log)Virutalcenter agent (vpxa.log)Vmware esxi observation log (vobd)Syslog.log     Management service initialization, watchdogs, scheduled tasks and DCUI use.Check to see what happens in the console.Check scheduled tasks,vmware-watchdog: watches over hostd and restarts it if things go wrong.Also viewable as https:// [ YOURESXhostIP] /host/syslog.logVmkernal.logCore VMkernel logs, including device discovery,...

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Browsing Vmware logs in the DCUI (view esxi logs via console)

Why would you view your logs in the console?Well sometimes it's the only place that is accessible if there is an error.Go to your DCUI , which is the console, and logonYou will have to press F2 to get this Go down to view system logs On the right side you will see the different logs you can browse.The logs you can choose:Syslog.logVmkernal.logConfig.logManagement Agent (hostd.log)Virutalcenter agent (vpxa.log)Vmware esxi observation...

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