VMware: Install PowerCLI
KB ID 0001606 Problem There was a time you had to go to VMware and download PowerCLI then install it, that’s no longer the case, any machine with a, (reasonably new) version of PowerShell can simply pull the commandlets down from a repository and you are ready to go. Solution Firstly if you have the ‘old version’ of PowerCLI you can uninstall it from Add/Remove programs (appwiz.exe). Before installing, you need to be...
VMware vSphere – How to Import and Export OVF and OVA Files
KB ID 0000562 Problem I prefer to think of OVF Templates as “Zip” files for Virtual Machines and Virtual Appliances. Where as the OVA file is the complete appliance pre packaged. There are two things you will want to do with an OVF Template; 1. Export a VM to an OVF Template 2. Import an OVF Template (Note: VMware call this “Deploy an OVF Template”) Note: There are tools for OVF templates for other VMware...
VMware VIM (vCenter) Where to put the sysprep files in Server 2008?
KB ID 0000420 Problem For newer servers I don’t really use templates anymore, but if you are deploying a lot of 2003 Windows servers in vSphere, then they can save you some time. Back in the days of vCenter 2.5 you just uploaded those sysprep files to the relevant folder in, C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataVmwareVmware Virtual Centersysprep But that location no longer exists (since Server 2008). Solution The...
Windows – Backing up, Transferring, and Restoring Wireless Network Settings
KB ID 0000626 Problem If you have a machine setup and working on your wireless network, sometimes it’s easier to set other machines up by simply migrating the settings. Either because you don’t want your child to try and type in a 64 bit WPA key, or you might simply have forgotten the WEP/WPA key,and don’t want to go through all the hassle of setting it up again. In a small business environment you can give your...
Mapping Printers based on Computer OU (via Script)
KB ID 0000645 Problem Location based printing has long been a pain. In the past I’ve tackled it with Group Policy Preferences, and I’ve even gone ‘old school’ and mapped printers with con2prt. A few months ago I put in a new network at a school, they were using a vbs script to deploy all their classroom printers, and I had a quick (unsuccessful) attempt to do the same. But time was against me and I used GPP...