A couple of weeks ago I logged into Adsense and saw this;
‘We’ve detected an error on your IABTC string on one or more of your sites or apps. These errors may affect your ability to serve ads to European users. A detailed report is available for you on the EU user consent page’.
Solution
Well all of that made no sense to me, so I downloaded the report, which is a spreadsheet and it looked like this;
Erm OK, so what’s error 2.1a? well it’s this;
Everything I read didn’t make much sense, and a search of Google revealed a ton of things that made little or no sense to me.
Why Am I Seeing European IAM TC String Errors?
In short: People in Europe are protected by the GDPR. This says, (very basically) that website visitors should be ‘asked’ what their Ad preference, and tracking cookie preferences are, BEFORE the website can show them any ads, or attempt to embed tracking cookies, (like the ones Google uses), on their machines.
This is why you will notice most sites you go to now ask you about cookies and ads the fist time you visit, you generally then tick a box that says ‘accept preferences‘, or ‘that’s fine‘, and you are bothered no more.
So that’s basically the root cause of the problem. Well I run my website on WordPress so “There will be a plugin for that right?” I tried a few and settled on UniConsent CMP. I installed it, and enabled cover for GDPR, (and CCPA compliance).
Note: Sign up for a free licence, then you can manage everything directly at UniConsent.
Extra Tip: Go To Consent Manager Version 2 > Manage > Fill everything in > Enable GDPR (For European Countries) > Enable IAB TCF > Select Pop-up Box > Save and Exit (Top right).
Do You Cache Your Website? If so, don’t forget to ‘flush the caches’ at this point.
So That Fixed It Yes?
Sadly no, but because I now manage my CMP online they have a support/chat feature, and I was asked to do the following;
A third party Ad agency I use has their own CMP I asked them to disable that, which they did, (don’t forget flush the caches again!)
I had some embedded code with my Adsense ads that was calling this script;
I had to remove each instance of that, and put the following code in my websites < HEAD > section; Download Code
Update (28 Oct 2020)
Well my errors came back, The good folks at UniConsent investigated and found out that I was caching, information (Javascript,) that was being called, and so breaking the TCF rules again. I logged a call to the people who provide my WordPress Caching Plugin (WP-Rocket.) Who remoted onto the server, and added the following onto their ‘File optimisation’ Settings;
The Adsense TCF Error Wont Go Away!
That’s because the errors stay on Google Adsense for 7 DAYS, even if you have fixed the errors, you need to wait 7 days for the errors to stop showing!
Which Ad Network Should You Replace Adsense With?
For everyone asking “What ad network did you move to”, then you can message me (link above) and I will let you know. There are some caveats, most of your traffic needs to be EN-US / EN-GB traffic, and you need to have a decent amount of traffic to be considered. If you fall into that category, message me and I will pass on you details to them. (Disclaimer: I get a financial kick back for doing so).
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
Using: vSphere 6.7 and VMware Standalone Converter Version 6.2.0
I’m performing this procedure on vSphere 6.7, back ith the release of vSphere 5, This process changed, with vSphere 4 and VI3, you had to install VMware Converter on the vCenter Server then download and enable the plugin in your VI client software (like this).
VMware now only has the “standalone converter“, so now you DONT install anything on the vCenter server, the converter runs on a client machine/server.
Note: This article is primarily concerned with shrinking guest hard drives, If you want to make your drives larger you can also use this process but the following article will be easier. Resizing Windows Volumes / Drives in VMware vSphere / ESX
Remember you are cloning a machine, don’t have clients writing data to the machine while this is going on, or there is the potential for data to be lost. If possible disable any services that will accept data, e.g. Exchange, SQL, Oracle, etc, prior to cloning.
Licensing: Only really applicable if you’re cloning a physical machine, but make sure you DO NOT have OEM Licensing. Also if you have Windows Storage Server, or Windows Appliance Edition, you should speak to a license specialist.
Installing VMware converter is pretty straightforward, run the install file accept the EULA, select. local installation, and I opt out of the ‘User Experience’, when complete it will open the Converter client by default, (as shown).
When the program opens > Convert machine > Type in the name of the machine you are going to convert, and credentials to logon and install the converter agent > Next.
Type in the name of the machine you are going to convert, and credentials to logon and install the converter agent.
If you’re going to retire the target machine afterwards, this it does not really matter, but I leave it on the defaults > Yes.
5. Now enter the vSphere/ESX target details that you are going to create the cloned copy on. > Next.
Give the new VM a name, select which folder to place the new VM into > Next. (Note: You may get a certificate warning, if so click ignore).
7. Chose a Cluster/Host > Choose which storage to place the files into. > Next.
8. In the ‘Data to Copy’ section > Edit.
9. Here you can select the NEW sizes for the drive(s) on the cloned machine. > Next.
10. Finish.
11. Depending on the size of the VM it can take a while.
12. Now power of the original, and power on the new machine and TEST IT THOROUGHLY, when you are happy you can delete the source machine.
Resizing (Shrinking) Guest Hard Drives in vSphere 4 (and older)
The following procedure was done with VSphere4 but the process is the same in VI3. Before you start ensure that VMware Converter has been installed on the Virtual Center Server.
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
For the first time in ages I’ve been doing a VMware upgrade this week, a client had an MSA P2000 G3 and two G8 DL380 servers running vSphere 5.5. I put in a new 6.5 VCSA, built some new G9 DL380 servers, I noticed that the SAN was presenting five storage LUNs but the new ESX 6.5 servers could only see three of them?
Strangely when I selected the SAS storage controllers they could see all 5 storage LUNs, but the datastores refused to appear.
Solution
I checked that the SAN was not masking the LUN’s (it wasn’t, the default was read/write for everything). I connected to the console and proved the storage could be seen.
[box]
[root@ESX1:~] esxcli storage core path list------output removed for the sake of brevity------
sas.50014380388d8480-sas.d0b8d32406430000-naa.600c0ff00014dfce99cd2d5401000000
UID: sas.50014380388d8480-sas.d0b8d32406430000-naa.600c0ff00014dfce99cd2d5401000000
Runtime Name: vmhba3:C1:T1:L4
Device: naa.600c0ff00014dfce99cd2d5401000000
Device Display Name: HP Serial Attached SCSI Disk (naa.600c0ff00014dfce99cd2d5401000000)
Adapter: vmhba3
Channel: 1
Target: 1
LUN: 4 <-- First missing LUN
Plugin: NMP
State: active
Transport: sas
Adapter Identifier: sas.50014380388d8480
Target Identifier: sas.d0b8d32406430000
Adapter Transport Details: 50014380388d8480
Target Transport Details: d0b8d32406430000
Maximum IO Size: 4194304
sas.50014380388d8480-sas.d0b8d32406430000-naa.600c0ff00014ddb44c57ac5401000000
UID: sas.50014380388d8480-sas.d0b8d32406430000-naa.600c0ff00014ddb44c57ac5401000000
Runtime Name: vmhba3:C1:T1:L5
Device: naa.600c0ff00014ddb44c57ac5401000000
Device Display Name: HP Serial Attached SCSI Disk (naa.600c0ff00014ddb44c57ac5401000000)
Adapter: vmhba3
Channel: 1
Target: 1
LUN: 5 <--Second Missing LUN
Plugin: NMP
State: active
Transport: sas
Adapter Identifier: sas.50014380388d8480
Target Identifier: sas.d0b8d32406430000
Adapter Transport Details: 50014380388d8480
Target Transport Details: d0b8d32406430000
Maximum IO Size: 4194304
------output removed for the sake of brevity------
[/box]
At this point I opened a support call with VMware and started doing other work while I waited for them to ring back. By the following morning I was still waiting, but I had found this article, I had built the new servers with HP Build versions of ESX, but perhaps I just needed to install the HP VAAI Plugin? I was fiddling with this when a nice chap called Supreet rang from VMware. I explained what I was trying to do, and got him WebEx’d on (I try not to waste a ton of time saying I’ve done X,Y, and Z, people do that to me all the time, and it just slows the process down, if anything I’d done was correct, it would have been fixed already!)
He confirmed the hosts were definitely seeing the storage;
Note: The bottom two are the missing ones. Using that information he had a look in the logs.
[box]
[root@ESX1:/var/log] grep -i "542eb3f8-da4ea518-553e-ac162d6f719c" vmkernel.log | less
[root@ESX1:/var/log] grep -i "54ad3e22-b39316bd-3e65-ac162d6f719c" vmkernel.log | less
[/box]
That showed up the following;
[box]
2017-03-20T16:23:16.754Z cpu15:68106)WARNING: HBX: 2354: Failed to initialize VMFS distributed locking on volume 542eb3f8-da4ea518-553e-ac162d6f719c: Not supported
2017-03-20T16:23:16.754Z cpu15:68106)Vol3: 3090: Failed to get object 28 type 1 uuid 542eb3f8-da4ea518-553e-ac162d6f719c FD 0 gen 0 :Not supported
2017-03-20T16:23:16.754Z cpu15:68106)Vol3: 3090: Failed to get object 28 type 2 uuid 542eb3f8-da4ea518-553e-ac162d6f719c FD 4 gen 1 :Not supported
2017-03-20T16:23:16.896Z cpu15:68106)WARNING: HBX: 2354: Failed to initialize VMFS distributed locking on volume 542eb3f8-da4ea518-553e-ac162d6f719c: Not supported
2017-03-20T16:23:16.896Z cpu15:68106)Vol3: 3090: Failed to get object 28 type 1 uuid 542eb3f8-da4ea518-553e-ac162d6f719c FD 0 gen 0 :Not supported
2017-03-20T16:23:16.896Z cpu15:68106)Vol3: 3090: Failed to get object 28 type 2 uuid 542eb3f8-da4ea518-553e-ac162d6f719c FD 4 gen 1 :Not supported
2017-03-20T16:23:16.675Z cpu15:68106)WARNING: HBX: 2354: Failed to initialize VMFS distributed locking on volume 54ad3e22-b39316bd-3e65-ac162d6f719c: Not supported
2017-03-20T16:23:16.675Z cpu15:68106)Vol3: 3090: Failed to get object 28 type 1 uuid 54ad3e22-b39316bd-3e65-ac162d6f719c FD 0 gen 0 :Not supported
2017-03-20T16:23:16.675Z cpu15:68106)Vol3: 3090: Failed to get object 28 type 2 uuid 54ad3e22-b39316bd-3e65-ac162d6f719c FD 4 gen 1 :Not supported
2017-03-20T16:23:16.910Z cpu15:68106)WARNING: HBX: 2354: Failed to initialize VMFS distributed locking on volume 54ad3e22-b39316bd-3e65-ac162d6f719c: Not supported
2017-03-20T16:23:16.910Z cpu15:68106)Vol3: 3090: Failed to get object 28 type 1 uuid 54ad3e22-b39316bd-3e65-ac162d6f719c FD 0 gen 0 :Not supported
2017-03-20T16:23:16.910Z cpu15:68106)Vol3: 3090: Failed to get object 28 type 2 uuid 54ad3e22-b39316bd-3e65-ac162d6f719c FD 4 gen 1 :Not supported
[/box]
That pointed him towards the VAAI, (perhaps the stuff I’d been reading, had me on the right track?)
[box]
[root@ESX1:/var/log] esxcli storage core device vaai status get
naa.600c0ff00014ddb44c57ac5401000000
VAAI Plugin Name:
ATS Status: unsupported
Clone Status: unsupported
Zero Status: supported
Delete Status: unsupported
naa.600c0ff00014dfce99cd2d5401000000
VAAI Plugin Name:
ATS Status: unsupported
Clone Status: unsupported
Zero Status: supported
Delete Status: unsupported
------output removed for the sake of brevity------
[/box]
Note the difference, the following is on the older servers that were working fine;
At this point, I piped up about the VAAI stuff I’d been reading, and told them that I’d download the VIB, and it was already on the offending server.
So they installed it and rebooted the server, (there were no running VMs on the new box).
I waited with bated breath, and it didn’t fix it 🙁 It was at this point that they gave me the bad news, HP P2000 G3 is not supported on ESX 6.5, (In fact its not supported on 6.0 either!)
Well I suppose that’s an answer, but not the one I wanted! I downgraded the hosts to 5.5U3a Same Problem! So I downgraded them to 5.0.0, then they wouldn’t boot, (error indicate unsupported hardware). So I set about upgrading them to 5.5U2, (to be on the safe side).
Also while this was going on, I updated the firmware on the SAN controllers;
Thankfully this time the servers booted up fine, and saw the storage and mounted all the datastores.
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
The ability to administer vCenter via a web browser is nothing new, vCenter has had a web console in previous versions.
vCenter vSphere 4 Web Client (Web Access)
The version with vSphere 5 is much more feature rich. Like the VMware vSphere client it talks directly to the vCenter vSphere API, but unlike previous web access, the component needs to be installed and configured before you can use it.
What the Web Client Can Do
1. Connect to a vSphere vCenter server.
2. Can be used on non Windows machines (VI Client is Windows only).
3. Deploy Virtual Machines (Including deployment from Templates).
Prerequisite: The vCenter server needs to have Adobe Flash installing on it to access the management console.
1. From the vCenter Installer media select “VMware vSphere Web Client (Server) > Install > Follow the on screen prompts.
2. Accept all the defaults, note the secure port number we will be using that later (TCP Port 9443).
3. Once installed > On the vCenter server itself open a browser window > navigate to > https://{servername}:9443/admin-app > Select “Register vCenter Server”.
vSphere Web Client Supported Browsers: Internet Explorer (7 or newer) and Firefox (3.5 or newer), I’ve tried Chrome, it works, but some functionality is lost. (anything that requires the plug in i.e. console connections).
4. Enter the details for the vCenter server > Take note of the URL for your client to access (https://{servername}:9443/vsphere-client) > Register.
5. You will probably be using self signed certificates to tick the box and select “Ignore”.
6. That’s the server configured and ready to go.
Step 2 – Access the vCenter from web client
1. Open a browser window and navigate to https://{servername}:9443/vsphere-client> You may receive a warning about the certificate (because it’s self signed) click to continue > Enter your credentials > Login.
2. The first time you connect it launches the welcome splash screen > tick “Do not show..” and close the window. (Note you can launch it again from the help menu).
Note: If you see this error:
Connection Error
Unable to connect to vCenter Inventory Service –
https://{servername}:10443
Check on the vCenter server to make sure this service is running.
3. You should then be connected, and be able to browse your virtual infrastructure.
4. You can “console” onto your VM’s (Note: will need a plug in installing your browser will prompt you to accept/install).
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
Mostly my conversion to Windows 8 has been pretty painless, the only thing that wont work is the VMware VI client cant open a console session to the VMs on my ESX server.
Error
The VMRC console has disconencted…attempting to reconnect
This happens because the IE10 that comes with Windows 8 does NOT LIKE the requests the VI client is sending to the Internet Explorer plug-in.
Update 08/03/13 – This problem has now been fixed! Download the latest 5.1 version of the VI client. (see screenshot).
Solution
Work-Around 1 Use VMware workstation (Note: scroll down for a permanent fix)
Until either Microsoft or VMware change something then we are stuck! however there is a work around. if you have VMware Workstation (download the trial it will keep you ticking over till the problem is fixed!).
1. Launch VMware workstation > File > Connect to Server > Enter your ESX/vCenter server details > Connect.
Note: You may need to accept the certificate warning if you are using self signed certificates.
2. Now you can open a console session to your virtual machines.
Work-Around 2 Use VMware Guest Console
Download and run VMware Guest Console > Connect to to a host or vCenter, and you can access the guest machines consoles from there.
Permanent Fix
Sorry, the only way to fix this (at time of writing) is to upgrade to vSphere 5.1 AND install the 5.1 version of the vSphere client. (You can’t point the 5.1 client at a 5.0 host, it automatically launches the 5.0 version of the VI client).
Note: You will need to update vCenter to 5.1 as well for that to work!
Problem Resolved
Update to the latest VI client, and the problem will cease.
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
While working on the vSphere Web Client in Google Chrome, I was unable to ‘Open Console’, the option was on the right click menu, but disappeared and was then greyed out after a second or so.
Essentially this happens because the plug-in has either not been installed, (from the login page) or a pop-up blocker is stopping the plug-in working.
Solution
1. With Chrome there’s an extra hoop to jump though, the plug-in uses NPAPI, and Chrome disabled that beginning with version 42. To enable it open a new tab and navigate to;
1. I’ve seen some posts indicating that this can be caused by the version of Java that’s installed, however in my case that was NOT the problem.
2. Connect to the ASDM of the ASA firewall > Configuration > Clientless SSLVPN Access > Portal > Client Server Plug-ins. Ensure your RDP plug in is up to date, download and import the latest one (Cisco CCO account and valid support agreement required).
Note: At time of writing the latest is rdp2-plugin.090211.jar (released 14/08/09).
3. Ensure that the bookmark you are using is set to use rdp2 (not rdp). Under Portal > Bookmarks > Your bookmark list > Edit.
