- Blind-sysadmins - lists.hodgsonfamily.org

vista, jfw, and vmware server
by Dave 16 Sep '08

16 Sep '08

Hello, Is anyone running this combo? I've got an xp host which is running the latest version of vmware server 1.07 and windows vista ultimate with sp1. The vista vm seemed stable until i put jfw 9.0.2169 on it. Now whenever i try to do something with jfw, the system blue screens on me and crashes. I'm suspecting this has something to do with either the video intercept, vista complained that that publisher could not be verified or that there's a vista theme or display setting that needs to be changed. The machine is running with whatever the default theme is. Any help appreciated. Thanks. Dave.

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custom administrative office installation
by john coley 16 Sep '08

16 Sep '08

Hi everybody, could I do a custom administrative installation of Microsoft Word? Of the applications in the office suite I only use word, but when I tried to do a custom administrative installation it didn't give me the option, as it had when I did a standard installation. All I got was the install button. Hope someone can help, John.

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Vmware - copy an image to a safe place
by Andrew Hodgson 11 Sep '08

11 Sep '08

Hi, I am doing well with my Vmware training system which I am working on, I have several web and database servers now set up. I want to copy all these server images to a safe place, but what is the best way to do this? I am on the starter edition of ESX with the Vmware client and nothing else. Thanks. Andrew. -- allpay.net Limited, Fortis et Fides, Whitestone Business Park, Whitestone, Hereford, HR1 3SE. Registered in England No. 02933191. UK VAT Reg. No. 666 9148 88. Telephone: 0870 243 3434, Fax: 0870 243 6041. Website: www.allpay.net Email: enquiries(a)allpay.net This email, and any files transmitted with it, is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the allpay.net Information Security Manager at the number above.

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FW: looks like we're getting a SAN
by Andrew Hodgson 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

From: Ryan Shugart [mailto:rshugart@pcisys.net] Sent: 08 September 2008 16:45 To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: looks like we're getting a SAN Hey all: A while ago there were a few people asking about SAN and storage products. At the time I had mentioned my company was looking at going with SanMelody. We've decided not to go that route afterall, not that there's anything wrong with SanMelody, we've just found something that might meet our needs even better. We're still waiting for upper management approval, but it looks like we're going with the Storage Director Z300 from PogoLinux http://www.pogolinux.com/bomquotes/webbom?system=133 It seems like a pretty neat device, the underlying storage technology is Sun's ZFS, and as a result there is no hardware RAID on the box. I don't know too much about ZFS yet, but I'm made to understand ZFS handles the RAID on its own without any hardware controllers. We'll be using this device as an ISCSI target mainly for our ESX servers, but also our SQL server and a couple other Windows Server 2003 machines. I've been able to play with the interface and its very accessible. In adition to the web interface, there are two command lines, one provided by the appliance's OS and a regular Unix BASH shell. And the price is right too, we're getting a 9TB unit and full onsite support for under $13000. From what I've seen you can't beat that in the SAN world. I'll let you know how this works once we get the unit installed, but in the mean time I wanted to point anyone looking for cheap storage this way as something to think about. Ryan

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Question
by Bobo, Greg 08 Sep '08

08 Sep '08

Hello Everyone, Have any of you come across a call center product called Salesforce? It is a totally web based hosted product and I was just informed that the company where I am is going to start using it. Of course my being able to access it was the last thought on their minds. Thanks, Greg B. Greg L. Bobo Customer Service Matrix Systems, Inc. 7550 Paragon Rd. Dayton, OH 45459 937.438.9033 x2228 office 937.438.0900 fax www.matrixsys.com <http://www.matrixsys.com>

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FW: Remote users/remote sites
by Andrew Hodgson 07 Sep '08

07 Sep '08

Hi, Originally sent to the bounc address. Andrew. -----Original Message----- From: David Edick [mailto:mdedick@yahoo.com] Sent: 05 September 2008 20:22 To: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org Subject: Remote users/remote sites Hello, I am setting up a server running server2003 for a business which needs remote access to their server. The small number of people need to access quickbooks on this same system. They are potentially at different locations using XP to log in remotely with remote desktop? Stage 2 will be putting local systems at the second location. Will this even work? At both locations they have Comcast business cable static IP optional with the fastest speed of 8/1mbps. Should we use a second server with replication or should they just log in to the remote with VPN? What are ideas? /David C:Vista! C:Vista run? C:Vista crawl!!!

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vmware server and accessing shares on a host
by Dave 06 Sep '08

06 Sep '08

Hello, I've got vmware server running on an xp professional machine. One of my vm's is also running xp professional, it's in bridged networking mode. >From the vm when i atempt to access the network fileserver as in \\servername i am immediately prompted for authentication credentials and all is good. I've got a share on the host system as \\hostsystem\share for illustrative purposes and i atempt to access it via unc naming as i do with the network fileserver. Unlike the network fileserver access is not prompted for quickly, it takes almost a minute before i am asked for login information. Any additional information needed let me know, any suggestions appreciated. Thanks. Dave.

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vnc and jfw?
by Dave 06 Sep '08

06 Sep '08

Hello, Does anyone know if vnc specifically realvnc server v4.1 will work with jfw9? Thanks. Dave.

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driver path
by john coley 06 Sep '08

06 Sep '08

Hi everybody, could someone enlighten me? I have in the root of my cd project an $OEM$ folder, inside that a $1 folder, inside that the install folder, and inside that my drivers folder. In the oem driver path statement in the winnt.sif from JFWLitethe path is as follows: OEMPnPDriversPath="install\drivers" Should the path not include the previous two folders, $OEM$ and $1? OEMPnPDriversPath="$OEM$\$1\install\drivers" The same applies to programs I want to add, jaws for instance. Hope someone can help, Thanks, John.

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update on unattended xp project
by john coley 06 Sep '08

06 Sep '08

Hi everybody, step 1 in the project, a perfect unattended install of xp pro is done and works faultlessly. For testing i'm using an old Dell a friend was going to throw out. It's slow, but otherwise is excellent for the job, as it's only got a 20-gig drive, so it takes no time formatting. I have one question re the formatting phase of the unattended install. It would seem only to do a quick format, not a full format. Is there a switch i can add to my winnt.sif to get it to do a full format? In most circumstances it wouldn't matter, but in the event of a virus or other nasty would a quick format be enough? I'm really over the moon about the results so far. It may be only a small thing to some, but to me it spells freedom, no longer having to be beholden to sighted friends to help me install windows. Here's hoping that the next step in the project, adding programs and drivers goes as well. Thanks to those who helped me do this, John.

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file system setting on unattended xp cd
by john coley 05 Sep '08

05 Sep '08

Hi everybody, what is the difference between iso 9660 only and iso 9660 + joliet. All info sources I've checked out say file system should be set to iso 9660, but when I listened to a rick harmon unattended xp creation podcast he said to use iso 9660 + joliet. I thought joliet was just a file naming convention. If I use iso 9660 only will it not work? Hope someone can help, John.

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useful winnt.sif reference
by john coley 05 Sep '08

05 Sep '08

Hi everybody, while researching this evening I found a very useful winnt.sif reference. Although many on this list may not need it it occurred to me that there may be some for whom it will be very helpful, as it was to me. I've pasted it below. John. » [Data] AutoPartition=0 If you have the selection on 1 then Windows Setup will install the OS on any free partition that is available. If you remove this line or if you put AutoPartition=0 then setup will ask you on which partition you wish to install Windows onto and advises you what to do if your partition already contains an OS. MsDosInitiated = "0" If this setting is on "0" it will inform Setup that you are installing from CD, put a value of 1 if you use only diskettes to boot. UnattendedInstall = "Yes" If "Yes" is input, this will tell Setup you are running an installation of the Unattended type. AutomaticUpdates=yes This entry tells Setup to skip the Help Protect Your PC page that appears when setup is finished. (New in SP2). ^Back to Top » [Unattended] UnattendMode=FullUnattended Setting this option to FullUnattended will perform a fully unattended install, which uses the winnt.sif answer file to answer all the Setup questions, you will have no option to change these answers during setup. Other values can be found in the Ref.chm file that was mentioned on the Creating an Answer File page. OemSkipEula=Yes Setting this option to Yes will skip the EULA screen which you already read when you used Setup Manager. Setting this option to No will mean you have to press F8 on the keyboard to accept the license during text-mode Setup. OemPreinstall=Yes This option is default to No but if you are using the $OEM$ Distribution Folders then it needs to be set to Yes, so that Setup regards this installation as a distribution and copies these files over to the system drive. This occurs at the end of Text-mode Setup. Having OemPreinstall set to Yes will also prevent you from loading RAID/SATA drivers from a floppy disc during textmode setup. The only workaround for that problem is to directly integrate the drivers into the CD, as described here. TargetPath=\WINDOWS This option tells Setup the directory path that Windows should install to. Repartition=No Specifies whether to delete all partitions on the first drive of the client computer and to reformat the drive with the NTFS file system automatically. FileSystem=* If you prefer to manually choose a partition during text-mode setup with full control on choice of filesystem, add this entry to your winnt.sif file. UnattendSwitch="yes" Specifies whether Setup skips Windows Welcome or Mini-Setup when preinstalling Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional using the CD Boot method. Set this to yes to skip the "Setting Up Internet Connection" and "Create User Accounts" screens. WaitForReboot="No" Specifies whether the computer waits 15 seconds after GUI-mode Setup finishes. Choosing No will disable the 15 second wait. OemPnPDriversPath="Drivers\Catalyst3_6\2KXP_INF;Drivers\asus\sound\" This is where you can tell Setup to search your updated drivers directories to find a better match than what's in the existing drivers.cab on the XP CD. If it finds a better match it will install those instead. More is explained on the Drivers page. DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore This will force Setup to install drivers that may not be WHQL certified. This is used in conjunction with OemPnPDriversPath. AutoActivate = Yes This will auto-activate your copy of Windows XP. To automatically activate Windows XP, you must first establish an Internet connection. Please make sure your ProductKey is valid under [UserData] ProgramFilesDir="C:\My Program Files" You can change the default location of Program Files using this entry. Replace the drive letter and folder name as appropriate. CommonProgramFilesDir="C:\My Program Files\My Common Files" You can change the default location of Common Files in Program Files using this entry. Replace the drive letter and folder names as appropriate. KeyboardLayout="United Kingdom" By setting your Keyboard Layout, this prevents the Language icon appearing on the taskbar when you've logged on. A full list of values can be found here. ^Back to Top » [GuiUnattended] AdminPassword=YourPassword This option sets the Administrator password for the Admin account in Windows XP. Setting this option to * means a blank password will be set. EncryptedAdminPassword=Yes This option tells Setup if your password is Encrypted or Not, Yes will tell setup it is encrypted and No will tell setup it is not. If you have no Admin password this option should be set to No. Setup Manager will also encrypt the password for you in your winnt.sif answer file if you chose to. OEMSkipRegional=0 This option when set to 0 will show the regional screen, if set to 1 then it will skip the screen. TimeZone=85 This option is tells Setup what timezone to choose, eg. GMT Meantime is 85. Each timezone has a different value - a full listing of these timezone values can be found in ref.chm in the Deployment Tools. OemSkipWelcome=0 This option should be set to 0 if you have OemPreinstall from above on No, If OemPreinstall is on Yes then this option should be set to 1, not doing so will halt the OEM process! When set to 0 this tells Setup not to display the welcome screen during the GUI-mode of Windows Setup (Note: This is not the same as "Windows Welcome" where you set a username for your new account when Setup finishes) ProfilesDir="C:\Documents and Settings\" You can change the default location of Documents and Settings using this entry. DetachedProgram="%systemdrive%\install\batch.cmd" Using this entry will launch this SINGLE line at T-39 before Drivers have begun to install. Many users use this to extract a driver package to save space on their CD. Arguments="/s" This line accompanies DetachedProgram to pass the command in it parameters, such a a silent switch or similar. ^Back to Top » [Display] BitsPerPel=32 This option sets the color quality in bits. Available values are: 32, 24, 16, and 8 (that's 256 colors!) Xresolution=1024 This options sets the screen resolution that windows will start up in by default. This setting is the X size. Yresolution=768 This options sets the screen resolution that windows will start up in by default. This setting is the Y size. Vrefresh=85 This options sets the display's refresh rate. Make sure you do not exceed a number considered unsafe beyond your monitor's specification, doing so may result in damaging your monitor. AutoConfirm=1 This will disable the really annoying box the appears upon first logon if the resolution wasn't properly set. It's the popup that says your current resolution isn't correct for Windows XP. ^Back to Top » [UserData] ProductKey=xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx This option is where you enter your cd-key for Setup to use. FullName="Insert Name" This option is where you can specify your own name, this is displayed under "Registered to:" in Windows XP's System Properties. OrgName="Insert Organisation Name" This option is where you can specify your organisation name, this is also displayed under "Registered to:" in Windows XP's System Properties. ComputerName=Insert Name This option is where you can specify a name for your Computer, which is used system and network-wide. This is displayed in the Computer Name tab in Windows XP's System Properties. ^Back to Top » [TapiLocation] CountryCode=44 This is the option where you can specify your country code. For the UK its 44. Please refer to the ref.chm file in the Deployment Tools to get the correct values for other countries. AreaCode=07 This is the option where you can specify your area code. For Queensland, in Australia, it's 07. This is generally the first two digits of your phone number (in Australia at least). Dialing=Tone This option sets the type of phone line you have. Available values are Tone, and Pulse ^Back to Top » [RegionalSettings] LanguageGroup=1 This option sets the language group of your installation. Please refer to the ref.chm file in the Deployment Tools for more information. Language=00000809 This option sets the language of your installation. Please refer to the ref.chm file in the Deployment Tools for more information. 00000809 is for the UK ^Back to Top » [Identification] JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP This option is specifies what workgroup you wish to join. If you don't use a network, then you can leave this part alone. ^Back to Top » [Networking] InstallDefaultComponents=Yes This option tells Setup if you want to install the default components for networking. If you select Yes then the default will be installed, If you select No then you can specify what protocols, services and clients to install and what not to. The best way to configure this is via Setup Manager (setupmgr.exe) ^Back to Top » [Components] msmsgs=off This option tells Setup not to install Windows Messenger 4.6 msnexplr=off This option tells Setup not to install MSN Explorer 7. freecell=off This option tells Setup not to install the FreeCell game. hearts=off This option tells Setup not to install the Hearts game. minesweeper=off This option tells Setup not to install the Minesweeper game. pinball=off This option tells Setup not to install the Pinball game. solitaire=off This option tells Setup not to install the Solitaire game. spider=off This option tells Setup not to install the Spider Solitaire Game. zonegames=off This option tells Setup not to install the MSN Zone Games. For a full list of components, you can view them here

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List downtime tomorrow
by Andrew Hodgson 31 Aug '08

31 Aug '08

Hi, Just to say that this list will not be accepting emails tomorrow - the web interface will still work however. This is due to the fact that the room in which my kit is in currently is due for some decoration tomorrow. If you send an email to the list it will be queued at your server for delivery when our system is back online. Sorry for any inconvenience caused, Andrew.

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jfw9 and disk management
by Dave 26 Aug '08

26 Aug '08

Hello, I'm using jfw9 on a 2000 and/or xp and/or 2003 virtual machine, in any case i need to use the disk management applet under administrative tools. Thus far i've not found this applet particularly accessible, does anyone have a solution for this? Thanks. Dave.

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installing exchange 2003 with jfw
by Philip 19 Aug '08

19 Aug '08

Hi. I am attempting to installing exchange 2003 under windows 2003 using jfw 9. I can get to the part of the wizard where I must select the connectors to install. Does anyone know how to select or unselect items, such as the exchange 5.5 admin stuff or the novell stuff using jfw? I can left or right click on items in the list, but nothing seems to change. is it possible, or must I resort to getting someone to use the dreaded mouse to select what I want. Many thanks Phil

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help with winnt.sif for unattended install
by john coley 18 Aug '08

18 Aug '08

Hi again everybody, since my post on this subject yesterday I've incorporated drivers using NLite and have further tweaked the winnt.sif. I've pasted below the first part of the current version of my winnt.sif. Could someone in the know have a look at it please and let me know if it looks ok? I've noticed that since incorporating the drivers a couple of lines have been inserted. As I'm not an NLite guru I may have missed out something, or selected something I shouldn't have. As I said in my last post I need to make sure it will only format the c partition, and not the d partition. On the subject of drivers there were two options, text mode and regular pnp. I set it to regular pnp. Was that right? How would I know which to choose? My next question, given that the winnt.sif is ok is arguably, for a blind person the most important, regarding a working sound device, one that will work as soon as windows installs. Although I can incorporate drivers with NLite a lot, if not all sound cards require you to run a setup before the sound card will work. Does anyone know of either a way I can incorporate the setup for my sound card in my winnt.sif, or alternatively know of a sound card, preferably a usb one, that windows xp pro will recognize automatically, or one that only requires a driver. Sorry about all the questions, but I really want to get this unattended thing cracked. All help will be greatly appreciated, John. ;SetupMgrTag [Data] autoPartition=1 MsDosInitiated="0" UnattendedInstall="Yes" [Unattended] UnattendMode=FullUnattended OemSkipEula=Yes OemPreinstall=Yes NoWaitAfterTextMode=0 NoWaitAfterGUIMode=1 DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore NonDriverSigningPolicy=Ignore FileSystem=NTFS ExtendOEMPartition=1 Repartition=Yes ConfirmHardware=no KeyboardLayout=Uk TargetPath=\WINDOWS [GuiUnattended] AdminPassword=* EncryptedAdminPassword=NO OEMSkipRegional=1 TimeZone=85 OemSkipWelcome=1

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ghost solutions suite commandline switches
by Dave 18 Aug '08

18 Aug '08

Hello, Does anyone use ghost solutions suite i believe the version of ghost used is 11.0, for imaging? I did this, whereby i would make a machine, and then use a batch file and image it to a network share, i did this in in think it was v5.1 ghost to like 9.0, but am not sure if the switches for automated cloning are still the same, nor do i have the batch file i originally used. I'm wondering if anyone does have one? Ideally i'd like to incorporate it in to the ghost boot wizard, drop the CD in, and when the rom stops spinning i'm prompted for actions, like load or dump a disk or partition, and depending on keystrokes i enter would fill in the ghost commandline, do the imaging, and exit. Thanks. Dave.

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Re: [Blind-sysadmins] vmware (was: buying documentation)
by Ryan Shugart 15 Aug '08

15 Aug '08

Hi No, you don't need a 2 cpu machine to run ESX, but I'd never run with 1 CPU in production, as you won't be able to use many VMs. For testing, and for learning about the product, you should be fine though. Hope this helps. Ryan -----Original Message----- From: "John Heim" <jheim(a)math.wisc.edu> To: "Blind sysadmins list" <blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 8/15/2008 8:54 AM Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] vmware (was: buying documentation) Well, this may be a stupid question but do I really need at least 2 processors to run esx? I installed it on a machine with a single cpu . It installed okay but I haven't tried to config a virtual machine yet. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ryan Shugart" <rshugart(a)pcisys.net> To: "Blind sysadmins list" <blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 8:27 PM Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] vmware (was: buying documentation) > Hi John: > I actually configured VMWare ESX to work with an ISCSI array just > last week. Actually, understanding the principles of ISCSI is harder than > getting VMWare to work with it, and speaking as someone who'd never worked > with ISCSI before I had it up and running inside of 4 hours, including > setting up the ISCSI target. How much experience with ISCSI do you have > outside of VMWare? > In general, yes, if you had VMWare workstation some of the concepts > would carry over such as how VMs are stored and the things you can do with > VMs. However, VMWare Workstation and VMWare ESX are two very different > products with two different goals. Unless you've never worked with any > kind of virtual machine before, I'm not sure there's much of a point with > you starting out with workstation. Even if you have never done anything > with virtual machines, you won't gain too much with workstation in terms > of skills with ESX, although Workstation is a nice product to work with in > its own right. Depending on how much time you have, I'd get VMWare ESX up > and running using local storage, make sure you're comfortable with > managing local storage including creating VMFS volumes and managing them, > and then bring in the ISCSI stuff. The VIC can seem daunting at first > from an accessibility standpoint simply because its so busy and there > aren't as many keyboard commands as there s > hould be. If you've got a virtual center server its even worse. However, > take it from someone who has been working with ESX for over a year its > very doable if you just take time to learn it. You should be comfortable > with your screen reader's mouse commands, and have an overall idea of your > architecture, but there's nothing that's not doable with time. Also if > you have Linux experience, you can log into the service console and run a > lot of commands from there. The service console is NOT a 100% replacement > for the VIC GUI though. > Hope this helps. > Ryan > > -----Original Message----- > From: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org > [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of John > Heim > Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 3:59 PM > To: Blind sysadmins list > Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] vmware (was: buying documentation) > > Do you have experience with vmware esx and configuring an ISCSI array? > That's what I'm going to need to do. I've been diggling around with an > evaluation copy of esx 3.5. But i'm thinking I might be better off > starting > with one of the lesser products intended for a workstation. > > What I would really like to know is if I play with vmware workstation, > will > what I learn be useful to me when learning esx? > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ryan Shugart" <rshugart(a)pcisys.net> > To: "Blind sysadmins list" <blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org> > Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 8:38 PM > Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] buying documentation > > >> Hi John: >> Well, in the case of VMWare, VMWare has a lot of good >> documentation, including their installing and configuration guides, >> available on their web site for free. Many books are available in >> browsable HTML and downloadable PDF forms, I don't know specifically >> about >> the install guide. They aren't the most accessible, but on the other >> hand >> I've been able to work my way through them with time if that says >> anything, so none of them are to the unusable point. If you're into >> ebooks though, two good sources are bookshare (http://www.bookshare.org) >> and for specific technical books try >> http://safari.oreilly.com >> I've used Safari, and while the main stream site doesn't give you >> accessible books, you can contact them, tell them you use a screen reader >> and they'll let you into a special site that has accessible versions of >> the content for no extra charge. Overall, Orielly is one of the most >> blind friendly book publishers I know of, although they are expensive. >> Its worth it though. Finally, there are several of us on this list who >> work with VMWare, including myself, so if you have questions I'm sure we >> would be more than happy to do the best we can to answer. I myself work >> with VMWare on a daily basis at work, and use all their tools, the SSH >> interface, the VIC, etc. and do so successfully with minor annoyances >> that >> can be major depending on how much pressure you're under, but have never >> left the annoyance relm for me. >> Ryan >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >> [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of >> John >> Heim >> Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 1:14 PM >> To: Blind sysadmins list >> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] buying documentation >> >> Anybody have experience buying books on-line? I guess I'm going to need >> to >> buy a book on installing & configuring vmware esx. I have been struggling >> just to get it installed. I'm going to have to learn about the remote >> admin >> tools and how to get it to talk to an ISCSI array. >> >> I'm worried that if I buy an e-book, I'll end up with the equivalent of a >> pdf document. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Blind-sysadmins mailing list >> Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadmins >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Blind-sysadmins mailing list >> Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadmins >> >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Blind-sysadmins mailing list > Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org > http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadmins > > > _______________________________________________ > Blind-sysadmins mailing list > Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org > http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadmins > > _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadmins

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Re: [Blind-sysadmins] vmware (was: buying documentation)
by Ryan Shugart 15 Aug '08

15 Aug '08

Hi No, you don't need a 2 cpu machine to run ESX, but I'd never run with 1 CPU in production, as you won't be able to use many VMs. For testing, and for learning about the product, you should be fine though. Hope this helps. Ryan -----Original Message----- From: "John Heim" <jheim(a)math.wisc.edu> To: "Blind sysadmins list" <blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 8/15/2008 8:54 AM Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] vmware (was: buying documentation) Well, this may be a stupid question but do I really need at least 2 processors to run esx? I installed it on a machine with a single cpu . It installed okay but I haven't tried to config a virtual machine yet. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ryan Shugart" <rshugart(a)pcisys.net> To: "Blind sysadmins list" <blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 8:27 PM Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] vmware (was: buying documentation) > Hi John: > I actually configured VMWare ESX to work with an ISCSI array just > last week. Actually, understanding the principles of ISCSI is harder than > getting VMWare to work with it, and speaking as someone who'd never worked > with ISCSI before I had it up and running inside of 4 hours, including > setting up the ISCSI target. How much experience with ISCSI do you have > outside of VMWare? > In general, yes, if you had VMWare workstation some of the concepts > would carry over such as how VMs are stored and the things you can do with > VMs. However, VMWare Workstation and VMWare ESX are two very different > products with two different goals. Unless you've never worked with any > kind of virtual machine before, I'm not sure there's much of a point with > you starting out with workstation. Even if you have never done anything > with virtual machines, you won't gain too much with workstation in terms > of skills with ESX, although Workstation is a nice product to work with in > its own right. Depending on how much time you have, I'd get VMWare ESX up > and running using local storage, make sure you're comfortable with > managing local storage including creating VMFS volumes and managing them, > and then bring in the ISCSI stuff. The VIC can seem daunting at first > from an accessibility standpoint simply because its so busy and there > aren't as many keyboard commands as there s > hould be. If you've got a virtual center server its even worse. However, > take it from someone who has been working with ESX for over a year its > very doable if you just take time to learn it. You should be comfortable > with your screen reader's mouse commands, and have an overall idea of your > architecture, but there's nothing that's not doable with time. Also if > you have Linux experience, you can log into the service console and run a > lot of commands from there. The service console is NOT a 100% replacement > for the VIC GUI though. > Hope this helps. > Ryan > > -----Original Message----- > From: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org > [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of John > Heim > Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 3:59 PM > To: Blind sysadmins list > Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] vmware (was: buying documentation) > > Do you have experience with vmware esx and configuring an ISCSI array? > That's what I'm going to need to do. I've been diggling around with an > evaluation copy of esx 3.5. But i'm thinking I might be better off > starting > with one of the lesser products intended for a workstation. > > What I would really like to know is if I play with vmware workstation, > will > what I learn be useful to me when learning esx? > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ryan Shugart" <rshugart(a)pcisys.net> > To: "Blind sysadmins list" <blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org> > Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 8:38 PM > Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] buying documentation > > >> Hi John: >> Well, in the case of VMWare, VMWare has a lot of good >> documentation, including their installing and configuration guides, >> available on their web site for free. Many books are available in >> browsable HTML and downloadable PDF forms, I don't know specifically >> about >> the install guide. They aren't the most accessible, but on the other >> hand >> I've been able to work my way through them with time if that says >> anything, so none of them are to the unusable point. If you're into >> ebooks though, two good sources are bookshare (http://www.bookshare.org) >> and for specific technical books try >> http://safari.oreilly.com >> I've used Safari, and while the main stream site doesn't give you >> accessible books, you can contact them, tell them you use a screen reader >> and they'll let you into a special site that has accessible versions of >> the content for no extra charge. Overall, Orielly is one of the most >> blind friendly book publishers I know of, although they are expensive. >> Its worth it though. Finally, there are several of us on this list who >> work with VMWare, including myself, so if you have questions I'm sure we >> would be more than happy to do the best we can to answer. I myself work >> with VMWare on a daily basis at work, and use all their tools, the SSH >> interface, the VIC, etc. and do so successfully with minor annoyances >> that >> can be major depending on how much pressure you're under, but have never >> left the annoyance relm for me. >> Ryan >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: blind-sysadmins-bounces(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >> [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of >> John >> Heim >> Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 1:14 PM >> To: Blind sysadmins list >> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] buying documentation >> >> Anybody have experience buying books on-line? I guess I'm going to need >> to >> buy a book on installing & configuring vmware esx. I have been struggling >> just to get it installed. I'm going to have to learn about the remote >> admin >> tools and how to get it to talk to an ISCSI array. >> >> I'm worried that if I buy an e-book, I'll end up with the equivalent of a >> pdf document. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Blind-sysadmins mailing list >> Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadmins >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Blind-sysadmins mailing list >> Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadmins >> >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Blind-sysadmins mailing list > Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org > http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadmins > > > _______________________________________________ > Blind-sysadmins mailing list > Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org > http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadmins > > _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list Blind-sysadmins(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-sysadmins

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need help with winnt.sif for unattended install
by john coley 15 Aug '08

15 Aug '08

Hi everybody, I'm trying to create an unattended xp installation cd. I've got most of the way there I think, but could do with someone in the know casting their eye over my winnt.sif. Due to a disk faulure a couple of weeks ago I now have only one disk, partitioned into c and d. I need to be sure that the install would only format the c partition. I've pasted the first part of my winnt.sif below. Could someone let me know if it looks ok, and if not tell me what I need to correct. Thanks for any help, John. ;SetupMgrTag [Data] autoPartition=0 MsDosInitiated="0" UnattendedInstall="Yes" [Unattended] UnattendMode=FullUnattended OemSkipEula=Yes OemPreinstall=No NoWaitAfterTextMode = 0 FileSystem = ConvertNTFS Repartition = no ConfirmHardware = no KeyboardLayout="Uk" TargetPath=\WINDOWS [GuiUnattended] AdminPassword=* EncryptedAdminPassword=NO OEMSkipRegional=1 TimeZone=85 OemSkipWelcome=1

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buying documentation
by John Heim 15 Aug '08

15 Aug '08

Anybody have experience buying books on-line? I guess I'm going to need to buy a book on installing & configuring vmware esx. I have been struggling just to get it installed. I'm going to have to learn about the remote admin tools and how to get it to talk to an ISCSI array. I'm worried that if I buy an e-book, I'll end up with the equivalent of a pdf document.

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Installing jfw9 during a windows unattended setup?
by Dave 12 Aug '08

12 Aug '08

Hello, Might be slightly O.T so please respond privately if necessary. I'm doing work with a custom windows xp pro unattended setup. I'm wanting to install applications along with the setup, one of which is jfw9. I've heard it's possible to do a silent install, but not sure how to do this, nor even if it is possible to package the file so it would install. Thanks. Dave.

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Outsourced Exchange hosting
by Andrew Hodgson 04 Aug '08

04 Aug '08

Hi, I seem to remember someone on here was using or had used outsourced Exchange hosting at one point. Has anyone here used it, specificly if they have an Active Directory environment already in place internally? Thanks. Andrew. -- allpay.net Limited, Fortis et Fides, Whitestone Business Park, Whitestone, Hereford, HR1 3SE. Registered in England No. 02933191. UK VAT Reg. No. 666 9148 88. Telephone: 0870 243 3434, Fax: 0870 243 6041. Website: www.allpay.net Email: enquiries(a)allpay.net This email, and any files transmitted with it, is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the allpay.net Information Security Manager at the number above.

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jfw 9 scripts for vmware server console
by Dave 04 Aug '08

04 Aug '08

Hello, Does anyone have the url for the jfw9 scripts for vmware server console? I downloaded them and have them on a laptop, which is currently inaccessible to me. Thanks. Dave.

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Good cloning program
by Mario Percinic 04 Aug '08

04 Aug '08

Hey all. I'm looking for a accessible windows cloning program which can clone my preconfigured system which i can restore at the later point if i mess up something. I worked with norton ghost and acronis true image server but they all need special restore cd with which i need sited assistance to restore the system. Any advices? Please don't start to talk about system restore because i'm alergic to it :D Thanks for the answers.

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