thebackroomtech » howto

Howto: Reset a lost VMware guest password

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:12:41 +0000

So you’ve forgotten your VMware Linux or Windows guest password? Here’s how to reset it. These instructions focus on resetting the password through the Virtual Infrastructure Client, but there’s no reason you couldn’t do it using VMware Workstation or VMware Server.

1. Grab a Kon-Boot .iso image.

2. In the Virtual Infrastructure client, configure the problematic guest’s Virtual CDROM for the Kon-boot ISO image.

3. Boot the problem guest server. At the VMware BIOS screen, press the ESC key to bring up the boot menu. Select to boot from CD-ROM.

4. When the Kon-Boot splash screen appears, press Enter to boot Windows.

5. At the Windows login screen, enter administrator as the user name, with any password you’d like. Note: This password is not persistent! You must set the administrator password manually! Once the password is set, reboot the server and you will be able to login with the newly set credentials.

If you are trying to reset the password in Linux, the steps are the same, but instead of logging into Windows and resetting the adminstrator password, login to Linux and reset the root password.

HowTo: Export a list of all computers in an AD OU

admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:40:02 +0000

To export a list of all computers and non domain controller servers in an Active Directory OU, use dsquery.exe. For example, to export all computers in mydomain.com’s servers OU to machines.txt :

DSQUERY COMPUTER “OU=servers,DC=mydomain,DC=com” -o rdn -limit 1000 > c:\machines.txt

Use -limit when you want to return more than the default 100 results. Note that -rdn will producte the relative distinguished name (which means no OU=,DC= in the name).

Full dsquery syntax:

Syntax: dsquery computer [{ | forestroot | domainroot}]

[-o {dn | rdn | samid}] [-scope {subtree | onelevel | base}]

[-name ] [-desc ] [-samid ]

[-inactive ] [-stalepwd ] [-disabled]

[{-s | -d }] [-u ]

[-p { | *}] [-q] [-r] [-gc]

[-limit ] [{-uc | -uco | -uci}]

Parameters:

Value Description

{ | forestroot | domainroot}

The node where the search will start:

forest root, domain root, or a node

whose DN is .

Can be “forestroot”, “domainroot”

or an object DN.

If “forestroot” is specified, the search is done

via the global catalog. Default: domainroot.

-o {dn | rdn | samid} Specifies the output format.

Default: distinguished name (DN).

-scope {subtree | onelevel | base}

Specifies the scope of the search:

subtree rooted at start node (subtree);

immediate children of start node only (onelevel);

the base object represented by start node (base).

Note that subtree and domain scope

are essentially the same for any start node

unless the start node represents a domain root.

If forestroot is specified as ,

subtree is the only valid scope.

Default: subtree.

-name Finds computers whose name matches the value

given by , e.g., “jon*” or “*ith”

or “j*th”.

-desc Finds computers whose description matches

the value given by ,

e.g., “jon*” or “*ith” or “j*th”.

-samid Finds computers whose SAM account name

matches the filter given by .

-inactive Finds computers that have been inactive (stale)

for at least number of weeks.

-stalepwd Finds computers that have not changed their

password for at least number of days.

-disabled Finds computers with disabled accounts.

{-s | -d }

-s connects to the domain controller

(DC) with name .

-d connects to a DC in domain .

Default: a DC in the logon domain.

-u Connect as . Default: the logged in

user. User name can be: user name,

domain\user name, or user principal name (UPN).

-p Password for the user .

If * then prompt for password.

-q Quiet mode: suppress all output to

standard output.

-r Recurse or follow referrals during search.

Default: do not chase referrals during search.

-gc Search in the Active Directory global catalog.

-limit Specifies the number of objects matching the

given criteria to be returned, where

is the number of objects to be returned.

If the value of is 0, all

matching objects are returned.

If this parameter is not specified, by default

the first 100 results are displayed.

{-uc | -uco | -uci} -uc Specifies that input from or output

to pipe is formatted in Unicode.

-uco Specifies that output to pipe or file is

formatted in Unicode.

-uci Specifies that input from pipe or file is

formatted in Unicode.

Remarks:

The dsquery commands help you find objects in the directory that match

a specified search criterion: the input to dsquery is a search criteria

and the output is a list of objects matching the search. To get the

properties of a specific object, use the dsget commands (dsget /?).

If a value that you supply contains spaces, use quotation marks

around the text (for example, “CN=John Smith,CN=Users,DC=microsoft,DC=com”).

If you enter multiple values, the values must be separated by spaces

(for example, a list of distinguished names).

Examples:

To find all computers in the current domain whose name starts with “ms”

and whose description starts with “desktop”, and display their DNs:

dsquery computer domainroot -name ms* -desc desktop*

To find all computers in the organizational unit (OU) given

by ou=sales,dc=micrsoft,dc=com and display their DNs:

dsquery computer ou=sales,dc=microsoft,dc=com

Howto: Enable debug logging for Backup Exec for Windows Servers

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:58:54 +0000

You can temporarily enable Backup Exec debug logging by adding the -debug start parameter to the Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Servers service. This is a temporary setting that will be reset when the services are cycled or at the next server reboot. To enable debug logging permanently, see the second section that details editing the reqistry.

To temporarily enable Backup Exec debug logging on Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows 2008:

1. Go to Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Services

2. Select the Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Servers service, and click Stop. When prompted, click Yes to shut down the service.

3. Select and right-click on the Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Servers service, and then select Properties

4. In the Startup Parameters box, type -debug. Click Start in the Properties page to start the service. Click OK

5. Select and right-click the Backup Exec Job Engine service, and then select Properties

6. In the Startup Parameters box, type -debug. Click Start in the Properties page. Click OK to close.

To permanently enable Backup Exec debug logging on Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows 2008:

1. Stop all Backup Exec for Windows Servers services

2. Run REGEDIT.EXE

3. a. Backup Exec 10d or below: Browse to HKey_Local_Machine\Software\VERITAS\Backup Exec\Engine\Logging

b. Backup Exec 11d or above: Browse to HKey_Local_Machine\Software\Symantec\Backup Exec for Windows\Backup Exec\Engine\Logging

4. Change the value of CreateDebugLog to 1 to enable debug logging

5. Quit the registry editor

6. Start the Backup Exec for Windows Servers services

After the Backup Exec Job Engine and Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Servers service are started, two log files will be created in the Backup Exec \Logs directory, which is located in one of the following directories:

Backup Exec 10d or below: \Program Files\Veritas\Backup Exec\NT\Logs
Backup Exec 11d or above: \Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\Logs

The name of the log files will follow the format of -BENGINEXX.Log for the Backup Exec Job Engine service, and -BEREMOTEXX.LOG for the Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Servers service. The XX will increment each time the services are started with the -debug option, so that a new log file is created.

Reference: http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/254212.htm

Howto: Specify a service account for accessing a remote data path in IIS 7.0

admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:14:36 +0000

I have an Active Directory domain service account that has permissions to a share on our SAN that will host IIS web site content. I needed to allow IIS to access the share via the service account. Here’s how to do it in IIS 7.0 on Windows Server 2008:

Open Server Manager > Roles > Web Server (IIS) > Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager > ServerName > Sites > WebSiteName
Double click Authentication > Anonymous Authentication > Edit
Under Anonymous user identity, select Specific User > Set
Enter the user name and password > OK > OK
Restart the web site

Reference and details:

http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/140/understanding-the-built-in-user-and-group-accounts-in-iis-7/

How to completely disable DEP in Windows Server 2003

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:04:09 +0000

To completely disable DEP in Windows Server 2003, perform the following with administrative credentials:

1. Open Windows Explorer

2. Tools > Folder Options > View

3. Uncheck Hide Protected operating system files (Recommended) and Hide extensions for known file types

4. Click apply > OK

5. Browse to C:\

6. Right click on boot.ini, select properties and ensure the “read-only” tab is unchecked and click OK

7. Edit boot.ini

8. Modify the /noexecute=

For example, set /noexecute=AlwaysOff to disasble DEP entirely

9. File > Save, close boot.ini file

10. Right click on boot.ini, select properties and ensure the “read-only” tab is checked and click OK

11. Reboot the computer

For more about DEP see MS KB875352

Howto: Export IIS 7.0 web server configuration

admin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:46:59 +0000

To export a backup copy of your IIS 7.0 configuration on a Windows 2008 Server:

Open Server Manager

Expand Roles – Web Server (IIS) – Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

Highlight the web server name

From the Management category, double click Shared Configuration

Under Actions, select Export Configuration. Accept or change the default export path of C:\Windows\system32\inetsrv\config\export

Click the Connect As button, and enter administrative credentials. If the server is a domain member, you may need to enter your credentials in the format domain\username or username@domain.com

Enter the encryption keys password twice and press OK

You should now have three files in the C:\Windows\system32\inetsrv\config\export directory: administration.config, applicationHost.config, and configEncKey.key. Save the files in a safe place.

Howto: Backup IIS 7.0 web server configuration

admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:37:58 +0000

To backup your IIS 7.0 configuration on a Windows 2008 Server, you just need to make a copy of the \windows\system32\inetsrv\config directory (and subdirectories) and save it in a safe location.

You can also use the appcmd.exe utility to create the backup via the command line. The syntax to create a backup is:

%windir%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe add backup “Backup Name”

to restore the backup, the syntax is:

%windir%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe restore backup “Backup Name”

to remove a backup, the syntax is:

%windir%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd.exe delete backup “Backup Name”

For additional details on appcmd.exe see Bill’s IIS blog, or check out Mike’s IIS 7.0 Server-side blog for information on backing up and restoring IIS 7.0 shared configuration.

Howto: Authenticate to eDirectory via the Novell Client, command line style

admin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:52:18 +0000

I have a backup script that runs on a Windows 2003 server that requires Novell client authentication. Here’s how to authenticate to eDirectory via the command line, which means it’s scriptable! The syntax is:

c:\windows\system32\LOGINW32.EXE .user.ou.o /PWD password /CONT

Alternatively, you could map a drive to an eDirectory server (Netware, SLES Linux or Windows), which would force background authentication. Here’s that syntax:

net use x: \\server\vol /user:.user.ou.o password

A Portable Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc.exe)

admin — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:20:28 +0000

I ran across Claus’s link to the makeuseof.com article that shows how to run Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Connection program as a portable application from a USB drive.

This lead me to think about how this could be of value in my environment. I frequently hop from server to server using Microsoft’s Terminal Services client, mstsc.exe, which is built into Windows XP, Windows 2003 and newer operating systems.

My Windows 2000 servers can be accessed though RDP, but since do not have the updated client on them, I had not been able to run mstsc from the Windows 2000 server itself.

The makeuseof.com article lists four files that need to be copied in order to run Remote Desktop from a USB drive: mstsc.exe and mstscax.dll, plus mstsc.exe.mui and mstscax.dll.mui.

I copied the first two files from my Windows XP SP2 machine up to my Windows 2000 server. The second two .mui files did not exist on my Windows XP machine, probably due to the version of the OS I am running.

Once the files were copied up to my server I double clicked mstsc.exe, and was able to use the Windows 2000 server as a Terminal Services Client. This will allow me to break my reliance on VNC and Terminals as Remote Desktop Clients on older OSs.

Howto: Disable the clicking sound in Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer

admin — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:55:15 +0000

The clicking sound that Windows plays when you click on a link in Internet Explorer or open a folder in Windows Explorer can get annoying.

Here’s how to disable the sound in Windows XP:

Click Start > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices
Click the Sounds tab
Scroll down the list under Program Events. Under the Windows Explorer section, highlight Start Navigation.
Under the Sounds box, select (None) > OK, close Control Panel

Here’s how to disable the sound in Windows Vista:

Click Start > Control Panel > Sound
Click the Sounds tab
Scroll down the list under Program. Under the Windows Explorer section, highlight Start Navigation.
Under the Sounds box, select (None) > OK, close Control Panel

You should no longer hear the clicking noise when you select links in Internet Explorer or open directories in Windows Explorer.

thebackroomtech » howto

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