Archive for Systems

Windows Update Fails

This KB article from Microsoft might be useful with Windows failed to run an Update:

Method 1: Register the Wups2.dll file in Windows
To register the Wups2.dll file in Windows, follow these steps:
1. Stop the Automatic Updates service. To do this, follow these steps:
a. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
b. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
net stop wuauserv
2. Register the Wups2.dll file. To do this, follow these steps:
a. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
regsvr32 %windir%\system32\wups2.dll
Note For a computer that is running Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
regsvr32 %windir%\syswow64\wups2.dll
b. Click OK on each verification message that you receive.
3. Start the Automatic Updates service. To do this, type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
net start wuauserv
4. Exit the command prompt. To do this type exit, and then press ENTER.

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Vmware to XenServer migration

Some links on migrating from Vmware to XenServer. Particularily converting vmdk to xva, and dealing with removing Vmware Tools.

The vmmemctl.sys driver is missing from your system or the registry contains the wrong image path. The \??\ is normal in the path.

If you selected the default path for the VMware Tools, your registry imagepath should look like the example below.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VMMEMCTL]

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xfs and lvm snapshots

You have you the following error:


kernel: XFS: Filesystem lvm(58,2) has duplicate UUID - can't mount

Using the following:


mount -o ro,nouuid /dev/vg/lvsnap /mnt/

Thanks too.

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Setting Up A PXE Linux Recovery / Deployment Server using Debian Lenny/Etch

A clear guide for setting up a PXE Linux Recovery / Deployment Server using Debian. Including Debian Installer, DBAN and a couple other useful tools.

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zfs_nocacheflush

Some numbers on nocacheflush with 2530 Array and ZFS.

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Is ZFS ready for primetime?

This post on Is ZFS ready for primetime? is disconcerting. I’ve put a lot of effort recently in engineering a zfs based storage server to backend a xen cluster. I haven’t put much up here and a back injury has restricted the amount of seat time. Without much tuning I’ve put together a TB+ system that provides 85Mb/s over NFS to a RAIDZ2 pool.

Throughout the whole period it has been a constant struggle to get Opensolaris working, figure out ancient Solaris ideas about system management. Sort out a kernel bug that caused crashes when running bonnie++.

Being held ransom by the idea of needing a Sun support contract at some future unknown date due to a bug in zfs seems to me as a losing position. Being forced into that position I think misses the point of opensource. Zfs provides striking advantages with checksums and simple snapshots, easy offline remote replication. But without the idea that your data is safe there is no point.

I can put together a Linux storage system without thinking and manage it without much thought. The lack of constant time snapshots is going to hurt, but at least I know the exact same system will still work in 2 years without any changes.

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VLC problems on Visata?

VLC problems on Visata? Switch to the opengl output driver.

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Nexenta Flash Demos

I set of flash demos look at Nexenta Operating System. Particular interest at creating zones and using BrandZ for etch. The demos seemed to be based on the new NexentaCP server platform which is the basis for NexentaStor.

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CIFS in Solaris

A clear look at CIFS in Solaris by Alan Wright:

Many people assumed or desired that the Solaris CIFS server project would be like Samba but what would that achieve? Sure, it would avoid breaking any eggs, i.e. avoid making substantial changes to Solaris, but Samba is available on Solaris today. There is no point in creating another Samba. If you truly want an integrated CIFS implementation, that can really inter-operate with Windows at a fundamental level, the operating system has to support certain core features. Eggs will have to be broken.

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Nexenta Storage Appliance

Nexenta Systems the guys behind the Debianised version of OpenSolarias have release a commercial storage appliance version of Nexenta:

Nexenta Storage Appliance is designed and built to operate as 2nd tier storage alongside pre-existing commercial storage, providing online continuation of data for months and years, with tapes relegated to archival purposes only. The appliance is targeted for 2nd-tier NAS and iSCSI applications requiring extremely low cost storage as well as dramatically simplified provisioning, expansion, backup, replication and archiving. NexentaStor can also be used as a primary NAS in businesses that wish to expand at closer to commodity pricing.

They have a VMware based evaluation version for download, and access to the bare metal install requires talking to their sales team.

From Martin Man.

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