Removing the vRA\vCAC Guest Agent

Short intro
This blog post gives you the simple steps to quickly uninstall the vRealize Automation (aka vRA aka vCloud Automation Center aka vCAC) Agent

Longwinded Intro
Whilst studying for my VTSP Management Automation exam, I began to prepare a VM template to use for vRealize Application Services aka vRAS formerly known as vCloud Application Director aka vCAD (wow confusing!).

This involves preparing an OS for use as a vRAS template by installing the Bootstrap Agent files.

According to Abhilash HB's excellent blog article here, I made noob error no 1 - I used a template that already had the vCAC/vRA agent installed.

NB These instructions will work with vRA\vCAC 6.1, folder\service names may be different for different versions

Instructions
Here are the steps to uninstall it;

From a command prompt on the machine which has the agent installed, type;
net stop vcacguestagentservice
then
sc delete vcacguestagentservice

If you do not want to install the vRAS\vCAD agent after this, then you can use the below command to remove the folder;
rmdir c:\vrmguestagent /s /q

Thats it!

vSphere 5.5 Web Client with Oracle Enterprise Linux 7

Just installed Oracle Enterprise Linux on an old laptop for a laugh (yes, I am a true geek!), and realised the vSphere 5.5 web client needs Flash 11.5 installed, and the last version of Flash that Adobe say they will make for Linux is 11.2 :o

I have decided the try the web client through Chrome, which I have tried to install before and found it to be a major headache (getting it installed), but this time round I found an EXCELLENT how-to which got Chrome installed for me in minutes (yes the article is for OEL 6.2, but it worked fine for me on OEL 7).

http://www.redstonecontentsolutions.com/technical-blog/install-google-chrome-on-oracle-enterprise-linux62

I'll report back if I have any issues! Plan B and C are probably using the VCMA, or maybe even trying the C+ client under WINE?

Installing VCD 5.5 in a VMware Workstation 10 lab Part 2

This is intended to be a VERY quick and dirty multi-part guide to installing VCD 5.5 in a VMware Workstation 10 lab.

It is NOT intended to be a complete step by step guide, so it's mainly for experienced professionals, BUT if you are starting out with this stuff, I feel you would learn more by following this guide and searching for, or working out yourself, the bits you don't know (rather than following a prescriptive step by step guide that a 12 year could follow)

No offence 12 year olds!

So in Part 1 (http://itsgettingcloudy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/installing-vcd-55-in-vmware-workstation.html) I set up a VMWare Workstation 10 lab, installed a Windows Domain Controller\DNS server, and deployed the vCenter Server Appliance.

Now on with the show!

ESXi SERVER SETUP
I created a new Workstation VM with 18GB RAM, a 6GB disk, and the OS type ESXi Server.
After the VM was created, I edited the settings to add a second disk of 200GB (thin deployed), and connected the NIC to vmNet8.
As part of the OS setup, I used the hostname esx01.domain.local, IP 192.168.89.11, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, DNS Server 192.168.89.20, and a default gateway of 192.168.89.2
Instructions on the above can be found here;
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2034803

ESXi SERVER CONFIG
Once the server was deployed, it was necessary to do each of these things;
Log in to the vCenter Server web client at https://192.168.89.10:9443
Create a Datacenter
Create a new Cluster called Cluster01.
Enable DRS, and accept all defaults.
Add esxi01 to the Cluster.
Configure esxi01 to use the same NTP server as your appliance (I used 0.uk.pool.ntp.org)
Add a datastore using the 200GB disk and VMFS5
Unlike in the 'old' days, ESXi will automatically create a usable virtual networking config for you 'out of the box'
If you don't know how to do any of the above, working out how will definitely teach you something about ESXi\vSphere\vCenter Server!!

Now you can deploy the vCD appliance;

VCD APPLIANCE DEPLOYMENT
To deploy the VCD appliance, it was necessary to do each of these things;
Log in to the vCenter Server web client at https://192.168.89.10:9443
Select host esxi01
From "Actions", choose "Deploy OVF Template"
Browse to the "vCloud Director VA OP" OVF (I found it necessary to change the file type from OVF to OVA or All Files)
Accept the EULA
Change the VM name from "vCloud Director" to "vcd01"
Select my datacenter
Select my 200GB datastore (changing disk type to thin provisioned)
Set root and guest passwords
Expand the networking settings and enter;
Default Gateway 192.168.89.2
DNS Server 192.168.89.20
Network 1 IP 192.168.89.40
Network 1 subnet mask 255.255.255.0
Network 2 IP 192.168.89.41
Network 2 subnet mask 255.255.255.0
Tick Power on after deployment
Click Finish.
While the OVF was deploying, I kicked off deploying the vShield appliance;

VSHIELD APPLIANCE DEPLOYMENT
To deploy the vShield appliance, it was necessary to do each of these things;
Open the "full fat" Windows vSphere client (I was getting validation errors when trying to deploy from the web client using chrome)
Select host esxi01
From "Actions", choose "Deploy OVF Template"
Browse to the "vShield Manager" OVF (I found it necessary to change the file type from OVF to OVA or All Files)
Accept the EULA
Change the VM name from "vShield Manager" to "vshield01"
Select my datacenter
Select my 200GB datastore (changing disk type to thin provisioned)
Set CLI admin and privilege mode passwords
Tick Power on after deployment
Click Finish.
Whilst that was deploying, I moved on to configuring vCD;

CONFIGURING VCD PART1
To configure VCD, it was necessary to do these steps;
Open a browser and go https:<IP you used for the VCD VM's network 1 i.e. 192.168.89.40>
Go through the wizard;
License Agreement - accept this
License Key - you should have got a trial license key from vmware.com when downloading the software
Admin user and contact info - make a note of the administrator username and password you set use here
System name and ID - I used the hostname (vcd01) and default ID
Click Finish
Before running through the next part of the VCD config, we need VCNS\vShield working with vCenter so lets do that next

CONFIGURING VCNS
To configure VCNS, it was necessary to do these steps;
Change the IP from DHCP assigned, to the IP you created a DNS record for (vshield01) in part 1.
To do this, follow my quick guide here: http://itsgettingcloudy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/re-ip-vcns-aka-vshield-manager.html
Open a browser and go https:<IP you used for the vShield01 VM i.e. 192.168.89.45>
Username will be admin password will be default
You will be at the "Settings & Reports - Configuration" page
Click EDIT on the vCenter Server line.
Enter the vCenter Server IP and credentials then OK
Click EDIT on the NTP Server line
Enter the same NTP server as you used on your vCenter appliance (I used 0.uk.pool.ntp.org)
Reboot the VCNS manager from the vSphere client by choosing Restart Guest



CONFIGURING VCD PART2
Open a browser and go https:<IP you used for the VCD VM's network 1 i.e. 192.168.89.40>
Next, attach a vCenter by doing the below;
Go to https://192.168.89.40/cloud and log in with the administrator username and password you have set up
Click "Attach a vCenter"
Enter the relevant details then go on to the next tab
Enter the VCNS server details, note that the admin password is not the one you type into the OVF deployment wizard, but is still 'default' unless you have changed it in the vShield web console
Click Finish


Congratulations, you now have a functioning vCloud Director lab, further config will be necessary depending on what you want to use it for.

Watch out for more guides to follow, helping you set up the lab for various purposes.

Re-ip VCNS aka vShield Manager

After deploying the vShield Manager, it will use DHCP by default.
To change this, perform the below simple steps;

1. Connect to the VM's console with the vSphere client.
2. Login as admin and default (or the password for the admin CLI account that you entered when deploying the OVF) 
3. Type "enable" and press return.
4. Re-enter the password.
5. Type "setup" and press return.
6. Follow the prompts entering the new info.

A reboot is not necessary :)

Installing VCD 5.5 in a VMware Workstation 10 lab Part 1

This is intended to be a VERY quick and dirty multi-part guide to installing VCD 5.5 in a VMware Workstation 10 lab.

It is NOT intended to be a step by step guide, so it's mainly for experienced professionals, BUT if you are starting out with this stuff, I feel you would learn more by following this guide and searching for, or working out yourself, the bits you don't know, rather than following a prescriptive step by step guide that a 12 year could follow (no offence 12 year olds!).

LAB SETUP
Things I have in my one-machine lab - you might be able to get away with less;
32GB RAM
500GB free space
VMWare Workstation (I have 10 but 9 or better should be ok)
One custom network (see NETWORK SETUP below)

SOFTWARE REQUIRED
As well as VMWare Workstation 10, you will need the following software - ALL of it is available in free trial form from the microsoft.com or vmware.com;
Windows Server 2008\2012
VMWare ESXi 5.1\5.5 (comes with the vSphere Trial)
VMWare vCenter Server 5.1\5.5 (comes with the vSphere Trial)
VMware vCloud Director 5.5 (comes with the vCloud Director Trial)
VMware vShield Manager 5.5 (comes with the vCloud Director Trial)

NETWORK SETUP
The Workstation VMs are all joined to a custom network, vmNet8, which I have set to use NAT (for connecting out to the real world - this is important to provide centralised time for your VMs via NTP), as well as DHCP.
My subnet IP is 192.168.89.0 with a mask of 255.255.255.0, it may make things easier for you if you use these values.

VMWARE WORKSTATION SETUP
Running in VMWare Workstation I have the following VMs;
One ESX 5.5i server with 18GB RAM, a 6GB install disk and a 200GB datastore disk
One vCenter Server 5.1 Appliance (4GB RAM default)
One Windows 2003 Server domain controller (512MB RAM)

DOMAIN CONTROLLER SETUP
I created a VM with 512MB RAM, 30GB disk space (suggest 768MB RAM with 40gb disk space (thin provisioned) for Windows 2008 and 2012) and 1 vCPU, connected to vmNet8
After a normal install of Windows Server, I set the server's IP as 192.168.89.20 (mask 255.255.255.0), Primary DNS as 192.168.89.20, and the gateway as 192.168.89.2 (the VMware workstation NAT router for this subnet).
I renamed the server to dc01, rebooted, then ran DCPROMO, using the domain name "domain.local", and all the defaults.
After another reboot, I ran dnsmgmt.msc and created host records for;
vcs01(.domain.local) at 192.168.89.10
esxi01(.domain.local) at 192.168.89.11
vcd01(.domain.local) at 192.168.89.40
vcd01cp(.domain.local) at 192.168.89.41
vshield01(.domain.local) at 192.168.89.45

Finally I installed VMWare tools.

VCENTER SERVER APPLIANCE SETUP
I deployed the appliance into VMWare Workstation, using a thin provisioned  disk.
Once it was deployed, I edited the VM's setting to use network VMNET8, then powered it on and connected to it's "console" to see the DHCP IP it had picked up.
I then went to https://192.168.89.<DHCP-assigned-IP>:5480 from my laptop's browser and set up the installation. Further details on that part can be found here;
https://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-51/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.install.doc%2FGUID-25FCBA87-5D2F-4CB6-85D7-88899B4AC174.html
I used the hostname vcs01(.domain.local), and IP 192.168.89.10 (mask 255.255.255.0, gateway 192.168.89.2). I also used (important!) NTP Time Server of 0.uk.pool.ntp.org as I am in the UK.

In the next part of these instructions, I shall continue by installing and configuring ESXi Server.

I made vExpert 2014!!

Another quick post to say that I am very proud to have been accepted into the vExpert family this year :)

http://blogs.vmware.com/vmtn/2014/10/vexpert-2014-q3-announcement.html

The future of Reporting As A Service for Virtual Data Centers?

Just a quick post to spread the word about my company's new Reporting As A Service offering for Virtual Data Centers.

If its the kind of thing you would be interested in apply now for our Beta programme!

Some marketing blurb;
SONAR enables you to easily generate a rapid infrastructure analysis "Health Check" with actionable results on-demand, but without the traditional overhead of purchasing, implementing and maintaining complex on-premise tools. 

Fast: Rapid time to value with typical report turnaround in under 30 minutes, ensuring that your virtual infrastructure is always in good shape.

Simple: The benefits of Reporting-as-a-Service (RaaS) mean that there is no heavy infrastructure to manage and maintain, just a lightweight agent to download. 

Targeted: With just a few clicks SONAR shows you where operational hazards truly exist and provides clear recommendations on how to address them.

Click here for more info :)

http://xvirt.it/37jg

Undelete VCO workflows

Today I accidentally deleted a VCO workflow. Luckily the recovery was nice and simple, although in my panicked state I seemed to need to try a few searches and have to patience to read through a PDF, so I thought I'd blog this simple procedure;

Restore Deleted Workflows
You can restore workflows that have been deleted from the workflow library.
Procedure
1 From the drop-down menu in the Orchestrator client, select Run or Design.
2 Click the Workflows view.
3 Navigate to the workflow folder in which you want to restore deleted workflows.
4 Right-click the folder and select Restore deleted workflows.
5 Select the workflow or workflows that you want to restore and click Restore.
The restored workflows appear in the selected folder.

That's all you need to do :)

Getting this in VCO? TypeError: Cannot call method "push" of null

I have recently joined one of the UK's best consultancies as a Senior Consultant, initially specialising in VMware vCenter Orchestrator (vCO) and VMware vCloud Automation Center (VCAC).

Today whilst working on some VCO workflows I kept getting the below error despite setting up the inputs correctly and binding them;

TypeError: Cannot call method "push" of null

This was happening when I had an input atttibute (lets say it was "jimsarray") defined as an array/string, and was using the javscript code;

jimsarray.push("ArrayEntry1")

The attribute was correctly bound in the data binder, but it appears that due to the order in which I created things, the starting value for "jimsarray" was "Not Set" i.e. Null - hence the error

The trick was to go into visual binding, and double click on any array/string in “IN attribute”. Then click on the value “not set”, then click Accept then OK. You will now see the value is "Array", and the error will be gone!

Using Hyper-V on Server 2012 R2 under VMWare Workstation 9

I am still running VMWare Workstation 9, as I got a license to use it when I passed my VCP 510 exam, and haven't yet found anything it cant do.

I recently thought I might do at least one Windows Server 2012 exam, and as I specialise in VMWare Virtualisation, I thought I'd have a look at the 70-410 exam which includes a piece on Hyper-V.

The Hyper V role doesn’t want to play nicely on my laptop with VMWare Workstation installed, so I thought I would create a Windows Server 2012 R2 VM and try to get HyperV working on that.

I soon found that trying to install the HyperV role on a Windows Server 2012 VM, without the below tweaks performed, will provoke the error "Hyper-V cannot be installed: A hypervisor is already running."

To get around this, right click on the VM in Workstation, and choose settings. Select Processers then select;

"Virtualise Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI"

Also, set the Virtualisation Engine preferred mode to "Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI".

Click OK.

Finally, edit the vmx file in notepad (if you don’t know about VMX files, right click on the VM in workstation and choose settings, then click the Options tab and select Advanced. Highlight and copy the value in the "File Locations: Configuration" field, then hold the windows key and press r to bring up the Run dialog. Type notepad, then press space and insert the copied path, then press return).

Copy and paste the below line to a new line of its own, then save and close notepad.

hypervisor.cpuid.v0 = "FALSE"

*If you copy and paste the above, ensure the speech marks around the word FALSE are straight and not curved*

You can now power on the VM, and go to Server Manager to click "Add Roles and features". Tick the box next to Hyper-V, then click Next until you can click Install.

Quick VM report - IPs and (vcloud vapp or VM folder)

Its been a while since I blogged anything, so even though this isn't much to write home about, the end of my project and therefore the need for a new job has inspired me to blog this :)

Today I needed to get a list of all VMs in a VDC (which translates to vsphere as a resource group).

The resource group name is hard-coded below as CHANGME, so you need to update this ;)

ipreport.ps1 begins;

#Connect to vcenter
connect-viserver

#create a report shell
$table = @()

#GetVM Name and IP address
get-resourcepool CHANGME | get-vm | foreach {

#Create row
$vminfo = "" | select-object Name,IPAddress,vapp
#Populate row's column with VM name
$vminfo.name = $_.name
#Populate row's column with IP address
$vminfo.IPAddress = $_.guest.extensiondata.IPAddress
#Populate row's column with vapp name
$vminfo.vapp = $_.folder
#Commit row to the report
$table += $vminfo
}

#Pipe report through a sort command, and output to HTML for easy reading
$table | sort-object -property IPaddress | convertto-html -title "IPs for VMs" > C:\scripts\ips.html