In a virtualized environment, we have the ability to create point-in-time snapshots, or checkpoints in Microsoft parlance, of virtual machines. This gives the ability to immediately roll back any changes after the checkpoint operation was performed. This is especially useful when debugging an application, or performing migrations and upgrades to applications.
From time to time, file associations get broken. This could be the result of malware, “bit slippage”, uninstall of an associated program, or even some inadvertent change of settings. Here is how to fix a broken ZIP file association.
System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) can be a bit less than helpful when describing reasons for failed operations.
During a recent cleanup effort in the System Center Virtual Machine Manager console, I found a powered off guest machine. The status showed the VM as having an “Unsupported Cluster Configuration State”.
If you need to check the status of a service across several machines, and don’t have monitoring in place, you can use PowerShell to get Running/Stopped/Starting status quickly.
There is something of a mantra in the IT world: If it has to be repeated more than once, script it and automate it. The same goes for Q&A. If more than one person asks about it, write it down. So here you go.
In most technology environments, automation is everything. Part of that automation is the deployment of operating systems to servers and workstations via Windows Deployment Services, with help of PXE boot. Here’s how to PXE boot a guest in Hyper-V.
Just because you don’t have a GUI on your Windows Server 2012 doesn’t mean you can’t install roles and features at will. Use PowerShell, and the job gets easy.
If you’re trying to install SharePoint 2013 on Windows Server 2012 R2, and you’re getting caught in a reboot loop (or other weird behavior), stop.
System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) is a great tool for monitoring your infrastructure. Configured correctly, it can let you know when things go awry, and even take action to fix the problem. But what happens when it stops speaking to you?