Novell Brainshare Cancelled

I'm here at Novell Provo for Advanced Technical Training. This morning Novell stunned the group with the announcement that Novell Brainshare 2009 has been cancelled.

ConsoleOne GroupWise Bug

I'm going to re-broadcast this post from Danita, the GroupWise Goddess from her blog:

"As many of you have heard by now, there is a nasty ConsoleOne snapins bug that could cause you serious headaches (thanks Tommy Mikkelsen for catching this one so quickly).

Locking out older snapins is broken. It will be default lock out the currently shipping GroupWise 8 snapins, thus rendering your domain impossible to manage! Find out more about it in TID 7001968.

We’ve already had a couple of reports of folks being caught by this one in the Novell Support Forums."

Happy GroupWising

Danita

http://www.caledonia.net

---

TID 7001968

Locking out old snapins puts an incorrect date in the box

When creating a GW8 domain and locking out older snapins via ConsoleOne, this will then make the domain inaccessible. After the domain creation, open ConsoleOne. Select the domain, Tools -> System Operations -> System Preferences -> Admin lockout settings. Check the box Lockout older GroupWise admin snapins.

The version shows as 8.0.0 by default and the default date/time is October 24, 2008 7:15:00 PM MDT. If this is accepted, the next time ConsoleOne is loaded for domain administration, an error stating that the snapins are too old will be presented

NetWare iSCSI initiator configuration

Environment
NetWare 6.5
iSCSI Configuration

Issue
iSCSI Configuration
Novell Remote Manager. Click on iSCSI Services link and get the following error:
Action Failure Error: Unauthorized access denied.

Details
Goal: to configure the iSCSI Initiator on NetWare
From NetWare console: Enter ION (ion.ncf)
From Novell Remote Manager:
Click iSCSI Services link. Click Add Target and type the IP Address of the iSCSI target.
Receive
Action Failure Error: Unauthorized access denied.

Troubleshooting
Collected iSCSI Information:
iSCSI Target IP: 192.168.11.159
iSCSI Target Name: nasiscsi

Actions
Added the following commands in SYS:\SYSTEM\AUTOEXEC.NCF
### ISCSI CONNECT ###
ion
delay
iscsinit connect 192.168.11.159 nasiscsi

From NetWare Console type:
:scan for new devices

From Novell Remote Manager continue to configure and partition NetWare NSS Pools and resources

Click on Partition Disks
Add NetWare Pool
Add NetWare Volume
Mount Volume from NetWare Console

OR

Run the NSS Management Utility from the NetWare Console
:NSSMU

VMWARE Virtual machine CPU usage spikes and remains abnormally high

Problem:
Virtual machine CPU usage spikes and remains abnormally high

Cause:
Starting with ESX Server 3.5 and VirtualCenter 2.5, VMware DRS applies a cap to the memory overhead of virtual machines to control the growth rate of this memory. VMware DRS raises this cap at a controlled rate (1MB per minute, by default) to grant the required memory until the virtual machine overhead memory reaches a steady-state and as long as there are sufficient resources available on the host.

However, for VirtualCenter 2.5, this cap is not increased to satisfy the virtual machine's steady-state demand as expected. Thus, the virtual machine operates with an overhead memory that is less than its desired size, which in turn may lead to higher observed virtual machine CPU usage and lower virtual machine performance in a VMware DRS-enabled cluster.

Solution:
VMWARE Knowledge Base KB # 1003638
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1003638

Visual Studio TFS Data Warehouse isn't refreshing, EventID 3000

Environment
==========
Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Foundation Server
MS Windows Server 2003 Standard SP2 32 Bit

Issue
==========
TFS Data Warehouse isn't refreshing, EventID 3000

Details:
==========
Every hour data is pulled to refresh the data warehouse. It picks up the EVENT ID 3000
Event ID: 3000 Event Source: TFS Warehouse Exception Message: XML parsing failed at line 1, column 0: A document must contain exactly one root element. Stopped on Saturday. Drive Space issue was corrected but still not working. Saturday we ran out of disk space.

Troubleshooting
=============
Rebuild TFS Relational Data Warehouse ; SetupWarehouse

Detailed Actions:
=======
• Step 1
To rebuild the warehouse, log in with a local admin account or domain admin account
 
1) Log into SQL management studio and delete the TfsWareshouse from both the database engine and analysis services
2) Switch to a command prompt and run the following:
 
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Team Foundation Server\Tools\SetupWarehouse.exe /setup /install -n -s "dataserver" -d "TFSWarehouse" -c "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Team Foundation Server\Tools\warehouseschema.xml" -ra "domain\tfsreports" -a "domain\tfsservice" -v –l
 
Then we will need to run the warehouse

• Step 2
Find Username
http://localhost/reports ; SQL Server Reporting Services ; TFS Support
Credentials stored = Username = JDNET\tfsservice

• Step 3 Rebuild TFS Warehouse and OLAP

• Step 4 in IIS Manager
IIS Manager ; Team Foundation Server ; Warehouse ; v1.0 ; warehousecontroller.asmx
Right Click ; Run ControllerService ; Press Invoke button ; Run
Received WarehouseStatus = Idle

smlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/TeamFoundation/2005/06/Services/Controller/03">Idle
Still received EventID: 3000
The hierarchy '[System_Id]' was nout found in the cube when the string, [Work Item].[System_Id], was parsed.

• Step 5
Copy TfsVersionControl ; Extended Properties ; TFS_INSTANCE Value
and pasted to Database Properties TFSWharehouse and added TFS_INSTANCE Value
Once again Run ControllerService was run and received status of Idle
===
• Step 6 Consult with other engineer and examined Work Item (dbo.Work Item) through MS Visual Studio Code
This time Rebuild only OLAP instead of rebuilding TFSWharehouse and OLAP

• Step 7 GetWarehouseStatus - this time changed: Status = RunningAdapters
smlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/TeamFoundation/2005/06/Services/Controller/03">RunningAdapaters

OpenSuse 11.1 Countdown



Countdown to December 18 Release of OpenSUSE 11.1

Using Exchange? Run MS Exchange BPA frequently!

Issue
Exchange OAB error (OAB = Offline Address Book)

Details:
Receiving error from Outlook 0x8004010F everytime anyone from Caching Mode access the Offline Address Book.
Receiving event id in exchange 9334 Source MSExchangeSA

My previous Exchange server crashed and I moved the database to a new a new virtual instance. I tried to move all Exchange services i.e. routing, update service, etc. but for some reason I still get an error from this OAB

Troubleshooting:
MS Exchange Best Practices Analyzer SERVER Scanned

Cause from the BPA:

Offline address book definition is missing The 'msExcUseOAB' value for mailbox store 'Mailbox Store [SERVER]' is missing. This will cause offline address book errors for 441 users in this database.

Actions:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa997667(EXCHG.80).aspx

If the value for the msExchUseOAB attribute is missing it will cause offline address book errors for users in this information store.

To resolve this issue, associate the offline address book with a mailbox store by using the procedures below. To associate the Offline Address Book with a particular mailbox store in Exchange Server 2003

1. Start the Exchange System Manager.
2. Expand the server and the storage group affected.
3. Right-click the mailbox store and click Properties
4. Click the General tab, and then click the Browse button that is on the right side of the Offline Address Book box.
5. Enter an offline Address Book to associate with this mailbox store, and then click OK

Moral of the story?
If you are using Microsoft Exchange. Run the Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyzer frequently. If you encounter an error? Run the BPA! It points you to the error and the recommended solution online.

Novell Storage Manager Free Presentation

Check out this Presentation on Novell Storage Manager. Create User Policies to automatically provision create / clean up user storage space.

Link for Presentation

With Novell Storage Manager, you can:

• Easily manage storage on Microsoft Windows, Linux and NetWare, leveraging their respective directory technologies (Microsoft Active Directory and Novell eDirectory)
• Automatically allocate, manage and clean up storage
• Migrate storage—quickly and transparently—for thousands of users simultaneously
• Use policies to predefine how much storage users and groups receive based on their roles within the organization
• Pre-populate a new user's home directory with essential files
• Limit the types of files that users can store on the network
• Preserve intellectual property by automatically archiving a former user's data or forwarding it to an authorized manager
• Demonstrate regulatory compliance with real-time enforcement and in-depth reports
• Centrally monitor storage across your enterprise
• Use your existing hardware

Dogbert Tech Support 2

Dogbert Tech Support

Another bad day on Wall Street!

VMWorld 2008

Watch for several announcements from VMWorld 2008 happening this week in Las Vegas September 15, 16, 17.

I'll be posting announcements from Microsoft, Citrix, Cisco, Novell, Sun, etc. Watch for these announcements in my shared items list at the top of my blog.

Yes it's THE huge event right now! Virtualization is where it's at for Green IT! Watch out VMWare! Microsoft has you in it's scope and it's giving away MS Hyper-V! Also look out for Citrix, Novell, and others!

This year's theme "Virtually anything is possible"!

Register to watch the Keynote / Webcast

September 11, 2001, a day we will never forget

W2K connecting to EMC SAN, run diskperf - Perf Object Counter doesn't exist

This isn't a Novell Case, it's a Microsoft case that I worked on. I'm doing more and more Microsoft support.

Windows 2000 SP4 connecting to EMC SAN. Doing sizing and running Disk Performance. diskperf -yv - Performance monitoring per disk. Expect to see physical disk and Performance Object Counter is not there. In the picture on this blog on my server, it's there, but the customer wasn't seeing what I was seeing.

Solution ==================
pcrwizard.exe - downloaded from Microsoft, required open Case.
This tool fixed corrupt DLL's for Performance Object Counters
This tool is not available for direct download. However, you can use the following article to rebuild your performance counters:

300956 How to manually rebuild Performance Counter Library values
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=300956

Alternatively, we did contact Microsoft Support Services and request to speak with a Support Engineer in the Platforms Performance group to get the Performance Counter Rebuild Wizard (PCRW) tool that automates the process.

If you need this tool, contact me.
- Bucky
Technical Support Engineer

Installing OES2 and Avoiding SLES10 SP2!

TID 7000466

Open Enterprise Server 2 customers are advised not to download SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP2 at the present time.

TID 7000387

How to update SLES / SLED 10 SP2 - OES2 systems should NOT be updated to SLES10 SP2 at this time!

Cool Solutions: Installing Open Enterprise Server2 Into Existing Tree

Screen Shots - Screen by screen. Very useful.

http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/appnote/19585.html?rnd=271504.72808083845

Whatever you do - Do NOT allow the system to Update or Install SLES10 SP2! I had a customer do this and we ended up re-installing and deleting the server out of the tree!

The customer upgraded the OES1 Linux to OES2 Linux and somehow updated SLES10 SP2 at the same time. Symptoms: eDirectory services stopped appearing in YAST and he couldn't mount his NSS drives. - Weird!

By the way. Here are some handy commands to check what services and catalogs have been registered.

To verify you have the catalogs you need enter - :rug ca

To verify the service typs enter - :rug sl (That is an L as in Lima, not a 1 [one])

Other rug commands:

:rug ca

:rug sl

:rug

:man rug

:rug shutdown

:rug restart

:rug pch -i (to see a list of installed patches)

:rug ref (refresh)

To manually register OES Linux use the following commands:

suse_register -a email= -a regcode-oes2=

Example:
suse_register -a email=joe@example.com -a regcode-sles=4adab769abc68 -a regcode-oes=30a74ebb94fa

Here is an example of someone that updated the OES2 Linux server with SLES SP2 and an example of what was seen. This is very similar to what my customer saw:

oes2:~ # zypper up
Restoring system sources...
Parsing metadata for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1...
Parsing metadata for Novell Open Enterprise Server 2...
Parsing metadata for SLES10-SP1-Updates...
Parsing metadata for OES2-Updates...
Parsing RPM database...
13 Problems:
Problem: pattern:novell-ncp-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies
Problem: pattern:novell-dhcp-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies
Problem: pattern:novell-netstorage-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies
Problem: pattern:novell-xtier-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies
Problem: pattern:novell-edirectory-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies
Problem: pattern:novell-base-10-88.i586 conflicts with other resolvables
Problem: pattern:novell-nss-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies
Problem: pattern:novell-nrm-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies
Problem: pattern:novell-lum-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies
Problem: pattern:novell-imanager-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies
Problem: product:OPEN_ENTERPRISE_SERVER-2.i686 conflicts with other
resolvables
Problem: pattern:novell-sms-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies
Problem: pattern:novell-samba-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies

Problem: pattern:novell-ncp-10-88.i586 cannot be installed due to
missing dependencies
There are no installable providers of novell-base for
pattern:novell-ncp-10-88.i586

Solution 1: delete novell-ncp
delete pattern:novell-ncp-10-88.i586

Solution 2: Ignore this requirement just here
number, (r)etry or (c)ancel>

If you the choose to apply 'solution 2' for these patterns it then turns
out 'move-to-sles10-sp2' is still being offered via the
SLES10-SP1-Updates catalog and it's this that (correctly) clashes with
novell-base-10-88.i586 and OPEN_ENTERPRISE_SERVER-2.i686!

Removing OES2 Linux out of the TREE

Removing a Server Object And Directory Services From a Tree

Use the following syntax:

• ndsconfig rm -a admin FDN eDirectory and its database are removed from the server.

Example, To remove the eDirectory Server object and directory services from a tree, you could enter the following command:

• ndsconfig rm -a cn=admin.o=company

ndsconfig Utility Parameters

• new
  Creates a new eDirectory tree. If the parameters are not specified in the command line, ndsconfig prompts you to enter values for each of the missing parameters.
  
• def
  Creates a new eDirectory tree. If the parameters are not specified in the command line, ndsconfig takes the default value for each of the missing parameters.
  
• add
  Adds a server into an existing tree.
  
• rm
  Removes the Server object and directory services from a tree.
  
• -i
  Ignores a tree of the same name, while installing a new tree. This option is generally not recommended for use.
  
• -S
  Specifies the server name. The default server name is host name.
  
• -t
  The tree name to which the server has to be added. If not specified, ndsconfig uses the tree name from the n4u.base.tree-name parameter specified in the etc/nds.conf file.
  
• -n
  The context of the server into which the Server object is added. If not specified, ndsconfig uses the context from the n4u.nds.server-context parameter specified in the /etc/nds.conf file.
  
• -d
  The directory path where the database files will be stored.
  
• -L
  The TCP port number on the LDAP server.
  
• -l
  The SSL port number on the LDAP server.
  
• -a
  Distinguished name of the User object that has Supervisor rights to the context in which the Server object and directory services will be created.
  
• -e
  Enables clear text passwords for LDAP objects.
  
• -p
  Installs eDirectory Server into an existing tree by specifying the IP address of a server hosting the tree. If this option is used, SLP is not used for tree lookup.
  
• -m
  Specifies the module name to install. While installing a new tree, you can install only the ds module. After installing the ds module, you can add the NMAS, LDAP, SAS, HTTP and SNMP services using the add command. If the module name is not specified, by default, all the five modules are installed.
  
• -o
  Specifies the HTTP clear port number.
  
• -O
  Specifies the HTTP secure port number.
  
• set
  Sets the value for the specified eDirectory configurable parameters. If the parameter list is not specified, ndsconfig lists all the eDirectory configurable parameters.
  
• get
  Lets you view the current value of the eDirectory configurable parameters.
  
• get help
  Lets you view the help strings for the eDirectory configurable parameters.

eDirectory - What's new in 8.8?

Today I was asked if it was ok to have a mixed tree with NetWare Server running eDirectory 8.7 and the new OES2 servers running 8.8. The short answer is... yes it's ok to have a mixed tree with different versions of eDirectory. It's not like in the old days with NDS v6 and v7 mixed with NDS v 8. But then I started thinking about this.

Novell Support recommends you don't have a mixed tree with mixed versions of eDirectory. You need to ask yourself; Are you running Single Sign on? Do you need Case Sensitive Passwords? Are you running IDM v3 or greater? Are you running eDirectory on Solaris? Are you using ZCM10 with automatic deployment? Are your OES2 Linux servers out numbering your older NetWare servers? Are you running eDirectory servers in the same tree over a slow WAN or the Internet?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you need to upgrade your older servers to the latest version of eDirectory 8.8. The latest version is 8.8 SP3 or 8.8.3 (20216.83)

For anyone who hasn't looked at eDirectory in awhile, there have been some major enhancements since version 8.7:

• Numerous install updates:
• Multiple package formats for installation
• Automatic deployment through ZENworks® Configuration Management
• Installation and configuration of eDirectory through YaST
• Configuring multiple instances of eDirectory on a single host
• Authentication to eDirectory through SASL-GSSAPI
• Enforcing case-sensitive universal passwords
• Priority Sync
• Encrypted attributes and replication
• Improved bulkload performance
• LDAP-based backup
• Error logging

Here is a list of all the Technical Issues, Bug fixes, and Enhancements fixed in eDirectory 8.8.

• TID 3426981

Future enhancements Novell is working on past eDirectory 8.8 SP3:

• 64 Bit Directory Engine
• More performance improvements in BIND and SEARCH
• LDAP events and monitoring enhancements
• Domain Services for Windows

Another thing you can do with eDirectory on Linux and Windows - You can locate the DIBS (eDirectory databases) and logs to any directory you want to. This makes it easy for backing up eDirectory databases.

Here is a handy reference to the location of eDirectory components and files:

• NetWare: easy - sys:\_NetWare
• Linux: Not so easy - here is the list:

Configuration - /etc/opt/novell/eDirectory/
Database - /var/opt/novell/eDirectory/data/dib
Logs - /var/opt/novell/eDirectory/log
Libraries - /opt/novell/eDirectory/{lib lib64} /opt/novell/eDirectory/{lib lib64}/nds-modules
Binaries - /opt/novell/eDirectory/bin /opt/novell/eDirectory/sbin

Files:

• /etc/opt/novell/eDirectory/conf/ - Main Configuration Directory
• nds.conf - Primary configuration file for ndsd
• nsmodules.conf
  Configures how and what modules are loaded on startup
  To troubleshoot remark them out and load one at a time
• ndsimon.conf and ndsimonhealth.conf
  Allows for customization of iMonitor
• .edir/instances.$uid
  User specific instance file

Default Ports for eDirectory on Linux and OES2 Linux:

• NCP Port 524
• SLP Port 427
• LDAP Port 389
• Secure LDAP Port 636
• HTTPSTK (imon, iconsole) Port 8028
• Secure HTTPSTK Port 8030

• Locate the current httpstk ports - ndsconfig get grep http
• Locate the NCP ports - ndsconfig get grep tcp
• Locate the LDAP ports - ldapconfig get grep -i port

Linux Day 2008 Denver Oct 9

Register now for Novell Linux Day 2008!
I'll see you at the Denver Marriott on October 9, 2008

Event Location:
Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver CO 80202

Invalid incarnation Number creating NSS pool

Here is a resolution to a call I received last week.

Environment
==========
Novell OES2 with Linux
iManager 2.7
eDirectory 8.7 NetWare ; 8.8 OES2 Linux

Issue
==========
iManager Reports Invalid incarnation Number when attempting to create a NSS pool or Volume on OES Linux

Details:
==========
See TID 7000741
Deleted Proxy user, Not sure if the Proxy user was reinstalled correctly.
Systems admin tried running command as explained in the TID.
1. nssAdminInstall -a .admin.HPSD HPSD_TREE -p xpasswd -o .server1admin.HPSD HPSD_TREE

Troubleshooting
=============
1. nssAdminInstall -a admin.HPSD HPSD_TREE -p xpasswd -o server1admin.HPSD HPSD_TREE
Error ffffda2 installing nssAdmin

Converted HEX to Decimal and looked up 606
-606 0xFFFFFDA2 FDA2 = ERR_ENTRY_ALREADY_EXISTS
So.. It's telling us that "cn=server1admin.HPSD" already exists.

2. Compared cn=server1admin with cn=server2admin from NetWare Console using DSBROWSE. They were different. Renamed server1admin to server1adminOLD

3. Tried command again. This time received a success error:
Successfully installed nssAdmin.

Actions:
=======
1. In iManager, click Storage > Pools.
For instructions, see Section 8.1.3, Accessing Roles and Tasks in iManager.
2. Select a server to manage.
For instructions, see Section 8.1.4, Selecting a Server to Manage.
3. In the Pools list, select the pool you want to update.
Wait for the page to refresh. It displays the pools details and enables its management options.
4. Click Update eDirectory.
SUCCES

Cause:
============
1. Don't use leading DOT's with nssAdminInstall.
2. Systems Administrator had reinstalled the server, but failed to delete the "ServernameAdmin" account for the server. Then he deleted the account and re-created by hand. Once we renamed the account and used nssAdminInstall according to TID 7000741 we had success.

TID 7000741 Technical Information Document from Novell
http://www.novell.com/support/viewContent.do?externalId=7000741&sliceId=1

ZENworks Asset Management Collection Service

The following is an issue that I've been working on. It was finally resolved with an easy resolution.

Environment
==========
Novell
ZAM Zenworks Asset Management 7.5
ZENWorks 7 Suite


Issue
==========
Clients are not connecting correctly, Web Console is not working correctly in the reports area, and the collection server detailed status has a network error message.


Details:
==========
Upgraded to Zenworks Asset Manager 7.60.0026 IR 12
Now clients aren't connecting or not checking in. Clients are not getting scanned.

When using the ZENworks Asset Management Manager, click on ZAM to View Detailed Status ZAM Collection Server get following error message:

"ZENworks Asset Management Manager
[2.4.501] A netowrk error was encountered while communicating with a remote application.
ID:{70023C91-78FD-429D-A62C-483E8668D98C}
Name: zam
Port: 7460

Get Message Channel Failure within the Collection client event log
"message channel failure"


Troubleshooting
=============
1. Enabled logging on client
2. Check for open ports 7460 on collection server
3. Check for firewall - communications
4. Check registry for open ports
5. Check ColSvrCoreEvent log
6. ZIP collection server's BIN directory - send to Novell for analysis
7. Change location of File Store
8. Let collection server run "anonymous", change IP back to Valid IP or DNS, send collection server's logs back to Novell for analysis ColsvrCoreEvent.log
9. After analysis of collection server's logs All you need to do is turn off "Lost and Found" feature


Actions to Resolution:
=======
Analysis of ColSvrCoreEvent log showed that feature of ZAM called Lost and Found can cause problems with Collection Server
We turned off "Lost and Found" and now collection server is working properly.
Disable the check box for the Lost and Found setting within Tools, Enterprise Options.

Miscellaneous Details and supporting documents:
==================
TID 3856101
Reasons for Collection Server Core dump - Collection server crash: TID: 3856101


============
From Novell Documentation page 209 and 257
By default, Lost and Found tracking is turned on. If you are an administrator, you can specify whether your installation tracks Lost and Found. You can enable or disable the tracking of Hardware and Software independently.

To change enterprise options
Click on the Tools menu and click on Enterprise Options.
In the Track Lost and Found box, select or clear the check boxes to track hardware or software that cannot be found.
The Lost and Found is a special kind of stockroom that is created and maintained by ZENworks Asset Management.

Best of Brainshare 2008 Denver CO

Hey Colorado!
Don't miss the Best of Brainshare 2008 coming to Denver Colorado

Jun 17, 2008
7:30 AM MDT - 4:30 PM MDT

Denver Marriott City Center
1701 California Street
Denver , CO 80202 United States
1-303-297-1300

Reserve your seat at this link
Best of Brainshare Tour

openSUSE 11.0 June 19 Countdown