Quick Notes | Steve Dolphin

Quick: Configuring Server Core 2008 R2

Since my post on sconfig.cmd I’ve been pointed at a product called CCCR2 (there’s a non-R2 version too) by its author, Joachim Nässlander. I’ve been using CCCR2 since he pointed me that way and it’s been *much* better than remembering netsh commands and trying to update my multiple vNICs on each new VM I create, it looks like this:

Having had much fun with Server Core (it seems like it should be a great idea, but no-one really supports it or does much with it yet!) I decided to actively search to see if there were any other tools for this sort of thing, there is, a nice little GUI one called Core Configurator:

So now here I am, stuck with a choice between two perfectly good ways of configuring my server core installations and no sensible way of chosing between the two of them! Both are small enough .iso files to be considered floppy-size which makes them quick and portable, both do pretty much the same thing. Interestingly I think I’m going to continue using CCCR2 because it’s a little bit faster to whizz through the menus and set my NICs up (I don’t need to do things like join domains because that’s already handled by a VMware template).

There is one setting that I frequently use which neither support though, and that’s changing the MTU size (jumbo frames on a NIC), I still need my handy netsh commands for that, but at least CCCR2 shows the interfaces with their MTU size alongside them as a reminder during my setup.

Does anyone else have any Server Core tools?

Quick: SNMP in Server Core 2008 R2

Installing SNMP in Server Core 2008 R2 is really simple, as many blogs and guides will have already told you all you need to do is run this command:

start /w ocsetup SNMP-SC

From there though, how on earth do you configure it? You’ll note that if you use the Server Manager or MMC to bring up the properties of the service that all the ones you want aren’t there:

That’s not helpful at all! A few blogs, including this one have pointed out that you can do a registry dump from a GUI-based install and that works fine, but for me that didn’t seem clean enough.

Well, I’ve sussed it, with the help of this Trainsignal article and their phrasing of:

Also, after installing SNMP in Server 2008, the SNMP option tabs will not show up until you have logged off and logged back on again. So, you won’t be able to configure anything until after you log back in. This has caused a fair amount of confusion in the field.

For Windows 7, Install the SNMP Management Tools (from Control Panel, Programs and Features):
Once you’ve done this you’ll need to log off and back on again and then when you open the dialogue box as before (via MMC or Server Manager) you’ll have all the fields.

For Windows 2003 and XP you can kind of see them anyway (on my system this yields a funny message, although seems to work).

Quick: iscsicpl.exe for easier configuration of your iSCSI access from Windows Server 2008 R2 Core installs and Hyper-V Server 2008 R2

This will be the quickest one yet. Bored of using all those iscsicli commands to configure access to your iSCSI hosts, well, certainly in the latest version of Windows Server you don’t have to:

iscsicpl.exe

Quick: sconfig.cmd for configuring Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server Core installations

Update: I’ve since decided that sconfig.cmd isn’t the best tool available by a long way

Presented with an unhelpful black command prompt when you’ve installed Windows Server Core 2008 R2 or Hyper-V Server 2008 R2? Want some way of getting started in this crazy, text-based operating system?

Bring up the slightly more friendly configuration wizard by typing

sconfig

at the prompt which will then give you options for joining the domain, setting IP addresses and so on and so forth. It’s not as comprehensive as using netsh commands but a hell of a lot easier when you’re starting out.

Quick: Helpful list of netsh commands for your Windows Server Core 2008R2 Installation

As I’m now configuring all my new virtual servers, many of which are Core installations, I need a helpful list of netsh commands which allow me to configure network interfaces and so on, this is a handy guide for me as much as anyone else:

Change an interface’s name:
netsh interface set interface name="Local Area Connection" newname="LAN"
Change an interface’s MTU (for jumbo frames etc):
netsh interface ipv4 set subinterface "LAN" mtu=WHATEVER store=persistent
List IP4 interfaces:
netsh interface ipv4 show interfaces
Set IP4 address:
netsh interface ipv4 set address name="ID" source=static address=StaticIP mask=SubnetMask gateway=DefaultGateway
Add some DNS Servers:
netsh interface ipv4 add dnsserver name="ID" address=DNSIP
Set back to DHCP:
netsh interface ipv4 set address name="ID" source=dhcp

Quick: Mount a CDROM drive in the vSphere Management Assistant

Installing some drivers or something in ESXi? Downloaded the Management Assistant as a virtual machine and installed it but not sure what to do while you’re there?

Quick: Shutdown Dell EqualLogic and PowerEdge R710

I keep forgetting the commands to shutdown the EqualLogic arrays that I’ve got and the R710s that are serving them. I’m still in a test and dev environment so doing safe powerdowns happens quite often (as does deliberately non-safe ones), either way, these are the shutdown commands (I’m assuming you’ve set up management IP addresses on both that allow you to SSH in:

iDRAC6 (Dell R710s)
racadm serveraction powerdown

EqualLogic (remember to connect to each member and perform a shutdown)
shutdown

Yep, they really are that simple. I hope to be able to combine these into a script which can be triggered by environmental monitoring etc.