Sam.McGeown.co.uk

No matter how good your network diagrams are, sometimes you need to verify the port your server/desktop is in. Cisco Discovery Protocol is a great tool for network admins when you need to quickly map routers and switches, and if you’ve got an ESX server connected you’ll see that it picks up CDP info too – but the vast majority of my managed systems are Windows.

Here’s how to use TCPDUMP by Micro Olap to extend that functionality to your Windows boxes.

Firstly you need to find the interface number of the network adaptor you are trying to find CDP data for.  Use this command:

tcpdump -D

Which gives you a list of the interfaces on the computer:

My actual NIC is the third one in the list, so I can run the command:

tcpdump -i 3 -nn -v -s 1500 -c 1 ether[20:2] == 0x2000

-i n [interface and the number in the list, for me 3]

-nn [don’t resolve DNS, speeds things up]

-v [verbose mode, otherwise we won’t see all the packet details]

-s 1500 [set the maximum packet size to capture, the MTU is 1500 by default so it will capture the entire packet]

-c 1  [Capture one packet only, since we only want the CDP packet and filter using the header]

ether[20:2] == 0x2000 [Check the Ethernet header packet ID for the hex value 0x2000 – CDP protocol]

Some output is omitted, but you can see that the name of the switch and the port are both in there.

Easier than tracing a cable!

Cisco, Networking, Windows 7, Windows Server, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Vista SP1 Cisco Discovery Protocol, CDP, Cisco, Windows, Network, Cable, Trace

We have a folder redirection policy in place for all of our users in combination with a roaming profile policy - this policy is applied to the OU that contains our users. Unfortunately this policy was accidently linked to the root of our domain too, causing our Domain Admin users to be redirected too - something we do not want. When the mistake was discovered, the policy was unlinked, but the redirection remained (despite being set to revert when users fall out of scope). I tried re-applying the policy, modifying the out of scope policy and then moving the Domain Admin user out of scope, but it failed to remove the folder redirection.

In the end, the solution was straight forward enough:

Create a new OU (I used "Temp") and move the affected user(s) there:

Create and link a new Group Policy Object to the new OU. Name it something descriptive so you know what it is in future - Folder Redirection Removal.

Edit the group policy, drill down to User Configuration > Windows Settings > Folder Redirection and right click - properties on each folder you want to reset. Set the setting to “Basic – Redirect everyone’s folder to the same location” and set the target folder location to “Redirect to the local userprofile location”.

Select the settings tab and make sure the Policy Removal setting is set to “Redirect the folder back to the local userprofile location when the policy is removed.”

Set that for each folder you want to reset. Close the Group Policy Object Editor, and GPMC. Log onto the user's account on each computer you want to remove the redirection on - in my case, several servers. Check the location of the redirected folders to make sure it’s been removed. Once you’re sure, you can move your user back to the correct OU.

Active Directory, User Profiles, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows XP active directory, folder redirection, remove, user, accounts, server, 2003, group policy

If you’re getting a error on your LAN connection it’s possible that your network connection is attempting 802.11 authentication on your wired network. Unfortunately, it seems that Vista/Server 2008 both attempt it before reverting. As far as I can see, it’s not causing any issues, other than irritating me with a “failed” and a red question mark.

Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to fix! The authentication is handled by the Wired AutoConfig service, so it’s just a case of disabling it. Navigate “Start”, then click “Run” (or just hit Win + r) and type “services.msc”. Click “OK” and the Services console will fire up.

Now if you scroll down to Wired Autoconfig and configure it as below (Stop the service, then select “Disabled” as the startup type).

Alternatively, you can enable 802.11 on your Windows Domain…but that’s another story!

Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Networking windows vista, network, windows server 2008

I recently tried to use Microsoft reader on my iMate K-Jam mobile, it's Windows Mobile 5 powered, so according to Microsoft it's fully supported. However, when I tried to activate, I got the following error:

"You have an older version of Pocket PC which does not support Activation"

Not true I cried, and after a lot of Google-ing and trying various different fixes that are posted on the net, I found the only one that actually worked for me!

It was as simple as adding the activation web site to the "Trusted Sites" zone in Internet Explorer, and running IE in the administrators context. It was one of those simple ones that really makes the 2 hours spent searching for an answer all the more frustrating.

I've got a feeling Microsoft should add notes to that effect on the site...never mind.

Digital music, Windows Mobile, Windows Vista windows, mobile, vista, microsoft, reader, drm

For a little while now I've had an irritating problem with my Vista laptop. Whenever I insert a DVD, CD of any kind, pops up the message asking me to prepare a blank disk:

It's impossible to access the files on the disc and I don't want Vista trying to "prepare" my data disc. Quite irritating, but not irritating enough to fix right away.

Microsoft have a KB article about it, which has worked in some cases, but not in most. There are various advices around to do with firmware, software, reinstalling the device - here's how I fixed it.

So, first step - eliminate any CD/DVD burning software that might be causing a conflict. If you've got commercial software, make sure you have your license key and media to reinstall at a later date.

I have the excellent ISO Recorder, by Alex Fienman - but I need to eliminate that as a possible cause, and it's free to install. I also have Roxio, which I've never used and came bundled with the OS installation. I removed all of them through the Programs and Features control panel.

The next thing to do is check that there are no firmware updates for your drive, from the manufacturers web site. My laptop is a Dell Latitude D820, with a TSST TS-L462D drive - I found a new update and ran the installation. Follow the manufacturers instructions on this one.

Next, I followed Microsoft's article which involves editing the registry. Editing the registry incorrectly can seriously damage your computer, so back it up first, and be careful. Don't restart at this point.

If you've installed VMWare server at all, it disables the autorun feature on your DVD drive so you don't have problems with virtual machines - however this can also cause the problem.

• Open regedit, and change the following key:
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentC­ontrolSet\Services\CDRom
• Change the "Autorun" value from "0" to "1" which enables auto run on your drive and has been known to fix the issue.

Another solution which has been posted on many support forums is to add a file to "temporary burn" folder in your profile. I have no idea why this would resolve the problem, but it's worth a try. This did cause the "you have files ready to burn to your DVD drive" notification.

• Open explorer, navigate to C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Burn\Burn
• Right click the blank space, click "New > Text Document"
• Try and access your drive.

And finally, open up your Device Manager, locate your DVD/CD drive, right click it and uninstall. Restart your computer - when you do the registry edits will take effect and the device will reinstall.

Hopefully at this point you'll have a working, fully functional DVD drive.

Windows Vista vista, dvd, cd-rom, cd, prepare, disc, error, regedit, burn

I needed to use PowerShell for something today on my Vista laptop, but was unable to install the file. I had the normal UAC permission required when I ran it,  but then it failed with this error

Installer encountered an error: 0x80070422

The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it.

It turns out that you need to enable the Windows Update service in order to use an MSU file. How backwards is that? Well, lets see, I have to run a SERVICE in order to be able to install applications.

Incidently, PowerShell is fantastic, I'm just getting used to using it at the moment, probably more to come on that!

Windows Vista, PowerShell

We have a Bonded ADSL solution for our servers to provide the necessary upstream transfer speeds for the applications we host. We have bonded ADSL because our exchange still doesn't support SDSL, and a leased line is overkill. Theoretically, we should have 28.1 Mbps download and 3.2Mbps upload - what I am actually seeing is about 1.7Mbps down and 1.9Mbps up. I have tested this on various servers, over various times and file sizes, there is no doubt that the performance is POOR.

Anyway, on to my point. I wanted to create a file that was exactly 100MB to test transfer speeds. Windows XP, Vista, 2003 and 2008 all have a command line utility called FSUTIL.exe which has a subset of commands to manipulate files, with which you can create a file that is exactly 100MB...like so:

FSUTIL FILE CREATENEW 100MBTest.mdb 1048576

Usage: FSUTIL FILE CREATENEW [Filename] [Size in bytes]

 Nice!

Windows Vista, Windows XP, Exchange fsutil, 100mb, file, bandwidth, transfer, testing, createnew

Outlook Web access is a fantastic tool for our company, providing on-the-go access to people's mailboxes - which is of course secured by SSL and uses Forms Based Authentication. Internally, we have an intranet portal that allows us to access the various systems - one of which is OWA. One of the stipulations for this internal portal is that it is all Single Sign On using NTLM authentication - integrated authentication. This is where the problem lies because enabling OWA with Forms Based Authentication over SSL disables Integrated Authentication. So our choice is to have users enter their credentials twice (not acceptable) or to disable FBA and have external users log on with the annoying pop-up.

OR...

You can create a copy of the /Exchange and /Public Virtual Directories and configure them to use Integrated Authentication. You can also restrict access to them by IP...here's how:

 I'm assuming you've already set up OWA with SSL on your Exchange server. If you need to do that, try How do I configure OWA to use SSL? at Daniel Petri's site

1. Log onto your Exchange Server, and open up the IIS control panel. Locate your /Exchange and /Public virtual directories.
2. Right click /Exchange, select "All Tasks" and then "Save Configuration to a File..."
   
3. Go through the dialogue, save to a file and if you're worried about security, add a password.
4. Once you're done, right click any white space in the root web site (or the exchange web site) and select "New", then select "Virtual Directory (from file)..."
   
5. You will be presented with the "Import Configuratio" dialogue, click "Browse..." and select the file you've just created. Click "Read File" and select the Exchange location underneath
   
6. Click "OK" and you'll be asked to provide a new name, or replace the existing Virtual Directory - select create a new one and put an appropriate name (I uses ExchangeIA)
   
7. Now, this step is optional, but read on anyway because you might want to think about it. I only want to allow people on my network to access this using Integrated Authentication, no one else, so I am going to restrict access to the Virtual Directory that I've just created to my IP subnet. To do this right click the newly created Virtual Directory (ExchangeIA) and select the "Directory Security" tab. Under "IP address and domain name restrictions" click "Edit". Now select "Denied access" to deny anyone other than the exceptions, then click "Add.." and enter the details of your network to allow those computers access.
   
8. Now head back to step 1 and repeat for the /Public folder, if Integrated Authentication is required for Public Folders.
   

IIS, Outlook Web Access, Windows Vista, Exchange windows, server, 2003, exchange, owa, outlook web access, iis, ssl, exchange 2003

I noticed a post over at David Overton's blog today that highlights a new release of Windows Search. Normally not that exciting, but it is if you're using Outlook to open up another users mailbox.

I have quite a few mailboxes that are opened for historical reasons, people leave a company and I need access to their email. I don't want to bloat my mailbox with all their email, it's hard enough to find my own emails!

Previously, I've not been able to index the other people's mailboxes, this is a distinct bonus!

David's post is here: http://uksbsguy.com/blogs/doverton/archive/2008/06/08/upgrade-windows-search-to-version-4-0-and-improve-your-pc-for-windows-vista-xp-server-2003-and-2008.aspx

Windows Vista windows, desktop, search, wds, mailbox, outlook 2007

Had an interesting one yesterday, my bosses Vista laptop booted as per normal, making all the right pictures until just before the log in prompt popped up, then a black screen in what looked to be VGA graphics with the white default arrow cursor.

Corrupted graphics drivers, I thought. A quick boot into safe mode...but no, the same black screen and over-sized pointer.

No problem, Last Known Good Configuration will save my day...except that LKGC points are set when the OS manages a successful boot, and Vista had, in it's own opinion, successfully booted. The same problem occurred.

Googling around I found hundreds of posts describing similar problems, fewer, but still quite a lot had the same problem. There were no solutions for the symptoms that I was facing; that always begins to worry me because it's very unlikely that I can fix something that no-one else can!

After several more hours Googling and trying various different recovery options, I came accross a very succinct and to the point technet article - KB946532. Apparently Vista's fairly unknown Transactional NTFS has a bug which, if you're unlucky enough to see, will "occur because of file system corruption within the $Txf directory. This corruption causes a deadlock condition between the Transactional NTFS (TxF) process and the Autocheck process." In short, you're screwed.

System Restore points don't fix this problem. There's no way of preventing this error, which will render your Vista install inoperable. Helpfully, MS suggest you reinstall Vista in parallel to your current install. They also mention that it's fixed in SP1, which is the most compelling reason to install SP1 that I've heard.

Right now I feel a little like I'm playing Russian roulette with my fleet of Vista laptops, but do I really want to force an early adoption of SP1?

Windows Vista windows, vista, sp1, black screen of death, transactional ntfs

This is something I’ve run into time and time again and There are a couple of things you can try…sometimes they work individually, sometimes not!

Windows Vista windows vista, mapped drives

Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista

Digital music, Windows Vista windows, vista, itunes

ASP.NET, Windows Vista visual studio 2003, vista

Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Admin Tools windows, vista, server 2003, administration, adminpak

Visual Studio, Windows Vista

Windows Vista, Windows XP vista, xp, installation, dual boot