Well today I had to connect to one of my client's servers and download the Dell Raid Storage Management tool for the machine to check something in the RAID config. I couldn't remember the Dell model number nor retrieve the service tag. In the end I used the PowerShell and WMI to retrieve the service tag:
in Windows PowerShell execute the following cmdlet:
get-wmiobject win32_bios
Amongst other BIOS info, the cmdlet returns the serial number. The serial number Dell program into the BIOS is the system service tag :)
I could then go onto the Dell support site, enter the service tag and go straight to the relevant downloads for the server I was dealing with.
Saturday, 19 December 2009
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
SBS 2008 - one XP SP3 client incorrectly reporting firewall OFF
So one of the SBS 2008's I recently migrated from SBS 2003 has been reporting in the console and the email status report that one of the client machines has the firewall disabled. I checked straight away that this was not the case and indeed, the Windows firewall was enabled and configured in line with the default SBS 2008 group policies. That was six weeks ago and I felt it was about time I got around to fixing the issue.
It seems that the built in Windows Firewall doesn't register itself in WMI. Third party firewalls do. SBS bases the results of its reports on WMI queries to this namespace. If it finds no instance at all the client appears in the console as having an 'unknown status', and when the report comes through in email it still has the green check mark, i.e unknown status = OK. I guess Microsoft have done this to accomodate the Windows built in firewall which many of its customers will be using. The problem on the machine I was dealing with was that it had at one time had a third party firewall, which had created an instance in WMI, but upon uninstallation of the firewall, rather than deleting the WMI entry, the status in WMI was set to OFF. Upon querying this client the SBS was not seeing an unknown status as would normally happen when using Windows firewall, but a WMI firewall instance was present and the status OFF, and therefore causing the red cross in the status reports. To correct the issue I had to open up wbemtest.exe, the WMI test utility found in %WINDIR%\system32\Wbem, then click connect and change the namespace to root\securitycenter, then click connect again. Next click Open Class and type in firewallproduct, then click on instances. For XP clients that have always used the Windows firewall and never had a third party firewall installed, the instances list will be empty. On my problem client there was a guid in there of the firewall instance that had previously been installed. Deleting that entry from the instances list solved the problem.
References:
http://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Microsoft_Operating_Systems/Server/SBS_Small_Business_Server/Q_24083770.html
http://www.wilsonmar.com/1wmiwbem.htm
http://www.richmondsys.com/web/Literature/Activeworx/Troubleshooting%20Winlog%20Collection%20Using%20Wbemtest.pdf
It seems that the built in Windows Firewall doesn't register itself in WMI. Third party firewalls do. SBS bases the results of its reports on WMI queries to this namespace. If it finds no instance at all the client appears in the console as having an 'unknown status', and when the report comes through in email it still has the green check mark, i.e unknown status = OK. I guess Microsoft have done this to accomodate the Windows built in firewall which many of its customers will be using. The problem on the machine I was dealing with was that it had at one time had a third party firewall, which had created an instance in WMI, but upon uninstallation of the firewall, rather than deleting the WMI entry, the status in WMI was set to OFF. Upon querying this client the SBS was not seeing an unknown status as would normally happen when using Windows firewall, but a WMI firewall instance was present and the status OFF, and therefore causing the red cross in the status reports. To correct the issue I had to open up wbemtest.exe, the WMI test utility found in %WINDIR%\system32\Wbem, then click connect and change the namespace to root\securitycenter, then click connect again. Next click Open Class and type in firewallproduct, then click on instances. For XP clients that have always used the Windows firewall and never had a third party firewall installed, the instances list will be empty. On my problem client there was a guid in there of the firewall instance that had previously been installed. Deleting that entry from the instances list solved the problem.
References:
http://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Microsoft_Operating_Systems/Server/SBS_Small_Business_Server/Q_24083770.html
http://www.wilsonmar.com/1wmiwbem.htm
http://www.richmondsys.com/web/Literature/Activeworx/Troubleshooting%20Winlog%20Collection%20Using%20Wbemtest.pdf
Monday, 30 November 2009
Laserjet 1022 strange blurred printing issue
OK so here's an issue I came across today...
HP Laserjet 1022. At times it prints fine, others the print will be blurred down one half of the page.
Changed the cartridge and it starts printing fine, so leave it with the user who calls after five minutes to say it's blurred again.
So I print a self test page and it prints fine, then a Windows test page and it prints fine, then I stand back and get the user to print a document which is blurred. Hmmmm.
Remain stood back and get the user to print a Windows test page, then a printer test page - both blurred. Then I move forward and as I do so notice that my shadow has moved, blocking the sunlight which had been shining directly on the vent on the side of the printer, all of a sudden it's printing OK again. Move back out of the way of ther sunlight and it's blurred!!
So obviously some of the light was falling through the vent and onto the mirror causing the issue. I was really scratching my head with it for a while until I noticed the sunlight!! A carefully positioned ring binder has solved the issue.
HP Laserjet 1022. At times it prints fine, others the print will be blurred down one half of the page.
Changed the cartridge and it starts printing fine, so leave it with the user who calls after five minutes to say it's blurred again.
So I print a self test page and it prints fine, then a Windows test page and it prints fine, then I stand back and get the user to print a document which is blurred. Hmmmm.
Remain stood back and get the user to print a Windows test page, then a printer test page - both blurred. Then I move forward and as I do so notice that my shadow has moved, blocking the sunlight which had been shining directly on the vent on the side of the printer, all of a sudden it's printing OK again. Move back out of the way of ther sunlight and it's blurred!!
So obviously some of the light was falling through the vent and onto the mirror causing the issue. I was really scratching my head with it for a while until I noticed the sunlight!! A carefully positioned ring binder has solved the issue.
First post
Ok so here I go, my first blog post...
By way of introduction I am a 30 year old male in the UK, I work for a small IT consultancy and have been in IT for ten years.
I decided to start a blog simply to document problems and solutions I come across in my day to day business life, to 'give something back'. Hopefully the information I share will help others, as others' information shared has helped me on countless occassions.
I am Microsoft qualified with an MCSE on Windows Server 2003. Although I hold a senior position in the company, we are so small that I end up dealing with a lot of the crap on a daily basis - stupid users, funky printing issues, corner of user's diary holding down the ctrl key, that sort of thing, as well as the big things, recovering servers from backup post disaster, network planning and design, SBS migration scenarios. We deal a lot with Small Business Server 2003 and 2008, I have a feeling I will be posting a lot about those products here. I have used Jeff Middleton's Swing Migration methodology numerous times, both to SBS 2003 and 2008, and that will probably feature too...
By way of introduction I am a 30 year old male in the UK, I work for a small IT consultancy and have been in IT for ten years.
I decided to start a blog simply to document problems and solutions I come across in my day to day business life, to 'give something back'. Hopefully the information I share will help others, as others' information shared has helped me on countless occassions.
I am Microsoft qualified with an MCSE on Windows Server 2003. Although I hold a senior position in the company, we are so small that I end up dealing with a lot of the crap on a daily basis - stupid users, funky printing issues, corner of user's diary holding down the ctrl key, that sort of thing, as well as the big things, recovering servers from backup post disaster, network planning and design, SBS migration scenarios. We deal a lot with Small Business Server 2003 and 2008, I have a feeling I will be posting a lot about those products here. I have used Jeff Middleton's Swing Migration methodology numerous times, both to SBS 2003 and 2008, and that will probably feature too...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)