How to upgrade ESXI to ESXI 6.0

How to upgrade ESXI to ESXI 6.0

1. Disconnect the network storage
2. Do not disconnect a LUN that contains an existing ESXI installation.
3. Set the server hardware clock to UTC in BIOS.
4. Boot the ESXI installer from a cd, DVD or USB.
5. Select the drive on which to install or upgrade ESXI and press enter in the select a disk panel.
6. Press F1 for information about the selected disk.
7. Upgrade ESXI if the installer finds an existing ESXI installation and VMFS datastore.
8. Press F11 to confirm and start the upgrade.
9. Remove the installation cd or DVD or USB flash drive when the upgrade is complete.
10. Press enter to reboot the host.
11. Set the first boot device to be the drive which you selected previously when you upgraded ESXI.
12. Connect back the network storage.

Source: Methods for upgrading to VMware ESXi 6.0 (2109711) | VMware KB

http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-60/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.upgrade.doc%2FGUID-77D42D81-F47E-4FE9-B4B2-B15AB16C9C1A.html

How to add ISCSI disk to Ubuntu server from NetApp

General info

Target = storage system. In this case NetApp.

Initiator = the server. In this case Ubuntu Linux server.

Change iqn name = You must supply the iSCSI initiator node name when you set up igroups.

To make this process go smoothly, it is a good practice to write down the node name now. Before you record the node name, you might want to change it.

By default, a node name ends with a string of random numbers.

Changing this part of the name to something such as the host name can make the node name easier to use.

Note! You can only change the last portion of the iqn name: like change the name form iqn.2005-03.com.RedHat:012345 to iqn.2005-03.com.RedHat:Toaster.

On the Linux server

1. Install open-iscsi
   1. sudo apt install open-iscsi
2. Change iqn name to iqn format with the server name at the end
   1. sudo vi /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi
3. Edit iscsi config file so that the server connects automatically to the Netapp after reboot.
   1. sudo vi /etc/iscsi/iscsid.conf
   2. change the folowing line to automatic:
   3. startup = automatic
4. Restart the iscsi service
   1. sudo systemctl restart iscsid

• go to Netapp steps. When done, comeback here.

5. Rediscover the Netapp
   192. sudo iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p 192.168.1.53
6. Connect to the netapp
   1. sudo iscsiadm -m node –login
7. Get the list of disks on the server and locate the new ISCSI disk
   1. dmesg | grep sd
8. Create a new partition
   1. sudo fdisk /dev/sdb
   2. n (Add new partition).
   3. P (Primery partition).
   4. enter
   5. w (Write table to disk and exit).
9. Format the file system and mount it to /srv
   1. sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1
   2. sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /srv
10. Add an entry to /etc/fstab file – to mount the iscsi drive during boot:
    1. /dev/sdb1 /srv        ext4    defaults,auto,_netdev 0 0
11. Reboot the server and verify that the disk is automatically up.
    1. sudo reboot -h now
    2. df -h

 

• If for some reason you want to disconnect from the Netapp which means to disconnect the ISCSI disk from the server, you can logout with:
  1. sudo iscsiadm -m node –logout
• If for some reason you want to uninstall open-iscsi package from the server, you can do it with:
  1. service open-iscsi stop
  2. sudo apt-get remove –auto-remove open-iscsi
  3. sudo reboot
  4. sudo apt-get purge open-iscsi

On the Netapp storage

1. Create new volume
2. Create new qutree
3. Create new LUN
4. Create new initiator group
5. Add the Linux server initiator name to the initiator group
   1. You can get the initiator name by going to the Linux server and look in the initiator config file: sudo cat /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi

Sources:

(iSCSI) How to configure iSCSI for Linux

https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/serverguide/iscsi-initiator.html#iscsi-initiator-install

http://installion.co.uk/ubuntu/trusty/main/o/open-iscsi/uninstall/index.html

https://www.howtogeek.com/106873/how-to-use-fdisk-to-manage-partitions-on-linux/

Give people delegate permissions for a distribution group Office 365

 

 

Give people delegate permissions for a distribution group

If you are an Office 365 admin, you can give people delegate permissions to send email from, and on behalf of a distribution group.

1. Log in to your office 365 admin center.
2. Click the Admin tile.
3. In the Office 365 admin center panel, click Groups.
4. In the Groups panel, check the box next to the group you want to add delegates to.
5. In the right panel, under Distribution list, click Edit Exchange properties.
6. Click group delegation.
7. Use the following to help you determine whether you want to assign Send As or Send on Behalf permissions

Send As:

This allows a member of the group to send email as the distribution group address. To a recipient, the From line will display the group name only.

Send on Behalf:

This allows a member of the group to send email on behalf of the group. To a recipient, the From line will display the sender “on behalf of” the group.

To send as the distribution group, you need to show the From field in your email composer. To show the From field in Outlook, open a new email, click Options, and select From.

Source: Give people delegate permissions for a distribution group | Office 365 from GoDaddy – GoDaddy Help GB

Synchronize ESXi/ESX time with a Microsoft Domain Controller

Synchronize ESXi/ESX time with a Microsoft Domain Controller

When using Active Directory integration in ESXi/ESX 4.1 and newer, it is important to synchronize time between ESXi/ESX and the directory service to facilitate the Kerberos security protocol.

ESXi/ESX support synchronization of time with an external NTPv3 or NTPv4 server compliant with RFC 5905 and RFC 1305. Microsoft Windows 2003 and newer use the W32Time service to synchronize time for windows clients and facilitate the Kerberos v5 protocol. For more information, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 939322 and How the Windows Time Service Works.

By default, an unsynced Windows server chooses a 10-second dispersion and adds to the dispersion on each poll interval that it remains in sync. An ESXi/ESX host, by default, does not accept any NTP reply with a root dispersion greater than 1.5 seconds.

Configure Windows NTP Client:

ESXi/ESX requires an accurate time source to synchronize with. To use a Windows 2003 or newer server, it should be configured to get its time from an accurate upstream NTP server

Use the registry editor on the Windows server to make the configuration changes:

Enable NTP mode:

Locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters

Set the Type value to NTP.

Enable the NTP Client:

Locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config

Set the AnnounceFlags value to 5.

Specify the upstream NTP servers to sync from:

Locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders

Set the NtpServer value to a list of at least 3 NTP servers.

Example: You might set the value to:

1.pool.ntp.org,0x1 2.pool.ntp.org,0x1 3.pool.ntp.org,0x1

Note: On a Windows 2008 Domain Controller, NtpServer is located in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters.

Specify a 15-minute update interval:

Locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient

Set the SpecialPollInterval value to 900.

Restart the W32time service for the changes to take effect.

Configure ESXi/ESX NTP and Likewise Clients

vSphere Client

Configure ESXi/ESX to synchronize time with the Windows server Active Directory Domain Controller:

1. Connect to the ESXi/ESX host or vCenter Server using the vSphere Client.
2. Click the ESXi/ESX host in the inventory.
3. Click the Configuration tab.
4. Under the Software heading, click Time Configuration.
5. Click Properties.
6. Ensure that the NTP Client Enabled option is selected.
7. Click Options.
8. Click NTP Settings.
9. Click Add and specify the fully qualified domain name or IP address of the Windows server Domain Controller(s).
10. Click OK.
11. Click OK to save the changes.

vSphere Web Client

1. Log in to the vSphere Web Client with administrator credentials.
2. Click on Hosts and Clusters.
3. Select the ESXi host from the list
4. Click Manage > Settings.
5. Expand System and select Time Configurations.
6. Click Edit.
7. Enter the Windows server Domain Controller(s) information.

Additional configuration must be done from the command line.

ESX/ESXi 4.x and 5.x

Open a console to the ESXi/ESX host. For more information, see Connecting to an ESX host using a SSH client (1019852) or Using Tech Support Mode in ESXi 4.1 and ESXi 5.0 (1017910).

Open the /etc/ntp.conf file in a text editor. For more information, see Editing configuration files in VMware ESXi and ESX (1017022).

Add the tos maxdist command on its own line:

tos maxdist 30

Save and close the configuration file.

Make the /etc/likewise/lsassd.conf file writable by running the command:

chmod +w /etc/likewise/lsassd.conf

Open the /etc/likewise/lsassd.conf file in a text editor.

Locate the sync-system-time option, uncomment it, and set the value to no:

sync-system-time = no

Save and close the configuration file.

On ESXi, save the configuration changes to the boot bank so they persist across reboots by running the command:

/sbin/auto-backup.sh

Restart the ntpd and lsassd services for the configuration changes to take effect by running the commands:

service lsassd restart

service ntpd restart

Note: To restart the ntpd and lsassd services on an ESXi host, run these commands:

/etc/init.d/lsassd restart

/etc/init.d/ntpd restart

If the ntpd and lsassd services do not restart, consider restarting the management agents first. For more information about restarting the management agents, see Restarting the Management agents on an ESX or ESXi Server (1003490).

ESXi 6.0

Connect to the ESXi host using an SSH session. For more information, see Using ESXi Shell in ESXi 5.x and 6.0 (2004746).

Open the /etc/ntp.conf file in a text editor. For more information, see Editing configuration files in VMware ESXi and ESX (1017022).

Add the tos maxdist command on its own line:

tos maxdist 30

Save and close the configuration file.

Run this command to access the likewise shell:

/usr/lib/vmware/likewise/bin/lwregshell

Note: If the command fails with the error:

lwregshell (error = 40700 – LWREG_ERROR_NO_SUCH_KEY_OR_VALUE)

Run this command to start the likewise service and then run the command to access the likewise shell:

/etc/init.d/lwsmd start

Navigate to the HKEY_THIS_MACHINE\Services\lsass\Parameters\Providers\ActiveDirectory directory with this command:

cd HKEY_THIS_MACHINE\Services\lsass\Parameters\Providers\ActiveDirectory

Run this command to change the synchronization time:

set_value SyncSystemTime 0

Exit the shell by typing quit and pressing Enter.

Refresh the lsass service with this command:

/usr/lib/vmware/likewise/bin/lwsm refresh lsass

For example:

/usr/lib/vmware/likewise/bin/lwsm refresh lsass

Refreshing service: lsass

To verify the changes to the registry key, run this command:

/usr/lib/vmware/likewise/bin/lwregshell list_values “[HKEY_THIS_MACHINE\Services\lsass\Parameters\Providers\ActiveDirectory]”

Once the configuration changes are complete, ensure that the time is synchronized between the ESXi/ESX host and the Windows server. For more information, see Troubleshooting NTP on ESX and ESXi (1005092).

Source: Synchronizing ESXi/ESX time with a Microsoft Domain Controller (1035833) | VMware KB

Configure ESXi host with Active Directory authentication

Configuring the ESXi host with Active Directory authentication

Purpose

This article provides steps to add an ESXi host to the Active Directory.

Resolution

To add an ESXi host to the Active Directory:

1. Confirm the ESXi host is synchronizing time with the Active Directory Domain controller.
2. From the vSphere Client, select the host that you want to add to the Active Directory.
3. Click the Configuration tab
4. Click the Authentication Services.
5. Click the Properties link at the top right pane.
6. In the Directory Services Configuration dialog, select the directory service from the dropdown.
7. Enter a domain.
8. Click Join Domain.
9. Enter the user name (in user@domain.com format) and password of a directory service user account that has permissions to join the host to the domain and click OK.
10. Click OK to close the Directory Services Configuration dialog box.
11. Click the Configuration tab and click Advanced Settings.
12. Navigate to Config > HostAgent.
13. Change the Config.HostAgent.plugins.hostsvc.esxAdminsGroup setting to match the Administrator group that you want to use in the Active Directory. These settings take affect within a minute and no reboot is required.

Notes:

• If the Config.HostAgent.plugins.hostsvc.esxAdminsGroup setting is changed, ensure to remove any invalid users from the Permissions tab of the ESXi host.
• In ESXi 4.1, the ESX Admins container is hard coded and must be added on the Active Directory side for authentication to work.

Source: Configuring the ESXi host with Active Directory authentication (2075361) | VMware KB