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Tag Archives: System Center

SCVMM 2012 R2 – Fix for VM console access error : Virtual Machine Manager lost the connection to the virtual machine

In the last couple of weeks I’ve been installing and configuring a System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 R2 (VMM) environment.

At first all management was done from the VMM management server and console access to VMs from VMM was working fine. Later on the VMM console (and appropriate rollup) were installed on the laptop directly. Then when he opened the VMM console as a regular user and entered the administrator credentials on the VMM console. All was fine until he tried to access the console of VMs from within VMM, because then for most (not all VMs) he received the following error:

Virtual Machine Manager lost the connection to the virtual machine for one of the following reasons.

Another connection was established to the console of this machine
The virtual machine has been shut down or put into the saved state
The user credentials provided do not have the necessary privilege to connect

(0x0003, 0x0000)

Other connections were not established to the console of this machine and the virtual machine had also not been shut down or put into the saved state. The user credentials provided when connecting to VMM were of an administrator account with VMM admin permissions.

Since the administrator logs on to his laptop using a non-admin account, we first tried to run the VMM console “As Administrator” but this didn’t resolve the issue.

Then I googled the error and found this knowledge base article : VMM 2012 Self-Service users cannot open a console session to a virtual machine . The description didn’t really match our symptoms since the account specified to connect to VMM was an administrator account instead of a self-service user and it was possible to open a VM console session when the VMM console was opened from the VMM Management Server. To rule it out, we tested the proposed resolution and verified using Get-VMConnectAccess that everything was configured correctly.

The solution was to SHIFT+Rightclick on the VMM console shortcut and then choose “Run as different user” and enter the credentials of the administrator account. After that everything worked fine.

 

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Microsoft – Free Windows Azure for IT Professionals Jump Start

Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) is hosting the “Windows Azure for IT Professionals Jump Start” at May 16th. Information and registration is available on the website: https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/liveevents/Windows-Azure-for-IT-Professionals?CR_CC=200206715

I’ve attended a couple of Jump Starts and I think it’s a great way to quickly get up-to-date about a subject. Also there’s a great team of people working behind the scenes to answer questions and provide more detailed resources. Other attendees often also share their experiences and provide valuable insights.

Also it’s only been a couple of weeks since Windows Azure IaaS is live in production backed by an enterprise SLA, supported by Microsoft Support, and ready for your production applications. Therefore it is a great time to start learning more about it.

I hope to see you there.

 

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Microsoft – System Center Universe videos and presentations are available now

The System Center Universe videos and presentations are available at http://www.systemcenteruniverse.com. I’ve only been able to browse through them a bit, but it seems very promising.

Also if you’ve missed it in the past, you might also want to take a look at the NIC 2013 (Nordic Infrastructure Conference) session at http://nicconf.com/

 

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Free training – Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) hosting 3 virtualization related Jump Starts

Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) is hosting 3 virtualization related Jump Starts in January and February:

  1. Introduction to Hyper-V Jump Start (January 24th, 2013)
  2. Microsoft Virtualization for VMware Professionals Jump Start (January 30th, 2013)
  3. Microsoft Tools for VMware Migration and Integration (Late February)

I’ve attended a couple of Jump Starts including those of Office 365, Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 already and I think it’s a great way to quickly get up-to-date about a subject. Also there’s a great team of people working behind the scenes to answer questions and provide more detailed resources. Other attendees often also share their experiences and provide valuable insights.

The links above provide include a course outline and a link to register for the Jump Start.

I hope to see you there.

 

 
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Posted by on January 14, 2013 in ICT, Learning, Microsoft, Windows, Windows 2012

 

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SCOM2012 – Extract English Only MSP Update Rollup 3 files from CAB using PowerShell (and my vision on updating using WSUS/Microsoft Update)

I created this script to automate extracting English only MSP files from CAB files in the SCOM 2012 Update Rollup 3 (UR3) files. By default it will delete extracted non-English versions. With some minor modifications it can be used for any CAB file though, not just SCOM 2012 Update Rollup 3. It includes a lot of comments, so it is manageable and can be used for getting to know PowerShell better.

SCOM 2012 Update Rollup 3 can be downloaded here : http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=2750631

The issue with SCOM 2012 Update Rollup 3 is that after downloading you’ll end up with a total of 41 CAB files. The large number of files is because they are for different components and in multiple languages. And what is even worse, is that the file names do not show which file is for which language.This script will extract all cab files to a subfolder and will then removes the non English ones. Below are some of the example files in Update Rollup 3 to give you an idea about the nondescriptive file names:

  • all-kb2750631-amd64-console_1af57997fba722cdd3dfe4b2ddb4b8d8d829dd6f.cab
  • all-kb2750631-amd64-console_3d61c9e090622b2b59ee8bf7b13b922e815bdf15.cab
  • all-kb2750631-amd64-console_494a77ddaa09206f8f61ecdfb2edfcd1e82a497c.cab
  • all-kb2750631-amd64-console_69bb307dbd450cfd8b732c2ac3845c9870bdc6d0.cab
  • all-kb2750631-amd64-console_71c65fc2ded6769edbf610958780b5a8ac374f8c.cab

Deploying SCOM 2012 components and updates to them can be done in multiple ways:                 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh551142.aspx

Most of the work while updating will probably be updating the agents. Basically for SCOM 2012 there are 2 major ways to install agents:

  1. Push installation (initiated from SCOM 2012). Updates can then also be deployed from within SCOM (Remotely Manageable = Yes). Push installation is often preferred, because it is easy and also allows you to push updates to clients from within SCOM 2012. The downside however is that it also requires a lot of open ports (including RPC) which might not always be acceptable:                    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2566152. Push install and update install can also consume a lot of bandwidth and depending on your architecture (b.e. WAN links), the push install might not be the best way.
  2. A manual installation (anything that is not a push installation). Updates cannot be deployed from within SCOM (Remotely Manageable = No). Manual installation includes running setup manually, using a GPO software install or using deployment tools like System Center Configuration Manager). Using the GUI, you cannot simply set an agent back to remotely manageable = Yes. You can change this in SQL though, but keep in mind that connectivity  requirements still need to be met.

With Update Rollup 3, it is now possible to leverage WSUS / Microsoft Update to deploy updates (not the inital agent) to all SCOM 2012 components. I predict this will probably become the preferred way of updating SCOM 2012 for most companies:
+ It does not require many ports on your firewall to be opened.
+ Better bandwidth management (local WSUS, BranchCache, BITS).
+ Auto detects components on systems (component updates are not forgotten).
+ Still in control of when which updates are deployed/approved.
+ Leverage existing patch/update management procedures and systems WSUS/SCCM (standardization).
– Initial agent installation cannot be performed using WSUS.

PS: Also check these great blog posts when deploying Update Rollup 3:

 

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SCOM2012 – Determine OpsMgr Components File Versions Using PowerShell in SCOM2012 Agent Task

In a previous blog post I explained how to use PowerShell remoting to determine OpsMgr Components File Versions.

As an alternative you can also use a local PowerShell script. And what is even easier in my opinion, is creating an agent task. This means you can run the the script against multiple targets and show its result all from within the SCOM 2012 console.

The local PowerShell script can be found here. A management pack containing the agent task and the PowerShell script can be found here.

Based on internet info,these are the version numbers:
SCOM 2012 Cumulative Update 1 / Update Rollup 1 version = 7.0.8560.1021
SCOM 2012 Cumulative Update 2 / Update Rollup 2 version = 7.0.8560.1027
SCOM 2012 Cumulative Update 3 / Update Rollup 3 version = 7.0.8560.1036
SCOM 2012 SP1 beta = 7.0.8925.0

Thanks go out to Derek Har for his blog post that helped me to embed the PowerShell script in the SCOM 2012 management pack.

To give you an idea what the output looks like in SCOM 2012, here are some screenshots:

Bjorn_Tasks_Powershell-Get-SCOMfileversions_01

Bjorn_Tasks_Powershell-Get-SCOMfileversions_01

Bjorn_Tasks_Powershell-Get-SCOMfileversions_02

Bjorn_Tasks_Powershell-Get-SCOMfileversions_02

 

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SCOM2012 – Determine OpsMgr Components File Versions Using PowerShell Remoting

We’re currently working hard on our SCOM 2012 environment. One of the things that need to be done, is upgrading the environment to the latest version, which is currently Update Rollup 3.

Two great blog posts are available to assist you in the upgrade process:

Unfortunately SCOM 2012 at this moment only shows the major version 7.0.8560.0 when using get-scommanagementserver or get-scomagent. For agents you can use this PowerShell command:
get-scomagent | ft computername, version, patchlist -auto
The patchlist is however not available for managementservers, which means another approach is necessary to get an overview of the upgrade status of your SCOM environment.

Since OpsMgr 2012 Update Rollup 3 is available through WSUS now for the first time, you could leverage existing WSUS reports. Depending on your environment, not all systems might be in WSUS or the systems might be using different WSUS servers.

The script I made, is based on Stefan Stranger’s blog post. The script basically works like this:

  1. It queries the SCOM 2012 environment for management servers and agents.
  2. It connects to each management server and agent using PowerShell remoting, locally checks file versions against the desired versions and returns the results.

The script can be found here:
http://bjornhouben-web.sharepoint.com/Lists/Scripts

Since I’m still pretty new to PowerShell scripting, any feedback is welcome so I can improve

[EDIT 22-04-2016]

Added the script as HTML in the blog itself

[EDIT 22-04-2016]

 

<########################################################################################

Name : Determine SCOM Components File Versions Using PowerShell Remoting.ps1

Date : December 10th 2012

Author : Bjorn Houben

Blog        :   http://blog.bjornhouben.com

Website : http://www.bjornhouben.com

Linkedin : http://nl.linkedin.com/in/bjornhouben

Purpose :   Unfortunately SCOM 2012 now only shows the major version 7.0.8560.0 when using get-scommanagementserver or get-scomagent.

                This script will show the file versions of the SCOM 2012 components: Management Server, Gateway Server, Console, Web Console, Agent and reporting tools.

                Using PowerShell remoting, this script will query your SCOM environment for management servers and agents and will then check their local file versions.

                

Assumptions : To query SCOM, you are running the script from a system that meets all of these requirements:

                 1. The “Operations Manager Shell” is installed.

                 2. You can connect to the management server for queries.

                 3. Your account has sufficient permissions to query the management server.

                To query the file versions on remote systems:

                 1. PowerShell remoting must be enabled and configured correctly.

                 2. Connectivity to the remote systems must be available.

                 3. The account used for PowerShell remoting must have sufficient permissions.

Known issues:

Limitations :

Notes   : This script was inspired by Stefan Stranger’s blog post about installing update rollup 3:

                http://blogs.technet.com/b/stefan_stranger/archive/2012/10/22/opsmgr-2012-update-rollup-3-ships-and-my-experience-installing-it.aspx

                To determine the changed files, I used the commands provided in this blog post:

                Get-ItemProperty -Path “$env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Server\*.dll” | select -ExpandProperty VersionInfo | where {$_.FileVersion -eq “7.0.8560.1036”} | Format-List FileName, FileVersion

                Get-ItemProperty -Path “c:\\Program Files\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Reporting\Tools\*.*” | select -ExpandProperty VersionInfo | where {$_.FileVersion -eq $SCOM2012_Update_version} | Format-List FileName, FileVersion

                Get-ItemProperty -Path “$env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Console\*.dll” | select -ExpandProperty VersionInfo | where {$_.FileVersion -eq $SCOM2012_Update_version} | Format-List FileName, FileVersion

                Get-ItemProperty -Path “$env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\WebConsole\WebHost\bin\*.dll” | select -ExpandProperty VersionInfo | where {$_.FileVersion -eq $SCOM2012_Update_version} | Format-List FileName, FileVersion

                Get-ItemProperty -Path “$env:ProgramFiles\System Center Operations Manager\Gateway\*.dll” | select -ExpandProperty VersionInfo | where {$_.FileVersion -eq $SCOM2012_Update_version} | Format-List FileName, FileVersion

                Get-ItemProperty -Path “$env:ProgramFiles\System Center Operations Manager\Agent\*.dll” | select -ExpandProperty VersionInfo | where {$_.FileVersion -eq $SCOM2012_Update_version} | Format-List FileName, FileVersion

Disclaimer : This script is provided AS IS without warranty of any kind. I disclaim all implied warranties including, without limitation,

    any implied warranties of merchantability or of fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk arising out of the use or

    performance of the sample scripts and documentation remains with you. In no event shall I be liable for any damages whatsoever

    (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information,

    or other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of or inability to use the script or documentation.

To improve  :

Copyright   :   I believe in sharing knowledge, so this script and its use is subject to : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

History     : December 10 2012 : Created script

########################################################################################>

#Load the OperationsManager PowerShell module

Import-Module OperationsManager

#Get managementservers and agents

$ManagementServers = Get-SCOMManagementServer

$Agents = Get-SCOMagent

#Declare function for PowerShell remoting

Function get-remotefileversions($computername)

{

    #Invoke-command is used to perform commands on remote machines using PowerShell remoting. The ScriptBlock defines what will be executed on each local machine.

    invoke-command -computername $computername -ScriptBlock{

        

        #Get the local hostname

        $hostname = $env:COMPUTERNAME

        #Declare the function to get fileversions

        Function get-fileversion($description,$file)

        {

            #Declare the desiredversion.            

            #SCOM 2012 Update Rollup 3 version = “7.0.8560.1036”

            #SCOM 2012 SP1 beta version = “7.0.8925.0”            

            $desiredversion = “7.0.8560.1036”

    

            IF((test-path $file) -ne $true) #If file is not present, no file version check will be performed

            {

                #write-host “Not present;$file”

            }

            ELSE #If file is present, file version check will be performend

            {

                #write-host “Present;$file”

                #Get the fileversion

                $fileversion = (Get-ItemProperty -Path $file | select -ExpandProperty VersionInfo).FileVersion

                

                #Define the outputformat

                $output = $hostname;$fileversion;$description;$file

                IF($fileversion -eq $desiredversion) #If fileversion matches desired version, do not show in output

                {

                    #write-host $output

                }

                ELSE #If fileversion does not match desired version, show in output

                {

                    #Show only non compliant versions

                    $output | write-host

                }

            }

        }

        #Define the files to check

        

        #Files for SCOM 2012 Management Server

        get-fileversion “Management Server” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Server\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.DataAccessService.OperationsManager.dll”

        get-fileversion “Management Server” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Server\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Modules.PowerShell.dll”

        get-fileversion “Management Server” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Server\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.RuntimeService.dll”

        get-fileversion “Management Server” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Server\MomIISModules.dll”

        #Files for SCOM 2012 Console

        get-fileversion “Console” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Console\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Presentation.Controls.dll”

        get-fileversion “Console” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Console\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Presentation.Core.dll”

        get-fileversion “Console” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Console\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Presentation.DataProviders.Library.dll”

        get-fileversion “Console” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.UI.ConsoleFramework.dll”

        get-fileversion “Console” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Microsoft.Mom.UI.Components.dll”

        #Files for SCOM 2012 Web Console

        get-fileversion “Web Console” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\WebConsole\WebHost\bin\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Presentation.Core.DLL”

        get-fileversion “Web Console” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\WebConsole\WebHost\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Presentation.DataProviders.Library.dll”

        get-fileversion “Web Console” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\WebConsole\WebHost\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Presentation.Security.Cryptography.dll”

        #Files for SCOM 2012 Gateway

        get-fileversion “Gateway” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center Operations Manager\Gateway\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Modules.PowerShell.dll”

        get-fileversion “Gateway” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center Operations Manager\Gateway\MomIISModules.dll”

        get-fileversion “Gateway” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center Operations Manager\Gateway\MOMScriptAPI.dll”

        #Files for SCOM 2012 Reporting

        get-fileversion “Reporting” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Reporting\Tools\OpsMgrTraceTMFVer.Dll”

        get-fileversion “Reporting” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Reporting\Tools\TraceFmtSM.exe”

        get-fileversion “Reporting” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center 2012\Operations Manager\Reporting\Tools\TraceLogSM.exe”

        #Files for SCOM 2012 Agent

        get-fileversion “Agent” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center Operations Manager\Agent\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Modules.PowerShell.dll”

        get-fileversion “Agent” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center Operations Manager\Agent\MomIISModules.dll”

        get-fileversion “Agent” $env:ProgramFiles\System Center Operations Manager\Agent\MOMScriptAPI.dll”

        get-fileversion “Agent” ${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\System Center Operations Manager\Agent\Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Modules.PowerShell.dll”

        get-fileversion “Agent” ${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\System Center Operations Manager\Agent\MomIISModules.dll”

        get-fileversion “Agent” ${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}System Center Operations Manager\Agent\MOMScriptAPI.dll”

        }

}

#Run the get-remotefileversions function for all Management Servers

Foreach($ManagementServer in $ManagementServers)

{

    get-remotefileversions $managementserver.NetworkName

}

#Run the get-remotefileversions function for all agents

Foreach($Agent in $Agents)

{

    get-remotefileversions $agent.NetworkName

}

 

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SCOM2012 – Quick test lab setup OpsMgr 2012 SP1 Beta using prepared VHD

Since I’m currently working with System Center Operations Manager 2012 (also often referred to as SCOM 2012 or OpsMgr 2012), I needed a testing environment.

Because time is precious, I want to minimize the time and effort needed to set it up. This is what I did:

  1. Install and configure Hyper-V on my Windows 8 laptop.
  2. Deploy a VM with Server 2012 Datacenter edition.
    Configure a static IP address.
    Configure AD DS / domain controller role.
    Configure DHCP server role.
    Configure DNS server role (if desirable, include DNS forwarder for internet DNS queries).
  3. Download and extract the pre-configured SCOM 2012 SP1 beta VHD (running Server 2012 Datacenter edition). System Center 2012 SP1 adds Windows Server 2012  SQL Server 2012 Support.
  4. Create a new VM for SCOM and configure it to use the downloaded pre-configured VHD.
    Configure it with sufficient virtual CPUs and memory  for the DB and the SCOM components.
  5. Start the SCOM VM, and follow the onscreen instructions. NOTE: First time configuration took about 1-2 hours, but this might be related to my hardware. Still it might be smart to plan the installation.
  6. Convert the Server 2012 Datacenter edition from ServerDatacenterEval to ServerDatacenter by running an elevated CMD as administrator and issuing the following command:
    DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerDatacenter> ProductKey:<productkey> /AcceptEula
    Reboot.
  7. Replace the SCOM 2012 evaluation license with your own license using Operations Manager Shell:
    Set-SCOMLicense -ProductId “yourlicensekey“
    Reboot
    Check the license using the Operations Manager Shell:
    Get-SCOMManagementGroup | ft skuforlicense, version, timeofexpiration –a
  8. Shut down your SCOM 2012 VM.
  9. Shut down your AD DS / domain controller VM.
  10. Create a snapshot and/or export of both VM’s so you can more easily revert to a good starting point.

Also be sure to read Stefan Stranger’s blog post that goes into more detail with regards to the domain controller and automating the task for setting it up. It also includes screenshots to give you a better idea of the process.

PS: I love how Microsoft provides these pre-configured VHD’s. This has been great in the past, but now with client Hyper-V 3.0 in Windows 8 it saves me even more time because I don’t have to boot to Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2012 for Hyper-V.

 

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Windows 8 – 5 deployment and systems management session videos

Great videos of Windows 8 deployment and system management sessions can be found here.

Sessions:

  • Creating Custom WinPE 4.0 boot images
  • A Geeks guide to the Galaxy – Building a SC 2012 Configuration Manager OS Deployment Solution
  • Inside Windows 8 – The new Assessment and Deployment Kit, ADK
  • Inside Windows 8 – Mastering the Setup Engine
  • SC 2012 Configuration Manager OSD – Tips & Tricks from the Deployment Masters

These sessions were recorded at the NIC 2012 (Nordic Infrastructure Conference). Be sure to check the website for more videos and interesting information.

 

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