Too hot today, 29 degrees C and above, must be too hot for Tilly as well, I spotted her in the washing basket asleep!
Tilly in washing basket
Archive for the ‘All’ Category
Tilly in washing basket
Sunday, June 26th, 2011Poor Microsoft SQL Performance caused by Virtualisation – Not all servers are equal!
Sunday, June 26th, 2011Some services just don’t perform well being virtualised, so always test. An example SQL application, which when a query is executed through the application causes the virtual CPUs in the Guest OS, to spike at 100% CPU until the query has finished, rendering the Guest VM un-usable. The query in the application in the example, takes 13 minutes to finish, on a small 500MB SQL database. To the right of the workstation executing the query is the actual CPU Utilisation performance graph for the virtual Microsoft SQL Server with hits over 3GHz for 13 minutes, during the duration of the query. I suspect in this case a badly designed SQL vendor database – because the queries are running in parallel. But when the database is not your own creation, and is supplied as a vendors application, there is no choice, but to move to a physical server.
[flv:https://andysworld.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/SQL-Final1.flv 480 360]
(The application has been blured due to obscure sensitive data).
Confirmed virtualisation was the issue, by moving the SQL database to a physical server.
Sorting my inbox! More spam from Travelodge and York Auction Centre breaches of security?
Saturday, June 25th, 2011I’ve been sorting through my Outlook Inbox, that’s not been tidy-ed (South Wales Welsh word!) in 6 months, so I had about 9,000 emails in my Inbox, so it needed some maintenance, and sorting!
Here’s My Inbox afterwards
Outlook Tidy Inbox
I’ve left the York Auction Centre emails on view as evidence, because they are another victims of hacker, and had their mailing list stolen, and now I am on another SPAM mailing list, so that’s three, Marks and Spencers, York Auction Centre and now Travelodge.
York Auction Centre, again think it’s okay to send me an “Important Message from York Auction Centre”, telling me everthing is okay, don’t worry, we’ve only been hacked, and they’ve got your email address! So ignore any emails from us, because they’ve not come from us!
Another telephone call to the ICO for another two claim forms !
New HD Video – Adding iSCSI storage to a VMware vSphere ESX/ESXi 4.x host server
Friday, June 24th, 2011The final installment of adding the iSCSI storage created by Starwinds iSCSI SAN Software on Windows 2008 R2 Standard in this article.
[flv:https://andysworld.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/iscsi-part-2.flv 480 360]
I configure the software iSCSI initiator in vSphere ESXi server, connect to the iSCSI SAN, copy an ISO image from the previously create NFS datastore, to the new iSCSI LUN, and then create and boot a Windows XP guest on the iSCSI LUN, booting from the ISO image on the other LUN, it’s slow because it’s all running in Lab conditions, but you”ll get the idea, of how simple this is.
TiVo UK Service Ends or Does it?
Friday, June 24th, 2011I blogged here in February, that TiVo had announced the termination of UK service. Since the 1st June 2011, we’ve been limping along waiting for service to end. Today everyone’s TiVo at next “dial-home” will receive the following message, and any guide data will no longer be available.
TiVo Service Ends - 24 June 2011
Well Mr TiVo if you are reading this you can feck off. Mr Virgin has told you some porkies about the coverage of fecking Virgin TV in the UK.
You cannot take our TiVos back, and I’ll switch to AltEpg!
Yes, that’s right folks TiVo UK is back using a FREE, Alternative EPG Project!
“Introduction
On June 1st 2011, TiVo Inc. (USA) ceased the original TiVo service in the UK.
This means the original Tivo series one units will no longer receive any electronic programme guide (EPG) data and thus render many of their functions like Season Passes, Wishlists etc. in-operable.
The Alternative EPG Project (AltEPG) was born to independently source and provide replacement guide data as a substitute service, thus enabling users with perfectly good TiVo hardware to continue using their DVR’s.
This replacement guide data service is sourced from internet based content, maintained and improved via crowd sourcing. This means the quality of the guide data is in our (the users) hands.”
Source
So if you want to keep the Best PVR in the World, switch to AltEpg.
(and although it is free, I’m sure AltEpg wouldn’t mine a donation!)
HP Micro Servers £199 – £100 Cashback! Only £99!
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011I’ve been really hard pushed to get this blog out today, been busy all day with a VMware Migration.
HP Proliant Microserver
Grab yourself a bargain before the £100 Cashback deal ends on 30 June 2011
Make you own NAS for £99, (something you can store all those photos on!)
Bargain!
(using FreeNAS)
VMware vSphere 4.x (ESXi) does work when you remove the USB stick!
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011VMware vSphere 4.x (ESXi) does work when you remove the USB stick!
[flv:https://andysworld.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/esxi-4x-works-it-you-remove-the-usb-stick_.flv 480 360]
(Not recommended!)
UPDATE
I later tested the following with the USB stick removed.
- vMotion-ed 16 Windows XP workstations to the ESXi 4.1 U1 host with success.
- Migrated 16 additioanl Windows XP workstations to the ESXi 4.1 U1 host with success, and Powered-On.
- Re-configured and created new virtual switches.
- Added New Network Interface connections.
- vMotioned 16 Windows XP workstations off the ESXi 4.1 U1 host with success.
- Powered-Off and Migrated 16 additioanl Windows XP workstations off the host ESXi 4.1 U1 host with success.
- vMotioned Windows 2008 and Windows 2008 R2 servers with success.
At all times, there was no issues with virtual machines or host server. The only issue I had was trying to install VMware Tools, which hung the virtual machine I was trying to install VMware Tools on, only this machine was affected, and it timeout with this error:-
VMware Tools installation issue with USB stick removed
But I would expect that error!
So is this document a “Dell Technical White Paper” a load of bull!, it compares the Dell PowerEdge M910 and the HP Proliant BL685c G7 Blade, and suggests that if the USB stick falls out or is removed, or goes faulty ESXi 4.0 crashes!
Aubergines and Chillies
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011We cook with a lot of aubergines and chillies, so why not grown your own. I’ve had success for many years with growing chillies, but never had aubergines plants fruit, I think it’s been too cold in the plastic greenhouse, so these seem to be doing well in the porch, which gets to temperatures at 46 degrees C in the sunshine!
Chilli plant
Aubergine or Eggplant for our International visitors
Aubergine or Eggplant for our International visitors
New HD Video – Eazy Peezy Lemon Squeezy iSCSI Storage by StarWind iSCSI SAN Software
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011Continuing my theme on adding network/shared storage to VMware vSphere 4.0 (ESX/ESXi), I’ve done NFS in my previous short videos, my attention is turned to iSCSI, and one of the best products on the market, in my opinion is iSCSI SAN Software by StarWind Software. And an entry level version is FREE.
I thought rather than type lots of words, about how good iSCSI Storage by StarWind iSCSI SAN Software is, I would create a quick video, they do say, a picture is worth a thousand words. So here it is, how create an iSCSI SAN for FREE, in less than 10 minutes for use with Windows 2008 R2, VMware vSphere, Citrix XEN, Hyper-V, Windows XP, Windows 7 …. iPad if there was an iSCSI initiator!
[flv:https://andysworld.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/starwind-iscsi-part-1.flv 480 360]
Free iSCSI Storage from those nics guys at StarWind iSCSI SAN Software – StarWind Free Edition – iSCSI SAN with Deduplication. A little note if you are going to use this in serious Production Environment, and run all your Finacial Organisations Virtual Servers on it, please upgrade to the Enterprise Versions!
In my next quick video, I show you how to attach these iSCSI disks to vSphere ESX/ESXi 4.x.
Never short of a soft drink or coffee in Japan!
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011More photos from the Japan holiday archive.
Coca-Cola vending machines in Asakusa District, Tokyo, Japan
Calpis, Sapporo and Asahi vending machines in Asakusa District, Tokyo, Japan
In Japan, everywhere on the streets, they have vending machines serving hot and cold drinks from the same machine, from Coca-Cola, coffee, tea, pancake syrup drinks and beer!
So you never short of a drink, anywhere you travel in Japan! (very handy if you have a Coca-Cola addiction!), and the umbrella I’m using was free, people leave them on buses and trains for the next person to pick and use. Now that’s Recycling! Very kind!
and that does say Calpis!
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