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Archive for category Management Tools

diskpart.exe CommandLine Interface

Jul 27

Posted by virtuEs in HowTo, Management Tools, Scripts | 4 Comments


The easiest way to connect to you iSCSI storage LUNs from Windows Server 2008 is by using the iSCSI initiator GUI. With the GUI you can easily make a connection with your iSCSI Storage by giving the ip-address and dynamically discover the LUNs (or Volumes) it has to offer.

As I’m working on scripts to automate the installation and configuration of Windows Server 2008 systems, I was also looking for a way to configure the local disks and volumes of a Server, without having to use the GUI and manual instructions. Luckily Windows offers some nice tools for scripting. The scripting and configuration of the local disks and volumes can best be done with diskpart.exe. Which offers it’s own commandline interface and the option to use a preconfigured script with all the commands.

 

This post offers step-by-step instructions for the diskpart.exe command.

 

This article is updated with additional diskpart command information, provided by Olav Meijer.
The additions to the diskpart sample scripts are marked in red.
 

 
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Windows Server 2008 iscsicli.exe CommandLine Interface

Apr 6

Posted by virtuEs in HowTo, Management Tools, Scripts, Storage | 5 Comments


The easiest way to connect to you iSCSI storage LUNs from Windows Server 2008 is by using the iSCSI initiator GUI. With the GUI you can easily make a connection with your iSCSI Storage by giving the ip-address and dynamically discover the LUNs (or Volumes) it has to offer. With the Windows Server 2008 R2 Core edition, you can start the GUI with iSCSICPL.exe.
In case you do not have the option to use the GUI (Core Server or when scripting the configuration), you can use the CommandLine Interface (CLI) Windows Server 2008 has to offer by default.

The iscsicli.exe command of Windows Server 2008 allows you to use the Microsoft iSCSI initiator without the GUI. Making it the perfect tool for scripting the iSCSI connections (Hyper-V Server shared storage). If you know the ip-address of your iSCSI storage and the IQN of the LUN you want to use (though it can be found with the command), you are all set to set up the connection and use your shared storage.

 

This post offers step-by-step instructions for the iscsicli.exe command.

 
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xe.exe CommandLine Interface

Feb 3

Posted by virtuEs in Favorites, HowTo, Hypervisors, Management Tools | Comments off


A XenServer can be managed with the xe Commandline Interface (CLI). Which can be run locally at the command prompt of the XenServer Console within XenCenter.
The ex.exe is also part of the XenCenter installation and allows and administrator to remotely manage a XenServer from the command prompt of the Windows desktop. With the CLI you can easily script some of the common tasks to perform on a XenServer.

Each xe.exe command starts with the connection settings for the XenServer (Pool Master), followed by the specific command(s) to be performed.
 

C:\Program Files\Citrix\XenCenter>xe.exe -s [xenserver] -u [user] -pw [password] [xe-commands]

 
Which uses the following syntax:

  • xenserver: ip-address or name of the XenServer (or Pool Master).
  • user: name of account used to connect to the XenServer.
  • password: password of the used account.
  • xe-commands: the commands to be performed after the connection to the XenServer (Pool Master) is made.

The rest of this post contains some examples of the different xe-commands that can be used.
 

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Preparing the RES Wisdom Agent for Cloning

Jan 15

Posted by virtuEs in Management Tools, Quests | 1 Comment


When you are using RES Wisdom as a management and deployment tool, you know that it is set up to use Agents on the Servers/Workstations/Thin Clients you want to manage. You can use the RES Wisdom Management Console to remotely install the Agent on the target device. A methode that still requires manual actions

Even when you use the built in Prepare Agent for Image option in the RES Wisdom Console, the Agent will be linked to the unique GUID of the Dispatcher (or Management Console) that initiated the task.

Luckily I found a new option to be more flexible for the preparation of the RES Wisdom Agent to be used with VM Templates or other Imaged OS solutions.

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