VSphere

Adding an Identity Source (LDAP) - Username Format Error

I recently needed to validate some permissions using LDAP as an identity source. I hadn’t actually had a need to add an identity source to my Lab until now, so I set about adding my lab domain as a source, but hit the following error when trying to add it. Check the network settings and make sure you have a network access to the identity source To start, I looked at connectivity, firewall rules, DNS forward and reverse lookup zones but still had the issue. It was none of these…

vSphere

Tuesday, June 16, 2020 | 1 minute Read

Deploying Custom Virtual Standard Switches for Management

I have been rebuilding my lab hosts a lot lately! Once because I fiddled too much with my vSAN cluster and killed it… Another more interesting occasion being the release of VCF 4.0 on VMUG and beginning the deployment of this! I prefer to use Standard vSwitches for my management network in my labs and needed a quick and easy way to get the hosts back online with minimal effort. One thing I don’t like is seeing vSwitch0… I prefer seeing useful and descriptive naming, like I’m sure many others do!

Thursday, June 11, 2020 | 2 minutes Read

Home Lab - Equipment and Software: Part 1

Thanks for coming back! If you missed the first post in my Home Lab series you can find it here. In this post I will begin drilling into the equipment and software that makes up my Home Lab and my reasoning for these choices. I’m going to skip the original Raspberry Pi, there are enough blogs covering the use cases for them and begin at the first significant device; my MacBook Pro (late 2013). I wanted something mobile to start with so I could take it to work, use it on commutes to other offices etc. The MacBook came with an Intel i7 2.3Ghz Quad core chip, 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD. This wasn’t going to be able to run everything, but its enough to run what I need when I’m away from home.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020 | 3 minutes Read

Downgrading VM Hardware Version

Having to downgrade a VM’s hardware version or compatibility level is something that comes up now and again. There are many reasons you may need to do this; being it moving a VM to an environment with an older version of vSphere, or having issues following a planned upgrade that you now no longer have a snapshot for. There are 3 VMware supported ways to downgrade which you can find in this VMware KB - https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1028019

vSphere

Wednesday, June 3, 2020 | 4 minutes Read

Home Lab - The Beginning

Home Labs are a fantastic way to do all manor of things from the comfort of your home. Ranging from home automation, file storage, home media streaming, learning how to build a website, learning a new operating system or exploring new technologies. My lab is mainly an VMware testing and learning lab. Home Labs can come in many forms and sizes. From Raspberry PI’s to a full rack setup with a horrible electricity bill! Home Labs are the sort of thing that start small, but grow and evolve over time as your thirst for knowledge does.

Friday, May 29, 2020 | 3 minutes Read

Installing PowerCLI using Install-Module

I was asked recently ‘Do we have PowerCLI downloaded?’. Yes, we may, but it could be anywhere and it is likely an outdated version. There is no need to download the installer! You can install PowerCLI using the Install-Module cmdlet in Windows PowerShell. (Providing you have an internet connection!) Below we will look at the steps required to install the latest version of PowerCLI on your system. From an elevated PowerShell prompt run the following -

Wednesday, May 27, 2020 | 2 minutes Read