@travisdh1 said in 2 disks or 1 disk with 2 partitions for new VM?:

@Fredtx said in 2 disks or 1 disk with 2 partitions for new VM?:

@scottalanmiller It's amazing how different types of technology has been around for some time, and people act like some of this stuff is new. Like touch screens for example, everyone was so amazed at them, yet they had been around for years in grocery stores. lol.

We were using CRT touchscreens in the mid 90s in high school.... they've been around a long time for sure!

Even earlier than that. We had CRT touch screens mid 80s. They used IR tech back then, which is funny because that is what is used today on the interactive whiteboards and other large touch screens. But it took a while to get used to it, because of parallax.

Just at the end of the 80s you had color LCD screens with built-in resistive touch screens. We used them for software running on PCs in warehouses, factories etc.

@Dashrender said in 2 disks or 1 disk with 2 partitions for new VM?:

@JaredBusch said in 2 disks or 1 disk with 2 partitions for new VM?:

@Dashrender said in 2 disks or 1 disk with 2 partitions for new VM?:

because smart phones have been out since the early 2000's

iPhone was released in 2007

They weren't the first with touch.

OMG no, iphone came about a decade after the first touch phone I saw.

Palm pilot had apps, was popular and some models came with integrated phones. Touchscreen was resistive tech back then.

Palm pilot from 1996 (without the phone though):

@Fredtx said in 2 disks or 1 disk with 2 partitions for new VM?:

I'm building a new VM on a VmWare host to replace a 2008 server. The 08 VM has 2 virtual disks each mounted with a drive letter (C and D). Would it be better when creating the new VM to instead create 1 virtual disk, and divide it into 2 partitions (C and D)? Thoughts?

VM with 2 virtual disks for sure. Much easier if you need to expand one. Also better if you have different storage options on your host, as you can place the virtual disks where they are best suited.

@Danp said in Live migration Proxmox?:

@Pete-S Why are you considering the move from xcp-ng?

Just because it's based on debian with KVM which will not go away and we run debian on everything else.

The future of of xcp-ng's upstream project (citrix's hypervisor) is also uncertain I think. Which makes it logical to keep an eye out for options.

@JaredBusch said in Live migration Proxmox?:

@Pete-S That is what the docs say. I have never tried.

But also, why not have everything in the cluster? What is the need to make them "individual" hosts?

Pools (resource pools) as they are called in xenserver/xcp-ng will put at lot of restrictions on the hosts.

Pools are managed as one entity (through the pool master) and works best when you have shared storage.

They are however a huge hassle when you don't have shared storage. So hosts that use local storage and are individual are best kept as separate hosts. So in this case everything started out as pools but have been migrated to individual hosts.

Maybe it works differently in Proxmox, I've only used it in the lab on a single host.

@scottalanmiller said in Live migration Proxmox?:

@Pete-S that's my understanding.

Thanks, I'm trying to figure out if moving from xcp-ng to proxmox makes any sense for an environment with many individual hosts.

Is it true that you can't live migrate from one host to another in Proxmox - if they belong to different pools / clusters?

I've been looking for a way to change BIOS settings, do BIOS upgrades, change BMC settings etc remotely using scripts on Supermicro servers.

You can always do it remotely out-of-band (IPMI/KVM), rebooting into BIOS, change settings etc. But that's a manual process and it's very time consuming and boring when you have many servers.

To do it from the shell you need the Supermicro Update Manager (SUM). It also uses the out-of-band management controller but without all the manual work. You don't need to install anything on the target server itself and it doesn't even need an OS installed or even be running. It works on servers from the X9 generation and forward, so everything made the last 10 years or so.

For example to read all the BIOS settings on a remote server:

sum -i <remote_server_ip> -u <user_name> -p <password> -c GetCurrentBiosCfg

Will give an output like:

[Advanced|Boot Feature]
Quiet Boot=01                           // Please enter the value in 2 hexadecimal digits. Default value is <<<01>>>        
AddOn ROM Display Mode=01               // 00 (Keep Current), *01 (Force BIOS)        
Bootup Num-Lock=01                      // 00 (Off), *01 (On)        
Wait For "F1" If Error=01               // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
Interrupt 19 Capture=01                 // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
Re-try Boot=00                          // *00 (Disabled), 01 (Legacy Boot), 02 (EFI Boot)        
Watch Dog Function=00                   // *00 (Disabled), 01 (Enabled)        
Power Button Function=00                // *00 (Instant Off), 01 (4 Seconds Override)        
Restore on AC Power Loss=00             // 00 (Stay Off), 01 (Power On), *02 (Last State)        

[Advanced|CPU Configuration]
Clock Spread Spectrum=00                // *00 (Disabled), 01 (Enabled)        
RTID=00                                 // *00 (Optimal), 01 (Alternate)        
Hyper-threading=01                      // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
Limit CPUID Maximum=00                  // *00 (Disabled), 01 (Enabled)        
Execute Disable Bit=01                  // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
Intel(R) AES-NI=01                      // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
MLC Streamer Prefetcher=01              // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
MLC Spatial Prefetcher=01               // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
DCU Streamer Prefetcher=01              // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
DCU IP Prefetcher=01                    // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
Intel Virtualization Technology=01      // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        

[Advanced|CPU Configuration|CPU Power Management Configuration]
Power Technology=03                     // 00 (Disable), *01 (Energy Efficient), 02 (Custom), 03 (Max Performance)        
EIST=01                                 // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        Power Technology = "Custom"
Turbo Mode=01                           // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        Power Technology = "Custom" and EIST = "Enabled"
C1E Support=01                          // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        Power Technology = "Custom"
CPU C3 Report=00                        // *00 (Disabled), 01 (Enabled)        Power Technology = "Custom"
CPU C6 Report=01                        // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        Power Technology = "Custom"
CPU C7 Report=01                        // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        Power Technology = "Custom"
Package C State limit=06                // 00 (C0), 01 (C2), *06 (C6), FF (No Limit)        Power Technology = "Custom"
Energy/Performance Bias=00              // 00 (Performance), *07 (Balanced Performance), 0B (Balanced Energy), 0F (Energy Efficient)        

[Advanced|Chipset Configuration|North Bridge|Integrated IO Configuration]
Intel(R) VT-d=01                        // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
Ageing Timer Rollover=02                // 00 (Disabled), 01 (32 us), *02 (128 us), 03 (512 us)        
Intel(R) I/OAT=01                       // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
DCA Support=01                          // 00 (Disabled), *01 (Enabled)        
MMCFG BASE=00                           // *00 (0x80000000), 01 (0x90000000), 02 (0xA0000000), 03 (0xB0000000), 04 (0xC0000000), 05 (0xD0000000), 06 (0xE0000000)        
IOU1_1 - PCIe Port=00                   // *00 (x4x4), 01 (x8)        
PCH Upstream Link Speed=00              // *00 (GEN1), 01 (GEN2), 02 (GEN3)        
i350 Lan Link Speed=01                  // 00 (GEN1), *01 (GEN2), 02 (GEN3)        
IOU1_2 - PCIe Port=05                   // 00 (x4x4x4x4), 01 (x4x4x8), 02 (x8x4x4), 03 (x8x8), 04 (x16), *05 (Auto)        
SXB1 Link Speed=02                      // 00 (GEN1), 01 (GEN2), *02 (GEN3)        
PORT 1_2C Link Speed=02                 // 00 (GEN1), 01 (GEN2), *02 (GEN3)        
IOU1_3 - PCIe Port=03                   // 00 (x4x4x4x4), 01 (x4x4x8), 02 (x8x4x4), *03 (x8x8), 04 (x16)        
SXB2 Link Speed=02                      // 00 (GEN1), 01 (GEN2), *02 (GEN3)        
Onboard IB Link Speed=02                // 00 (GEN1), 01 (GEN2), *02 (GEN3)        
IOU2_2 - PCIe Port=04                   // 00 (x4x4x4x4), 01 (x4x4x8), 02 (x8x4x4), 03 (x8x8), *04 (x16)        
SXB3 Link Speed=02                      // 00 (GEN1), 01 (GEN2), *02 (GEN3)        
IOU2_3 - PCIe Port=05                   // 00 (x4x4x4x4), 01 (x4x4x8), 02 (x8x4x4), 03 (x8x8), 04 (x16), *05 (Auto)        
etc etc

To change a setting you would create a file with the settings you like to change.
For example:

[Advanced|Boot Feature]
Restore on AC Power Loss=02

Then execute with:

sum -i <remote_server_ip> -u <user_name> -p <password> -c ChangeBIOScfg --file <new_settings_file>

The server will pick up the changed settings on the next reboot or power cycle.

---

Download the tool here:
https://www.supermicro.com/en/support/resources/downloadcenter/smsdownload

The software is free but you need the license SFT-OOB-LIC for some of the functionality. You will also need this license if you want to update the BIOS remotely fully manual as well. The license is about $20 per physical server and it's just a code you enter into the BIOS once to unlock the functionality forever.

A Supermicro video that shows you some examples:
Youtube Video

@scottalanmiller said in TP-link business switches?:

@JaredBusch said in TP-link business switches?:

@Dashrender said in TP-link business switches?:

@Pete-S huh - I'm sure prices are some higher now.. but $200 for a 24 port switch seems high, not low - but JB will just tell me to shutup and go away now...

The Ubiquiti EdgeSwitch 24 LITE (non-PoE) is $240 MSRP.

I'd definitely prefer this. And it has a remote controller that is hosted for free (see other thread, jaja.)

TP-link have that as well but it's not something we're going to use since this is for an OOB network.

Putting the console port on the back of the switch is a deal breaker for us however.

@scottalanmiller said in AP's geared toward home use?:

@Pete-S said in AP's geared toward home use?:

Your typical consumer can't manage any of it, regardless of controller or not.

That's my point exactly. It all comes down to getting them the best, cheapest, outside support.

I agree.
In this case I thought it was for @Dashrender himself though. Hence no controller needed.

In all other cases, the best option is what the the ones that are going to support it wants. Cloud controller, on-prem controller whatever.

@scottalanmiller said in AP's geared toward home use?:

@Pete-S said in AP's geared toward home use?:

I agree that a controller is not needed for a few APs.

No, not needed, just makes monitoring, support, and updates easier. I think its extra important for consumers who will never understand or remember updates and if things stop updating, will just never know.

Controllers are extra beneficial for home users.

Your typical consumer can't manage any of it, regardless of controller or not.

They're best off having someone else supporting them. Like they do with their car service and repairs and most anything else that requires a technician.

Heck, most people don't even know the distinction between wifi and internet or sending messages over the cellular network versus internet.

@JaredBusch said in TP-link business switches?:

@Dashrender said in TP-link business switches?:

@Pete-S huh - I'm sure prices are some higher now.. but $200 for a 24 port switch seems high, not low - but JB will just tell me to shutup and go away now...

The Ubiquiti EdgeSwitch 24 LITE (non-PoE) is $240 MSRP.

Seems like it's similar to the tp-links we've been looking at. Maybe even the same chip.

But very odd placement of the console port (in the back) and also no USB console port which seems to be the norm these days.

@Dashrender said in TP-link business switches?:

@Pete-S huh - I'm sure prices are some higher now.. but $200 for a 24 port switch seems high, not low - but JB will just tell me to shutup and go away now...

I think it's low because it's a managed switch. You can get smart switches and unmanaged for less.

@Dashrender said in AP's geared toward home use?:

@Pete-S said in AP's geared toward home use?:

@Dashrender said in AP's geared toward home use?:

I'm looking for recommendations for APs - yes APs not routers for home use.
Something that doesn't require a remote controller - though I suppose a controller setup by the vendor would be OK - basically a solution where the user doesn't have to worry about the controller.

I agree that a controller is not needed for a few APs.

When I said - the user shouldn't have to worry about the controller, I meant they shouldn't have to setup the system that makes the controller work - I'm completely for a controller in a more than 1 AP situation, which is common in the home users I support.

OK, so it's not for yourself then. Got it.

Anyone used tp-link's business switches?

We're looking for a couple low power L2 1Gb switches with full management for our OOB network. Private VLAN capability is the feature we want.

We're looking at these now:

• TL-SG3428 24 port + 4 sfp L2 switch
• TL-SG3452 48 port + 4 sfp L2 switch

Pricing is ridiculously low (<$200 for the 24 port). But then again it's commodity hardware.

@Dashrender said in AP's geared toward home use?:

I'm looking for recommendations for APs - yes APs not routers for home use.

Something that doesn't require a remote controller - though I suppose a controller setup by the vendor would be OK - basically a solution where the user doesn't have to worry about the controller.

I agree that a controller is not needed for a few APs.

It shouldn't be a problem to configure a couple of APs manually - not as long as the APs support it. If that is what you want.

We've used d-link in the past with good results. I've used tp-link media converters, poe injectors and a few of their other products so I'd look into tp-link for APs as well.

I've only used d-link's and tp-link's business products though, not their consumer products.

I feel kind of stupid because I just now realized that you don't need a live linux distro for this. You could actually install any distro and install directly to a USB stick. Set it up to auto-login and run a script at start up.

So any distro would work. A small one would of course have less overhead.

Maybe Alpine linux would be a good fit. I haven't used it as is though. Just know it has a small footprint, uses busybox which is a favorite for embedded systems and Alpine is also popular for container use.

Sometimes we use FreeDOS to create a bootable USB stick or image that can be inserted and will run BIOS updates, configure IPMI, change BIOS settings etc.

Basically throw FreeDOS on a stick and copy some utilities and make a AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Insert it into a server and reboot.

Is there a super-simple fast booting linux distro that would be suitable for this kind of job?

@scottalanmiller

Could you please update the post with one or two examples of how a "scam" address would look?

@Obsolesce said in Powershell "-eq" operator and "False":

Yes this is a case where one point can lead to another and before you know it, it's a book.

Yeah, I here you. Well, you're right that it's vastly more important to know what constitutes a string and what doesn't versus using single or double quotes.

I guess it probably takes at least a hundred hours of study to learn the very basics of programming - if you don't have prior experience. So yeah, the things you need to know would be enough to fill a book for sure.