Will you be affected by the leap second? The post below is mostly aimed at a VMware audience but still a good one.

http://bit.ly/2hwS1r3

In my last post in this series, it looks like we have everything in place for the Wavefront proxy to receive Pi-hole log data (only sending data from pihole.log for now), but how can we confirmed the logs were received by the proxy before working to create metrics from the log contents? This particular part stumped me big time as I was going through it. I thought it might be helpful to share attempted dead ends to show the thought process.

You can read the rest of the story here.

I saw this on Twitter and wanted to share. It has some best practices you'll want to consider if you're given the task of deploying a SQL Server in a virtual environment.

I didn't realize until I read this that you can set MaxDOPs on a per-database level in SQL 2016.

http://longwhiteclouds.com/2017/02/01/best-practices-for-running-sql-server-virtualized/

In this episode of the series, we talk through what happens after you agree to have a conversation with a recruiter based on unsolicited contact. Even though you weren't really looking to pursue making a change, what if you have that initial conversation anyway? What do you need to know to prepare for that conversation and the things that come next? And how do you know if you should keep moving forward in the process? Get the full scoop here.

If you tag everything correctly, you could use ML as your platform - https://mangolassi.it/tags/networknerd blog. I haven't written as many as I would like, but hopefully the ones I have are helpful to others.

What would happen if you wanted to give a conference talk but didn't know if you could gain the expertise in time to actually do it? I would encourage anyone on the fence out there to just go for it, even if you might fail. Here's my story for the encouragement of others.

I was secretly hoping all that would be in the body of your post was "think again."

If you are a VMUG member (free), check this out:
http://vcloud.vmware.com/service-offering/virtual-private-cloud-ondemand.

And if you are not a VMUG member, you can sign up for free. I just wanted to share.

We considered VxRail when moving away from traditional SAN to vSAN but ended up going with 4 R730 servers instead. The price tag was just too high. They tout the white glove setup and support, so it is one throat to choke. That is attractive, but you will pay a premium for it.

My company (a growing metal fabrication company in the DFW area) is short on help desk staff and is looking to add to our team. A description of the position can be found here: http://www.anchorfabrication.com/anchor_fabrication_careers.php. Click the Help Desk Technician link. If you or someone you know may be interested, you can apply online.

Feel free to fire questions at me if you have them.

@Shuey said in VMware Essentials Info?:

@NetworkNerd Great info to put things in perspective, thank you. A couple things to note here too:

1. I'm not the manager of the IT department, so I don't have the ability to talk to upper management about this stuff. I just do my best to convey the info and impact to my "IT Director" and let him know the dangers (in writing), and then try to let go of it so I don't stress myself out.
2. Upper management is SO cheap that there have been multiple times where I've shown them "deals" that we could purchase from various vendors, but management says that I HAVE to get them quotes from Amazon (because they "get points for shopping on there, and then use the points for 'free purchases'"). It's hard to work with bean counters who don't even know how to logically count beans... :-S

What kills me in all of this is why, if they are so cheap, are they paying for equipment to be in a datacenter? It's like they are currently paying for climate controlled storage for some junky furniture with rips that is stuck together by duct tape.

I just watched a webinar sponsored by SmartDeploy about a new product they will be deploying later this year. This will compliment their core capabilities and will bring a cloud piece that will allow patch management, assist with application deployment, and several other capabilities. All I can tell you is that it sounds pretty useful if you are a SmartDeploy customer.

@NerdyDad said in VMware Essentials Info?:

@Shuey said in VMware Essentials Info?:

Upper management is SO cheap that there have been multiple times where I've shown them "deals" that we could purchase from various vendors, but management says that I HAVE to get them quotes from Amazon (because they "get points for shopping on there, and then use the points for 'free purchases'"). It's hard to work with bean counters who don't even know how to logically count beans... :-S

Time to start working on that resume.

Based on everything you have said here, I think if the proposition of a server environment improvement fails after showing them numbers and logical reasoning as to the value of the investment, it's time to go somewhere at which technology is perceived as providing value to the business.

I didn't see anyone post this, but 6.5 U1 is officially released as of the other day:
https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2017/07/vsphere-6-5-update-1-hood.html.

The most helpful thing I see in this version is that we now have a way forward if you're running vCenter 6.0 U3. Now you can avoid the pain described here - http://blog.thenetworknerd.com/2017/05/05/tales-of-a-vcenter-upgrade-gone-wrong-journey-to-vsan-6-6/.

Why else should you care? There are some neat changes to vSAN (6.6.1 released as part of this) that you can read about here:
https://blogs.vmware.com/virtualblocks/2017/07/28/vsan-6-6-1-vum-integration/
https://blogs.vmware.com/virtualblocks/2017/07/27/introducing-hci-powered-by-vsan-6-6-1/

If you didn't make it to VeeamOn, you may want to check out these recordings from the conference - https://www.veeam.com/veeamon/free-sessions. I'm sure these can be helpful to just about any Veeam customer and wanted to share.

I just heard about this today.

https://cloud.vmware.com/community/2019/05/15/vmware-to-acquire-bitnami/

@wrx7m said in Trend Micro OfficeScan Renewal Coming Up - Replacements?:

@scottalanmiller Which of these are you using/recommending? I assume endpoint protection but what about the network and internet-related ones?

I agree with Scott that Webroot really has a great product. It's super light weight on clients too but really effective. They have added several features it seems since the SpiceCorps we had last year where @Nic presented on all the new features.

Is the Internet / File / Mobile stuff like a buffet where you pick the features you want? The web classification and reputation looks helpful. I had heard them talking about adding web filtering but was not sure what that would become. The real-time anti-phishing could be mighty helpful if you have no IPS / IDS.

Here's one of the videos from the meeting. The other one is still being spliced together and uploaded -

Youtube Video

Has anyone out there used the e-mail exposure check tool from KnowBe4?

https://www.knowbe4.com/press/knowbe4-releases-email-exposure-check-pro-to-help-organizations-identify-at-risk-users

Date: Thursday, Nov 16
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm CDT
Location:
North Richland Hills Library
9015 Grand Ave
North Richland Hills, TX 76180

All of us take the time to work on other people's technology problems. Day after day we try with undying effort to save the world from all who would seek to destroy it. This can be a tough job which leaves you feeling spent. At the end of the day when you hang up that super hero cape, do you take some time for self reflection? Is this what you really want to be doing? Is the future so bright you have to wear shades, or do you not even have time to think about the future? Is IT Manager the only way up for you, or is there another way? Do you feel like you're capable of something more?

Make some time for yourself, and come join us for career night at the DFW SpiceCorps! We will have a panel of IT industry veterans talking everything career - where they came from, where they are now, how they got there, and how you have the power to choose your destiny. The panel will be moderated, but there will be plenty of time for audience questions. Come pick brains and learn the secrets of leveling up.

In addition to this, our very own Paul Mai will be taking head shots you can use to beef up your LinkedIn profile completely free of charge.

This meeting is unsponsored, so there will be no food and beverage provided. Feel free to bring your own. NO ALCOHOL IS ALLOWED.

This event is not sponsored or endorsed by the North Richland Hills Library or the City of North Richland Hills.

Parking Info:
Park in the main library lot. The meeting will be held in the community room, which is on the right on the lower level as you enter the building.

RSVP here - https://community.spiceworks.com/meeting/show/2534