Upgrade VMware ESXi 3.5 to vSphere 4.1 Using Host Update Utility

Upgrade ESXi 3.5 to 4.1 summary:

• upgrade ESXi 3.5 to 4.0 Update 1
• upgrade ESXi 4.0 Update 1 to 4.1
• I cannot upgrade EXSi 3.5 to 4.1 directly using Host Update Utility

Upgrade procedure:

1. Download “VMware vSphere Client and Host Update Utility 4.0 Update 1”.  (VMware vSphere Client 4.1 download package does not include Host Update Utility)
2. Install VMware vSphere Client and Host Update Utility 4.0 Update 1.
3. Download “Upgrade package from ESXi Server 3.5 to ESXi Server 4.0 Update 1” ZIP package.
4. Launch Host Update Utility 4.0 to upgrade ESXi Server 3.5 to 4.0 Update 1 with the ZIP package.  This will upgrade ESXi to 4.0.0 build-208167.
5. Then follow the instruction on “Upgrade vSphere ESXi from 4.0 to 4.1 Using vihostupdate”

Launch VBScript in a Logon Batch Script

An example of a batch file Logon script that launches a VBScript program is as follows:

@echo off
wscript %0\..\NetLogon.vbs

The "%0" in the batch file is interpreted by the command processor to be the name and path of the current file, which is the batch file itself. The string "%0\..\" then becomes the folder where the batch file is stored. The batch file above will launch the VBScript program NetLogon.vbs as long as it is saved in the NetLogon share with the batch file. This syntax is preferable to a UNC path, because it does not hard code the name of a Domain Controller. The syntax will work no matter which Domain Controller authenticates the user. The logon script will work no matter which Domain Controllers are available or where in the network the user logs on.

Reference: http://www.rlmueller.net/index.html

Windows Server Enable or Disable Logging of Printing Events

Windows Server 2008 R2

• Go to: Server Manager -> Diagnostics -> Event Views -> Applications and Service Logs -> Microsoft -> Windows -> PrintService -> Operational -> right click on the right side under Actions "Enable Log".

Windows Server 2003

To enable or disable logging of printing events

1. Open Printers and Faxes.
2. On the File menu, click Server Properties, and then click the Advanced tab.
3. To enable or disable writing spooler error events to the system log file, select or clear the Log spooler error events check box.
4. To enable or disable writing spooler warning events to the system log file, select or clear the Log spooler warning events check box.
5. To enable or disable writing spooler information events to the system log file, select or clear the Log spooler information events check box.
6. Stop and restart the spooler service, or reboot the server.

Notes

• To open Printers and Faxes, click Start, and then click Printers and Faxes.
• By default, all printing events are written to the system log file. If you want to reduce the amount of data that is logged, disable the logging of information events. If you want to further reduce the amount, disable the warning events. Disabling the logging of spooler error events is not recommended.

Windows Context Menu Shell Extension – FileMenu Tools

http://www.lopesoft.com/en/fmtools/info.html

This freeware is better than Open++, and supports Windows 7 x86 and x64.

How to Schedule SQL Server 2005 Express Backup in Windows 7

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2010/07/06/how-to-perform-scheduled-backups-for-sql-server-2005-express-in-windows-7/

Upgrade vSphere EXSi from 4.0 to 4.1 Using vihostupdate

1. Run vSphere Host Update Utility 4.0 to install all 4.0 patches.
2. If the host is managed by vCenter Server, you must Upgrade vCenter Server to v.4.1 first.
3. Install vSphere CLI on a computer.
4. Download the upgrade ZIP bundle to the vSphere CLI computer.  Make sure download the ESXi (ESX Installable) ZIP bundle.
5. Power off any virtual machines that are running on the host and place the host into maintenance mode.
6. (Optional) Configure a scratch directory (see KB1004177).  Create a directory (scratch_dir) on the VMFS volume.
7. (Optional) Set the scratch directory to /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/scratch_dir
8. (Optional) Select  the “ScratchConfig.ConfiguredSwapState” option.
9. (Optional) Reboot the ESXi host.
10. On vSphere CLI computer, vihostupdate.pl --server <host-ip-addr> -i -b "upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip" -B ESXi410-GA-esxupdate
11. vihostupdate.pl --server <host-ip-addr> -i -b "upgrade-from-ESXi4.0-to-4.1.0-0.0.260247-release.zip" -B ESXi410-GA
12. Reboot the ESXi host.

vCenter Server 4.1 Installation

1. Install Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
2. Create a vCenter SQL database and a vCenter database user; set the db owner to vCenter database user; grant DBO right on the MSDB database.
3. Install Microsoft SQL Server Native Client 2005 or 2008.
4. Create a SQL DSN (make sure select SQL Server Native Client driver.
5. Install vCenter Server 4.1