MAP Error SP_Smoothen_Timeseries

When trying to refresh the inventory assessment within MAP 7.0 I was getting the message "Failed" so I checked through the log located in

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit\bin\log

I found that a stored procedure was being retried a total of 3 times and ultimately causing the refresh to fail. The error I saw in the log was this:

onSqlExceptionMessage = Caught SqlException running the stored procedure sp_smoothen_timeseries


I googled "sp_smoothen_timeseries" and found absolutely nothing, the fix actually has nothing at all to do with this stored procedure, the fix is very simple. In the log I saw that the 3 times that this SP was being executed it was running for exactly 30 minutes, like a timeout value was set somewhere.....hmmmm

A bit of googling later and I found that in the "bin" folder (see above) there is a AppConfigInfo.xml file that contains a line name "SqlCommandTimeout" with a default value of 1800 seconds (30 minutes!). So I changed this value to something a lot larger and the refresh completed successfully

Wayne

SCCM cross forest imaging

Whilst implementing SCCM for a customer who had 3 forests I was faced with the challenge of creating a single image that could be deployed to all 3 forests and still remain compliant from a licensing point of view.

So I came up with the following script:

Dim CorrectInput

Dim DomainName

Set Env = CreateObject("Microsoft.SMS.TSEnvironment")

Do While CorrectInput = False

Env("DomainName") = Inputbox("Enter the domain you wish to join the computer to Domain1, Domain2 & Domain3 are all valid inputs", "Prompt", , , 10)

If LCase(Env("DomainName")) = "domain1" Then

CorrectInput = True

ElseIf LCase(Env("DomainName")) = "domain2" Then

CorrectInput = True

ElseIf LCase(Env("DomainName")) = "domain3" Then

CorrectInput = True

End if

Loop

As you can see it prompts for input, converts to lower case, validates it and ultimately it stores the input in a task sequence variable called "DomainName" all I then have to do is duplicate the appropriate step in my task sequence and place an IF condition on it to run only when the Variable matches one of the 3 domains names, simple :)

Cheers

Wayne

Flashing your NSA310 with Debian Squeeze to run Sabnzbd, Sickbeard & CouchPotato - Part 4

This one has been in my drafts forever, I thought I would take the time to post it in-case anyone followed parts 1-3.
If you missed parts 1-3 of this post here they are:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Otherwise lets get started!

OK, at the end of part 3 I asked you to make a note of the MAC address assigned to eth1, providing you have it then SSH to your NSA310 and login, then type

pico /etc/rc.local

then edit your file to look exactly like mine below:

Once you have edited the file, press Ctrl+O to write it out, Ctrl+X to exit.
This statement will fix the brightness of your LEDS. Now to set your MAC address to what it should be (instead of 00:00:00:00:00:00)

type pico /etc/network/interfaces and edit your file to look like mine (changing the MAC to your own)

save and exit

now to edit sysctl.conf, type:

pico /etc/sysctl.conf and add these lines:

# Set VM min memory
vm.min_free_kbytes=8192

save and exit

Now for one last edit:

pico /default/rcs, delete the entire contents and type/paste

:

#
# /etc/default/rcS
#
# Default settings for the scripts in /etc/rcS.d/
#
# For information about these variables see the rcS(5) manual page.
#
# This file belongs to the "initscripts" package.

# delete files in /tmp during boot older than x days.
# '0' means always, -1 or 'infinite' disables the feature
TMPTIME=0

# spawn sulogin during boot, continue normal boot if not used in 30 seconds
SULOGIN=no

# do not allow users to log in until the boot has completed
DELAYLOGIN=no

# assume that the BIOS clock is set to UTC time (recommended)
UTC=yes

# be more verbose during the boot process
VERBOSE=no

# automatically repair filesystems with inconsistencies during boot
FSCKFIX=no

# mount /run/lock as a tmpfs (separately from /run)
RAMLOCK=no

# mount /run/shm as a tmpfs (separately from /run)
RAMSHM=no

# mount /tmp as a tmpfs
RAMTMP=no

again save and exit

That’s the hardware setup and ready for action now we can install Sab, CP & Sickbeard.

**NOTE** If I get time I will post these steps up, but for now Parts 1-4 are a good place for anyone to start with this

MAP - Application To Machine Correlation Report

This quick blogpost covers using Microsoft Excel to present data from a Microsoft Assessment And Planning Toolkit (MAP) database in a way that allows you to show which computers have what software installed.

If you do not have MAP installed/ inventory gathered you can follow my previous post here if you wish.

This is a really quick and simple thing to do if you have Office installed on the same host as MAP, and as I have MAP on my local machine and just import the databases I collect this is great for me :)

Firstly open an elevated instance of Excel then click Data->From Other Sources->From Data Connection Wizard

Select Microsoft SQL Server in the box that appears then press Next

In the server name box enter LOCALHOST\SQLEXPRESS

Once the list of views are displayed scroll down and select InstalledProducts_View, press Next and then Finish

The next box that appears allows you to add a pivot table if you wish, once done press OK

Voila! your data to manipulate as you wish

Cheers

EDIT: For MAP 8 you will need to connect to (localdb)\Maptoolkit

Provisioning Windows 8 to go with Config Mgr 2012

This blog post will cover provisioning Windows 8 to go USB Flash devices with Configuration Manager 2012.

Pre-Requisites

• A working Configuration Manager 2012 SP1 installation with at least OSD
• A Working windows 8 deployment task sequence (not covered here)
• A Working Windows 8 Machine

**NOTE** for the purposes of my lab environment I have not included Bitlocker, therefore my windows 8 deployment task sequence does not include steps for Bitlocker and subsequently neither will the provisioned Windows To Go media.

Step 1 - Create pre staged Media

Open your Configuration Manager console and navigate to Software Library->Operating Systems. Right click on Task Sequences and click Create Task Sequence Media. The create task sequence media wizard will appear.

On the Select Media Type page make your selections as shown

Press Next

On the Media Management page select Dynamic media. 

This will allow a management point to redirect the media to another management point, based on the client location in the site boundaries. Alternatively  Site-based media ensures that the media will only contact the specified management point.

On the  Media Properties page fill out your information and select a location to save the .wim file

click Next.

On the Security page, fill out the information as shown. The user device affinity is optional but I prefer to have it set automatically, change it as you wish

Click Next

On the Task Sequence page, select your Windows 8 task sequence 

Click Next.

On the Boot Image page add your boot image and select your distribution points.
I always choose the x86 boot image as this will run on both x86  & x64 computers but you may change this as you wish

On the Images page, specify the image package that contains your windows 8 Operating system image, select the correct image index you wish to use and fill out your distribution point information

click Next.

On the Select Application page you may add additional applications to include in the media, I have not added any extra. Once done click Next

Again on the  Select Package page you may add additional packages to include in the media, I have not added any extra. Once done click Next

On the Select Driver Package page add any driver packages for the hardware this might be running on, once done click Next.

On the Distribution Points page any distribution points that contain the content required by this task sequence,once complete press Next.

On the customisation page click the star symbol to add a new variable and enter the name SMSTSPreferredAdvertID as shown

For the value you will need to locate the Package ID of your windows 8 task sequence as shown below

Click Next once done

Allow the wizard time to complete

Press Close once done, the wim file you generated will now reside in the location you specified.

Step 2 - Create The Windows 8 To Go Creator Package

In a suitable location, create a folder for this package and copy the wim file we created in step 1 to this folder.

Navigate to ProgramFiles\Microsoft Configuration Manager\OSD\Tools\WTG\Creator and copy wtgcreator.exe to the folder also.

Now we need to create a package, to do this open your Configuration Manager console and navigate to Software Library->Application Management, right click Packages and click create package

On the Package page, enter the name Windows 8 To Go Creator and tick This package contains source files. Fill out the path of the folder that contains your wim file and the wtgcreator.exe file and click Next

On the Program Type page, select Standard program, and then click Next.

On the Standard Program pagefill out the information as shown. The command line is WTGCreator.exe /wim:Win8ToGo.wim /enableBootRedirect

On the Requirements page fill out the details as shown, specifying that this program can only run on Windows 8 (32 & 64 bit)

Click Next twice and then close

Step 3 - Deploy The Windows To Go Creator Program 

Now we have to deploy the program to a collection, so first of all create a new collection with a name of Windows 8 To Go and add a windows 8 client to it

Now open the Configuration Manager console and navigate to Software Library->Application Management->Packages 

Find the Windows 8 To Go Package we just created, highlight it and click Deploy

On the General page browse and select your Windows 8 To Go Collection, 

Press Next

On the Content page add your distribution point/s to which you want to deploy the content for this package to. Press next once done

On the Deployment Settings page select Available for the deployment type and then click Next.

On the Scheduling page just press next

On the User Experience page press next also

On the Distribution Points page fill out the information as shown

Press Next once done, and then Next 2 more times and then Finish

Step 4 - Deploy The Task Sequence

Now within the Configuration Manager console navigate to Software Library->Operating System->Task Sequences

Right click on your windows 8 task sequence and click Deploy

On the General page browse and select your Windows 8 To Go Collection then press Next

On the Deployment Settings page ensure you select Only Media and PXE (hidden) as shown below

Press Next

On the Scheduling page just press next

On the User Experience page press next also

On the Alerts page press next also

On the Distribution Points page fill out the information as shown:

Press Next
Press Next 2 more times and then close

Step 5 - Running Windows To Go Creator

On your windows 8 client machine open Software Center, you should see something like this:

With your USB drive inserted into the machine click Install, wait for the content to download and you should see the following prompt

Select your drive and allow your device to be prestaged, the computer will then reboot and the task sequence should take over from there.

**NOTE** I was not actually able to test this part as I do not have a certified USB Flash drive, As soon as I get my hands on one I will verify this and update this post. However this was all based on Microsoft Documentation and should work fine.

Cheers
Wayne

Installing and running Map 7.0 on Server 2008 R2

This blog post covers the following:

• Installing Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 7.0 (MAP)
• Performing an  Inventory of selected computers
• Collecting Performance Data from discovered computers
• Generating Reports and Proposals

There are a few Software Pre-requisites you will need, don't worry if you don't have them all as the installer provides download links during installation, the pre-reqs are:

• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1
• Microsoft .NET 4.0 Full Profile
• Update 4.0.2 for Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Installing Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 7.0 (MAP)

First of all download MAP 7.0 from here (you only need to download the file called Microsoft_Assessment_and_Planning_Toolkit_Setup.exe for the purpose of installation)

Start the installer, tick the check-box and click next

Accept the terms of the license agreement, click next

Choose the installation folder, click next

Make your choice around CEIP, click next

Click install

This will install MAP 7.0 and a SQL Server Express Local Database

Once complete hit finish and MAP will launch.

Performing an Inventory of selected computers

You will be presented with the option of creating a new database or using an existing one upon launching MAP for the first time. Select create an inventory database, fill out the details and press ok

Press the GO button shown below to launch the inventory and assessment wizard

In my example I am going to choose only Windows Computers, but you can choose whatever you need to gather information from.

Press next

This screen has some very important options and considerations:

I will go through each method and let you decide which ones you wish to use:

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) - Excellent if your Active Directory is squeaky clean, otherwise you will end up with a lot of failures

Windows Networking protocols - This will utilize NetBIOS to discover computers on the network. It is usually a very successful method, however devices that are powered off will not be found

System Centre Configuration Manager - This will use your Config Manager database as the source, another excellent method

Scan IP Range - Again another solid method which can be used to scan domain and non-domain computers. However devices that are powered off will not be found

Manually enter computer names and credentials - very time consuming and laborious

Import computer names from a file - An excellent method if you happen to have a CSV of your devices handy

In my example I will choose AD DS and windows networking protocols and press next

Below fill in your domain and an account that has enough privileges to list the objects in Active directory

Press next

Below you can drill down through your AD structure and select individual OUs, in my example I have chosen the OU my servers reside in.

Press next

Now onto the windows networking protocols. Fill in your domain name

Press next

Now we need to supply credentials that can be used to interrogate the machines we find. In my example I am using a single account - the domain admin. However best practice here is to use and account that has local admin rights across the machines and NOT the domain admin. You can specify multiple accounts here if you wish. Click create to enter your credentials and hit close and next when done

On this screen you can simply set the order you wish the credentials to be tried in, order as you wish and press next, then hit finish.

The discovery will begin, once complete we proceed to step 2

Collecting Performance Data from discovered computers

This time press GO on step 2

Again I am only interested in windows machines and will set my duration to one week from today's date

Once done hit next

On the next screen I am just going to press next, but if you have a text file listing your computers you can also import it.

Hit next

As you can see the computers discovered in the first step are listed

Select all and press next

On the next screen you have the option to add more credentials to use if you wish, MAP remembers and will use the credentials we specified in step 1. Here I am going to hit next to skip past this and then finish.

Now the performance metrics will be gathered

PIC15
You can safely click close and this will still run in the background

**Note** This is using the built in windows counters to gather information and shouldn't impact servers, however if it does you can cancel the process as shown below:

Once the time you specified has elapsed you will see step 2 change to complete:

Now we need to refresh the inventory assessment and collect our reports, to do this:

Click Tools -> Refresh Inventory Assessment

Now click File -> Prepare New Reports and Proposals

Select all:

Hit next and then finish

Once complete click View-> Saved Reports and Proposals to be taken to the location on disk of those reports comprised of all the info we have gathered.

Troubleshooting

I thought I would throw this in for good measure, If you are unable to discover computers, then the 2 main causes in my experience are:

1) A firewall is blocking NetBIOS & WMI
2) The credentials you have specified are invalid

Another possibility is that WMI is corrupt on the computer, in which case you will have to rebuild the WMI repository (which I'm not going to cover here)

That's all for now,
Cheers!

Unable to install Windows Server 2012?

I had a small problem on my home server, whenever I tried to install Windows Server 2012 it would give me the error:

"We couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing one. For more information, see the Setup log files."

When trying to select the disk to install to, I did the usual Google search and tried the suggestions (Diskpart commands as expected) but nothing would shift the error.

Turns out a simple BIOS upgrade did the trick and I was on my way within minutes.

Moral of the post, upgrade the BIOS first, it might just save you a bit of time & effort :)

Cheers