Category: How-to

[Solved] – Unable to take VSS Snapshot and transfer data for ‘C:’ Unable to take VSS Snapshot of volume(s) because the VSS subsystem is in a bad state.

App Asure Replay CoreAppAssure Replay backup reports Errors, ‘Unable to take VSS Snapshot of volume(s) because the VSS subsystem is in a bad state.’ or ‘Error taking snapshot of volume(s): AddToSnapshotSet failed when trying to add volume ‘C:’ – VSS Provider is not registered’

 

I found this to be a fairly common issue when deploying new Replay agents out to Windows 2003 servers. There are several things that should be addressed when deploying Replay agents to Windows 2003 Servers including repairing LSP, refreshing and / or verifying VSS states and removing conflicting software. I have had great success resolving these types of issues by following these simple steps.

#1  Remove Offending Software Conflicts

Offending Software:

Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Agent

Symantec Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows

any 3rd party backup software

 

 

#2 Reset VSS Writers

I use a simple bat file that re-registeres all my VSS writers and then I follow that up with a reboot. Below is the bat script commands, copy them to a file, name the file vss.bat, then run the file. It should shutdown a few services and re-register the VSS writers.  reboot is needed after this has completed.

net stop “System Event Notification”
net stop “COM+ Event System”
net stop “Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider”
net stop “Volume Shadow Copy”
cd /d %windir%\system32
net stop vss
net stop swprv
regsvr32 /s ole32.dll
regsvr32 /s oleaut32.dll
regsvr32 /s Vss_ps.dll
vssvc /register
regsvr32 /s /i swprv.dll
regsvr32 /s /i eventcls.dll
regsvr32 /s es.dll
regsvr32 /s stdprov.dll
regsvr32 /s vssui.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml3.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml4.dll
net start “COM+ Event System”

 

#3 Repair the Layered Service Providers

Layered Service Provider (LSP) is a feature of the Microsoft Windows Winsock 2 Service Provider Interface (SPI). A Layered Service Provider is a DLL that uses Winsock APIs to insert itself into the TCP/IP protocol stack. Once in the stack, a Layered Service Provider can intercept and modify inbound and outbound Internet traffic. It allows processing of all the TCP/IP traffic taking place between the Internet and the applications that are accessing the Internet (such as a web browser,  email client or Replay agent.).

This is a common problem in Windows 2003 especially if you use Kaseya agents on these systems. The kaseyasp.dll causes some issues with transferring the file across the network. Luckily this is a really easy fix. Download and run LSPFix.exe on the Windows 2003 Server system. It will find the Kaseya Dll issue and repair it for you.

 

#4 Verify no Disk Errors are present

This often overlooked but a simple “CHKDSK C:” at the command prompt will scan your disk and verify if there are any errors on your disk. Using the “/F” switch you can fix the errors. Make sure you have clean disks.

 

By following these steps you should resolve 98% of your common backup issues with Replay clients failing snapshots or not transferring the snapshot once it has been taken.

 

I hope this helps fellow AppAssure users out there in cybertown.

 

Enjoy

Cubert 😎

[Solved] – Always getting message “Windows can’t update important files and services while the system is using them”

 

Everytime you try to run the Windows Updater you always get the message  “Windows can’t update important files and services while the system is using them.  Save any open files and restart the computer, and try to check for new updates.“   This is caused by a Registry Key that has not been removed after a previous update.

There is a simple solution for some:

1. Open regedit.exe

2. Navigate to the Registry Key  “HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/WindowsUpdate/Auto Update

3. Look for Registry Key “RebootRequired”.

4. Delete the Registry Key. Do not look for a value, there will be a KEY(folder) called “RebootRequired”

5. Reboot the Machine .

6. Run Windows update again.

If this fails to resolve issues you can try the following:

Empty your temporary Internet Files Folder
Open Run Command (Windows key + R)
type: cd %temp%
Empty the contents of that folder (del *.*)
Restart your computer

You can also give this a try:
1. Click Start, type msconfig in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
User Account Control permission
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
2. On the General tab, click Selective Startup.
3. Under Selective Startup, click to clear the Load Startup Items check box.
4. Click the Services tab, click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.
5. Click OK.
6. When you are prompted, click Restart.
7. After the computer starts, check whether the problem is resolved.

This should solve your issue and allow you to Windows Update to install the next round of patches.

Good Luck!

 

Cubert

😎

How-to get SNMP Data from VMWare ESXi 5 with Dell OpenManage, Cacti, Nagios, Munin or Ganglia

 

So you want to access your VMware ESX 5 host over SNMP? Here is the quick steps to get Dell OpenManage and SNMP on your ESX 5 host up and running fast.  You will need the VIB’s from Dell, also will need to download and install the VMware CLI client for accessing ESX hosts from remote. For the SNMP setups below we are using a generic password inside of quotes(“password”) you should remove the quotes and place the root password of the esx host where you see the quoted password text. We also are setting up SNMP to send traps to 192.168.24.120, you will need to change this to any host you want to receive traps. You will need to replace the server IP address with the address of your ESX5 host. If you use network monitoring applications like Cacti, Nagios, Munin or Ganglia then this is just what you need to start capturing network statistics and graphs.

 

Steps  to install OpenManage.

  1. Downloaded OpenManage VIB from Dell http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/g_5/DriverDetails/DriverFileFormats?DriverId=N3R0H&FileId=2773322235
  2. Uploaded VIB to ESX host and placed in /var/log/vmware/
  3. SSH to host as root
  4. ran command esxcli software vib install -d /var/log/vmware/OM-SrvAdmin-Dell-Web-6.5.0-542907.VIB-ESX50i_A02.zip
  5. After software install, I rebooted the host.

Steps to configure SNMP

  1. Started vmWare CLI
  2. vicfg-snmp.pl –server 192.168.24.10 –username root –password “password” -c public
  3. vicfg-snmp.pl –server 192.168.24.10 –username root –password “password” -t 192.168.24.120@161/public
  4. vicfg-snmp.pl –server 192.168.24.10 –username root –password “password” -E
    Current SNMP agent settings:
    Enabled  : 1
    UDP port : 161
    Communities :
    public
    Notification targets :
    192.168.24.120@161/public
    Options :
    EnvEventSource=indications

Openmanage Web Interface:

  1. Download OpenManage Server Administrator Managed Node http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/555/DriverDetails/DriverFileFormats?DriverId=R300521
  2. Navigate to https://localhost:1311, type in ESX host IP address, login and password.
  3. You should be able to view the all the good stuff like “Main System Chassis”, Software, Storage

 

I hope this helps someone out there in cyber space!

Cubert 😎

Free Digium SwitchVox ConnectWise Switchboard Widget aka (ConnectWise Callers)

From the skunk works here at Squidworks.net comes the ConnectWise Callers widget for the Digium SwitchVox PBX switchboard.  The ConnectWise Callers Widget queries your Connectwise database for information about inbound callers calling in to your SwitchVox PBX. When a phone number is picked up from the caller ID it is then used to query the contact and company tables inside Connectwise. If it finds a match then it queries for key information about the caller including what company they are associated with and any personal information kept in the contact database.

 

The widget collects:

  1. Callers full name
  2. Callers Title
  3. Company Name
  4. Nick Name
  5. Married Flag
  6. Spouse’s Name
  7. Children Flag
  8. Children Info
  9. Anniversary Date
  10. Hobbies

Of course this all relies on your database being complete and accurate, ConnectWise provides the table and the ability to add and edit this information within your company contacts area. Using this widget to query this information as fast as you can pick up the phone allows you to be heads up on your caller, making calls more personal and closing sales.  The best part is it’s free!

Download ConnectWiseCallers here –> Connectwise-Callers-switchboard

The download zip file contains a single php file and 2 images. Extract all files to the same directory inside a web server that is accessible from your SwitchVox PBX .  Your web server can be Windows or Linux but must be able to use (mssql_connect) to access Microsoft SQL servers (ConnectWise Database). If you are using Linux and need some help getting MSSQL working with Apache and PHP then see my how-to post https://squidworks.net/2011/07/how-to-setup-ubuntu-and-php-to-use-mssql-microsoft-sql-server/  and you should be up and running within minutes. You will need to edit the ConnectwiseCallers.php file between line 48 and 52. Edit the following lines to reflect your ConnectWise Database and user access to database.

//Connectwise Database access
$cwuser = “ConnectwiseUser”;             <— Your Connectwise SQL User
$cwpass = “ConnectWisePass”;             <— Your SQL Password
$cwdb = “cwwebapp_companyDB”;   <— Your Connectwise Database name
$cwserver = “cw.yourdomain.com”;  <— Your SQL server address

You will need to log into the SwitchVox Admin area and add the Custom panel. Goto the Tools menu and select Switchboard Panels, You should see the following:

Select the Custom Switchboard Panels tab from the admin and then select Create Custom Panel button.

 

  1. Panel Name = ConnectWise Callers
  2. Panel Description = Queries inbound callers for Connectwise information
  3. Panel URL = http://yourWebServerAddress/switchboard/ConnectwiseCallers.php?NAME=%CALLER_ID_NAME%&NUMBER=%CALLER_ID_NUMBER%&EXT=%EXTENSION%&LOAD=%FIRST_LOAD%
  4. Select the extensions you want to allow access to widget

 

Save Custom panel and launch your Switchboard, once the switchboard loads select your new panel from the add panel menu. You should get a ConnectWise Callers Image in you panel if it is accessible and your URL is correctly addressed. The panel should start out looking like this:

 

This is version 1 of the widget, we will be looking at expanding the widget in the next versions to allow you to edit the information so you can update you customers contacts on the fly. If you have ideas on data or features you would like to see in the next versions of the widget feel free to post your comments here and we will see if we can add them into the widget.

Enjoy

Cubert 😎

[Kaseya Agent Procedure] Mac OSX and Windows – Send A Friend a YouTube Video Surprise!

Kaseya YouTube Me Script Plays Youtube videos on desktop inside a player.

Here is a script that carries a warning, Use Wisely… I am not responsible for misuse! If you play porn on the bosses PC why he is in a meeting with the board of directors I am not liable for your termination and or execution depending on the boss…

Now with that disclaimer said here is what I made for you. This script will “based on the OS installed” (Windows) copies a portable version of VLC to c:\temp and runs it with a URL as a option or (Mac OSX) Downloads a DMG of VLC and installes it if not found already on system and then runs the same URL.

The URL is a cartoon of a stick guy beating himself to death while a stupid song plays in the backgrond. It will pop up on the desktop of the user logged in and if the speakers are up it may be a jolt!

Here are the files you will need

The script -> Procedure YouTube Me

WIndow Portable VLC -> Windows VLC

Mac OSX VLC (dmg)    vlc.2.0.1 

Download all 3 files and upload the VLC files to your VSA SharedFiles Folder. Edit script after importing it into Kaseya and make sure you do not have any red lines in code. If so you may have file location issues, check where you uploaded VLC files. Post here any good YouTube URL to use for script.

Have fun

Cubert 😎

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kaseya Agent Procedure] Mac OSX Diagnostic data collection scripts

Collect Application, Network, Firewall, Ethernet and Diagnostic information from Mac OSX

Download Here -> MacOSX Diagnostics

Cubert (Me) has been tasked with learning and creating useful scripts for Mac OSX systems. Here are some of the first scripts to come out. Our techs requested after the first week using the tools in Kaseya what would help make job just a bit easier and they reported back wanting some basic information stored in Kaseya that keeps them from having to access system to confirm settings.

 

That spawned on a quick set of scripts that go out and collect the following information and stores it in a text file inside Kaseya available in the “Get File” area inside LiveConnect -> Agent Data Select Get File tab or during a hover over a orb when pop out information window shows up you can click “Get File”. Each file is named based on test run and makes for quick access to Applications and firewall settings.

Enjoy

Cubert  😎

[Solved] iTunes – The procedure entry point sqlite3_dll wal checkpoint could not be located in the dynamic link library SQLite3.dll

iTunes 10 Fails to Backup iPhone or log in to iTunes Account

This week I was presented with a new problem.  A user was unable to back up her iPhone, log onto her iTunes account. Or run any updates on the device. Very frustrating for the user.  To top it off, every time her computer booted up, she received the following error:  “The procedure entry point sqlite3_dll wal checkpoint could not be located in the dynamic link library SQLite3.dll.” or similar error with Mobile update in the text also appeared.

After uninstalling  all apple products and re-installed iTunes, the problem still persisted.  Usually, when going to the iTunes store and no music shows up, a simple net winsock will fix the issue, however no dice here.  After some research, it appears that this is an issue that happens with some iTunes 10 installs.   It appear that this sqlite file does not always get placed in the appropriate area.  Anyway, if you come across this problem here is the fix.  I don’t think I have ever seen a client rush to buy music, as she did today!

To fix the dll error, go to this folder:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Apple Application Support
Right click and copy this file.

SQlite3.dll
Next, go to this folder:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support
Right  click and paste the file into the folder.

You don’t have to delete the file from the copy location, it actually needs to be in both places.

 

Good luck

 

Cubert 😎

[Solved] IPhone passes Exchange 2010 setup but then gets ‘Cannot Get Mail. The connection to the server failed’

So your IPhone is not getting Exchange email after setting up your account and it verifying the account during the setup?

Here is what may be going on.

The ‘Cannot Get Mail.  The connection to the server failed’ error may be the cause of a simple mis-configuration in the Microsoft Active Directory services for that user. To see if it is this issue you will need to open the Active Directory Users and Computers, Select the VIEW menu from the top and click on “Advanced Features”. Now open the properties on the user having the issue and select the “Security” tab. Under this tab will be windows with user accounts listed and a “Advanced button” at the bottom. Select this button and find the check box “Include Inheritable permissions from this object’s parent” . If this is the problem you will find the box “unchecked”. Just check the box and try again. You should see mail start to flow.

 

 

Enjoy

Cubert

😎 BigMACDaddy 😎

 

[Solved] Appassure Replay snapshots or base image fails to copy from Agent to Core on or after new installs

So you may have a Windows 2003 server or servers that after installing the agents, configuring permissions and setting system to Protect on your core keeps failing to grab the first snapshot from your system.

This is quite common in Windows 2003 but may see it in 2008 as well. The issue is that the Winsock is messed up. Download and run LSPFix.exe on the client system and restart the agent services afterwards. Then go back to the core and select to force new snapshot to start the download. You should see the system start the download with in 5 minutes and no more errors in events.

 I am using Replay version 4.7.2 at the time of this post

Error that may show up when fix is needed:

Logger: tevolib.txtrack
Context: PG=VolsWithInterval60Minutes Volume=\\?\Volume{741d2f02-3eb0-11dd-8e1a-806e6f6e6963}\ DriveLetter=C:
Source Location: TransmissionTracking.cpp:115
Details:
Transmission of volume ‘C:’ started when another transmission of that volume is already in progress

Logger: tevoSource.snapshotHandler
Context: PG=VolsWithInterval60Minutes Volume=\\?\Volume{741d2f02-3eb0-11dd-8e1a-806e6f6e6963}\ DriveLetter=C:
Source Location: SnapshotHandler.cpp:992
Details:
Transfer failed on volume: C: Epoch: 204 Target: CNSCOLO-BDR Port: 8001 – Unspecified error

Logger: exceptions.seh
Context: PG=VolsWithInterval60Minutes
Source Location: exceptions\SehHandler.cpp:151
Details:
Encountered a serious error EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION.  Exception dump logged to C:\Documents and Settings\cns\Application Data\AppAssure\ErrorDump-TevoSource.exe-2012-02-28-11-43-41-0625-41.dmp.bz2

 

Enjoy

Cubert 😎

[Solved] Prevent previous credentials from another session/domain to auto fill when starting a RDP session to a Windows Server 2008 box

Who has not started a RDP session to a Windows 2008 Server or Windows 7 system and had the previous domain credentials popup as the default login for the next system you touch. Well if you are like me and touch many different customers each day then you have no doubt had the login for your Windows 2008 terminal session show the log on of the previous domain that your were logged in to. This can be a big pain in the “arse” if you know what I mean.

Well here is how to fix that problem:

On your own PC go to the registry key

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Servers\127.0.0.1

Right click and select  permissions on the 127.0.0.1  folder then set permissions to deny yourself read access to it. As soon as you do this, you should start seeing the right domain name when opening a terminal session  to Windows 2008 servers or Windows 7 workstations.

 

Enjoy

Cubert 😎