Category: tools

Posted on

Runecast Analyzer: new release 1.8

Runecast extends functionality to NSX-V

A new release of Runecast Analyzer is scheduled for June, 26th. Version number 1.8 will come with a bunch of improvements and new features. Most important new feature will be support for the NSX-V platform.  Every important function of vSphere- and vSAN analysis will now be available for NSX-V too.

Feature List

  • The Analyzer now detects NSX issues on VMware NSX-V versions 6.2 – 6.4.x
  • Automated scan and evaluation of the NSX-V Best Practices violations.
  • Automatic NSX-V VMware Security Hardening profile analysis and reporting
  • NSX-V DISA-STIG profile analysis and reporting
  • Automatic discovery of the NSX Managers linked to VMware vCenters
  • Web-console performance improvements for bigger environments (dozens of ESXi hosts).
  • vSphere web console Runecast plugin NSX update with a new issue summary widget.

Links

 

Posted on

Increase efficiency with vRealize Log Insight

Syslog Server – a time saving tool

Today I’m writing about a use case, which is not very popular amongst IT professionals. Troubleshooting by parsing system logs. Sounds attractive as a dental surgery.

Almost any system and any component logs events, warnings and errors into some kind of internal log. Emphasis is on any and internal, because that’s part of the problem. Log information isn’t usually easy accessible. And once you’ve copied all logs to a common location, you need to scroll through it by a text editor. This is cumbersome and tricky. If you – for example – have to align events from a server with events from a switch, you’ll need multiple steps to achieve it. A very time-consuming procedure. If you have bad luck (Murphy says, you will..), one of the components is unavailable, because an error occurred. No log – no analysis. Continue reading “Increase efficiency with vRealize Log Insight”

Posted on

create kernel panic on ESXi

There are situations when you need to check cluster reactions after a ESX host crash. For example to see if HA will start VM on other hosts.

The easiest method is to pull a hosts powercord. But there ar more elegant ways to let a host crash.

Warning! Do not use on productive systems! This is for testing purposes under controlled conditions only. Use at your own risk.

PSOD

You can trigger a Purple-Screen-of-Death (PSOD) by issuing a special command that causes a kernel panic.  Use the VMkernel Sys Info Shell (vsish).

First you need a SSH connection to your host. Change to vsish

vsish
set /reliability/crashMe/Panic

Alternatively you can issue the command together with parameters.

vsish -e set /reliability/crashMe/Panic 1

Your host will end up in a PSOD and can be restarted afterwards.