How to Hide Clear Text Passwords on Cisco Routers and Switches

When you configure your Cisco Router or Switch you need to make sure your passwords are not in clear text. When you pop your new switch or router out of the box and are running configurations the very first time (or if you have to go back and fix it). You want to make sure you're not allowing casual exposure of your passwords:

Cisco IOS CLI:

SWITCHKING# conf t
SWITCHKING# service password-encryption
SWITCHKING# sh run
SWITCHKING#
!
enable password 7 892398498FF1111D
!
line vty 0 4
 password 7 075E731B7D10987987
 login
line vty 5 15
 password 7 075E731B7D1043434222
 login

SWITCH# crypto key generate rsa
SWITCH# ip ssh version 2

*This is instead of seeing "enable password JimBobPassword or line vty passwords in clear text"

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How to Delete Windows Server Backups (Windows Server 2012 R2)

Do you need to delete backups from Windows Server 2012 R2?

1. Go to PowerShell.



2. Type diskshadow

3. Type delete shadows all

4. Type list shadows all

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How to Install .Net Framework 3.5 on Windows Server 2012 R2

Need to install .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2?

If you get the following error. You will need to install .NET Framework 3.5 on your server.

1. Put your Windows Server 2012 R2 disk into the server before doing anything else...
(VMware/Hyper-V add it to the VM Settings and Connect it to the VM / Physical Servers Put in the DVD).

1. Right-Click on PowerShell and "Run as Administrator" (Click Yes on UAC if it's enabled)

2. Run this command at the command line:

dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFX3 /all /Source:d:\sources\sxs /LimitAccess

3. It will give you a message that it's 100% completed (Give it a few minutes, it takes like 3-5 minutes).

4. You can then verify if your paranoid that it installed under the Server Manager and check Features...=)

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Remove Hidden or Ghost Network Interfaces from Hyper-V

Note: Applies to all Windows Servers as a Post P2V Cleanup Tasks.

1. Open CMD Prompt (Run As Administrator)

2. set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1

3. Open Device Manager from the CMD Prompt Command Line: C:\>devmgmt.msc

4. Uninstall all of the Ghost/Shadow NIC's and then reboot your server.

Now your back in business!

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Truncate Logs on SQL Server 2008

Truncation of Logs in SQL Server 2008 is different from SQL Server 2000/2005. The Truncate_only Option has been terminated (I guess this was to save the integrity of Data). Until Microsoft makes an option to right click on the Database and Select "Truncate Database". Follow the steps below for now.

Do you have a SQL Server 2008 Database with Truncating Logs that are out of control, the Event Viewer is showing Event 9002 MSSQLServer. Then you need to immediately truncate your logs for your database. This will allow you to be able to access, login and use your database. If you are unable to login to vCenter, the first thing you need to do is check your error logs for Event 9002 MSSQLServer and see if you have a message for the database being Full.

1. Verify if you have the following Error under “Application” in Event Viewer on your Windows 2008 Server:

• Event 9002, MSSQLServer

2. After verification, open the SQL Server 2008 Management Studio. Login and select the database. (Need Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Management Studio? - Click Here)

3. You will need to temporarily switch the Database to “Simple” in order to manually truncate the logs. Right-click on your database and select PROPERTIES.

• Simple DB

4. Select OPTIONS and then Switch the Database to “Simple” and click OK.

• Options Change for "Simple"

5. After you have changed the Database to “Simple”. You can begin your cleanup. Click on the Database and run the following commands (You can highlight the text and click F5 key to run the commands or click on EXECUTE in the toolbar:
SELECT name, size FROM sys.database_files;
GO

6. You will see two lines that tell you the actual name of your database (if it has been changed or is somehow different from a backup, etc. You never know so CHECK FIRST!)

7. After you have the correct log file database name run the following command:
DBCC SHRINKFILE (DATABASE_log, 2);
GO

• The Truncanatorrrr!

8. After completing the maintenance. Follow Steps 1-4 to Change the Database back to “Full”.

FYI. Make certain that you have Maintenance Plans Setup for Full AND Transaction Log Backups!

9. Immediately Perform a Full Backup of the Database after you have completed all of your operations.

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How to Launch Citrix .ica files Using Google Chrome

Updated: 10/19/2013

One of the problems you may face when launching a Citrix Application in Google Chrome is that .ica may not launch automatically. This is what you have to do to make it work. (Tested only on Citrix XenApp 6.0/6.5)

Option A:

1. Login to your Citrix XenApp web interface public facing website.
2. Click on a Citrix application to launch.
3. The file will "download". Click on the arrow and select "Always Open Files of this Type"

4. Click on the name of the application and it will launch. [Optionally, after selection. Launch the item again from Citrix. It should launch]

Option B:

* Usually for people that can't seem to launch anything in Citrix XenApp
* Mac User's. Just make sure that you have Citrix Receiver for Mac (11.8) Installed and after completing Option A. *You "shouldn't experience issues", it seems to be a Windows issue.
1. Click on the tool option and select options (Windows/MAC - Settings)

2. Settings => Show Advanced Settings => Content Settings => Plugins Select the option underneath "Disable individual plug-ins... (**Optionally, just type in "Content" in the Search Bar under settings)

3. Disable Citrix Receiver. Close the settings browser and then log back into Citrix. Launch an application. It will now work flawlessly. 

(FYI. Make sure you complete Option A if you have not before launching an application after completing Option B.)

4. Download the latest version of Citrix Receiver from the Google Chrome Web Store:
http://www.citrix.com/downloads/citrix-receiver/other-platforms/receiver-for-chromebook-111.html

***Disclamier: Citrix requires Storefront server to be setup and enabled by your IT Engineer/Citrix Administrator in addition to XenApp or XenDesktop. This "work around" by Citrix is a limitation that the company hasn't addressed on the actual receiver client technology itself. The other alternative is for Citrix to work with Google's Chrome team directly to have them fully integrate the .ica file technology into Chrome like Adobe's technology. Outside of this...you have to setup a Storefront server. Yes, it is a PITA workaround.*** 

Option C:

VMware fully supports Google Chromebooks and Google Chrome with VMware Horizon Suite 5.3 (Horizon Mirage 4.3 has been merged with VMware Horizon View) Formerly, VMware View.

VMware Horizon Suite 4.3 fully supports Google Chromebooks via a real HTML5 Application.

http://www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/vmw-euc-portfolio-10-15-13.html
http://www.vmware.com/products/horizon-suite/

1. Buy a Chromebook: http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromebooks.html

2. Buy a Chromebox: http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromebox.html

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How to Launch Java using Google Chrome

Dell and many other vendors take forever to support modern browser technologies. They really need to keep up. Also, browser vendors have to pick up the slack for these slackers sometimes also.

When navigating to Dell DRAC or any other website that runs off of Java. You may run into a .jnlp error where you can't launch the file. This Java drop download and launch option doesn't work for Dell DRAC (But it does work for KVM's).

Here you go.

1. Log into Dell DRAC and click on launch:

2. Go to your downloads folder and change the extension at the end of the file. (Just click on it and at the end of the file type .jnlp and hit enter) This will make the file a JNLP file.

3. Double-click the filename and launch:

Yes. It's a pain in the neck workaround, but until Dell test's it or Google fixes launching Java files. This is what will work.

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