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Convert a Dynamic IP to Static

Posted on October 18, 2018 by PowerShell

Working on a project where on some servers the DHCP assigned addresses needs to be converted to static. Since there is always more than one…I needed to script it.

Here is a quick way to do it via PowerShell.

Hope this helps!

Connecting to a remote domain controller using PowerShell

Posted on April 25, 2017 by PowerShell Windows

Covering one of the basic day to day task if you are a Windows Administrator; connecting to the domain controller.  I try to minimize logging onto servers as much as possible.  Your thought should be around connecting to the server remotely and doing the work as needed instead of natively logging on to it.

I will be discussing two approaches below to connect to a domain controller:

  1. Connecting from a client machine on the same domain
  2. Connecting from a client machine on a different domain or a workstation/server

Before we get started, and regardless of which approach you take below, the following will need to be installed on the client Windows machine. Primarily you need to get the Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell installed.

Installing the Active Directory Module

GUI:

The Active Directory for Windows PowerShell is already built-in into Windows Server operating systems (starting from Windows Server 2008 R2), but it is not enabled by default.

On Windows Server 2016, you can install the AD for PowerShell module from the Server Manager (Add Roles and Features -> Features -> Remote Server Administration Tools -> Role Administration Tools -> AD DS and AD LDS Tools -> Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell).

PowerShell:

You can also install the module from the PowerShell console using the command:

The RSAT-AD-PowerShell can be installed not only on the domain controllers, but also on any domain member server or even a workstation. The PowerShell Active Directory Module is installed automatically when you deploying the Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) role (when promoting server to AD domain controller).

Approach 1: Connecting from a client machine on the same domain

First step you need to do is find all of your domain controllers and allow remote connections to it.

Logon to your one of your domain controllers and open up PowerShell:

You need to do this once on each domain controller so you can remotely connect to each one of them at a later time.

You can read more about WinRM here.

Alternatively, the following command can be ran in an elevated Powershell console on the DC. This enables WinRM and configures the firewall so that it can accept incoming commands.

Once that is done you are ready to connect to your domain controller.

Make sure your system is configured to run PowerShell scripts.

Copy the content below and paste it into your PowerShell Editor. Rename your value of “yourdomaincontroller” to your actual DC Server name.

Now all command you enter will be applied to the DC.

To check if your connection is successful. Try the command below to get a list of all of your domain controllers.

Approach 2: Connecting from a client machine on a different domain or a workstation

Windows Remoting works perfectly for same domain situations, and the set-up is relatively straight-forward. It’s extremely powerful when it works, and offers a highly flexible way to securely execute commands remotely.

Problems arise however when trying to use WinRM in mixed domain environments, or where only one machine is on a domain. This requires some additional configuration steps outlined below.

Logon to your one of your domain controllers and open up PowerShell and run the following:

The following registry key needs to be added to the target domain controllers:

Make sure the ports are open:

By default, WS-Man and PowerShell remoting use port 5985 and 5986 for connections over HTTP and HTTPS, respectively.

The module is interacting with AD through the Active Directory Web Service that must be installed on your domain controller (communication is performed over the TCP port 9389).

In some environments, you may need to check if the server authentication certs are valid and not expired. Also, in some situations I have seen that if the client is not resolving the FQDN, it is because the DNSzone doesn’t exist in the source domain. Either the zone can be added, or the host file can be modified to add the DC’s FQDN.

Trusted Hosts:

Adding the client IP or name can help avoid errors.

Depending on your environment and what is allowed or not one of the following should work for your situation.

View the computers of TrustedHosts list

To view the list of TrustedHosts added to the machine, type the following command. By default, its value is blank.

Add all computers to the TrustedHosts list

Using the Set-Item cmdlet and the wildcard you can add all the computers to the TrustedHosts list with the following command.

Add all domain computers to the TrustedHosts list

In the following command, replace .yourdomain.com with your own domain name.

Add specific computers to the TrustedHosts list

You can add specific computers you choose based on their hostname by separating them with a comma (,) using the following command.

Where ComputerName can be in the Server01 or Server01.yourdomain.com format

Add a computer to an existing list of TrustedHosts

If you have already added some computers to the TrustedHosts list and want to add an additional computer, without deleting the previous entries, you should use the following method. This is because the TrustedHosts list is updated based on the last Set-Item command you have run overwriting the previous entries.

Use the following command to save the current TrustedHosts computer list to a curList variable.

To add a computer to the current list, type the following command by specifying both the variable you created and the computer name you are going to add.

Alternatively, to avoid using a variable, add the -Concatenate switch to the Set-Item command to add both new and previous entries. For example:

Add computers to the TrustedHosts list using the IP address

Similarly to the previous commands, you can use an IPv4 or IPv6 address. In the case of IPv6, you have to type the address between [].

Add computers to the TrustedHosts list using multiple IP address (Most common)

Another way to add trusted hosts is via an elevated Command Prompt:

Importing the AD Module:

Before using any cmdlets of the Active Directory module, you need to import it to your PowerShell session (on Windows Server 2012 R2/ Windows 8.1 and newer the module is imported automatically).

With this configuration, it’s now possible to authenticate and execute a command remotely with explicit credentials.

Lets check if it is working:

It WORKS! 🙂

Common Errors & Solutions:

Error: WinRM service started.  Set-WSManQuickConfig : <f:WSManFault…. WinRM firewall exception will not work since one of the network connection types on this machine is set to Public…… Change the network connection type to either Domain or Private and try again.

Solution: 

Explanation:

The above error message indicates that we have set the network to Public in order to enable PowerShell Remoting. Several ways exist to change the connection type. For some reason that only Microsoft knows, you can’t do this in the Network and Sharing Center.

 

Error: Enter-PSSession : Connecting to remote server 10.0.2.33 failed with the following error message : The WinRM client cannot process the request….

Solution:

Explanation:

In an Active Directory environment, you can just use the computer name to connect to a remote machine. If you remotely connect to a standalone machine, you usually have to use the IP address instead. If you try to connect to the remote computer with the Enter-PSSession cmdlet using the IP address of the remote machine, PowerShell will throw the above error.

Error: Cannot connect to host…

Solution:

Check with your network/ firewall team if  the port 5985, 5986, and 9389 are open.

Explanation: 

Most of the times the ports are overlooked and are the root cause as to why the connection is not working

Hack: Microsoft Outlook AutoComplete

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Office 365 Windows

Outlook maintains the AutoComplete list. The list is used by both the automatic name-checking feature and the automatic completion feature. The AutoComplete list, also known as the nickname cache, is generated automatically when you send email messages from Outlook. The list contains SMTP addresses, LegacyExchangeDN entries, and display names for people to whom you have sent mail previously.

Note The AutoComplete list for Outlook is specific to Outlook and is not shared by Outlook Web App (OWA). OWA maintains its own AutoComplete list.

The following sections provide information about the AutoComplete feature.

Limit to the number of entries

Outlook limits the number of entries that you can save in the AutoComplete list. After you reach this limit, Outlook uses an internal algorithm to determine the best names to remove from the list. It does this based on a usage weighting. Therefore, you may find some names unexpectedly removed from your nickname cache. There are two general approaches that you can use to avoid this situation:

  1. You can proactively remove AutoComplete list entries that you no longer need. This is the preferred approach. For more information about how to do this, see the section titled “How to remove AutoComplete list entries one at a time.”
  2. You can increase the limit for the nickname cache. If you have a larger nickname cache, you could also lose a larger number of cached entries if your nickname cache becomes unusable because of corruption.

The limits are as follows:

  • Outlook 2016: 1,000 entries
  • Outlook 2013: 1,000 entries
  • Outlook 2010: 1,000 entries
  • Outlook 2007: 2,000 entries
  • Outlook 2003: 1,000 entries

How to enable the AutoComplete feature

Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2016

To access the AutoComplete setting, follow these steps:

  • On the File menu, click Options.
  • Select the Mail tab.
  • Scroll approximately halfway down until you see Send messages. Make sure that the Use Auto-Complete List to suggest names when typing in the To, Cc, and Bcc lines box is checked. If you need to disable Auto-Complete uncheck the box.

How to import .nk2 files into Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2016

Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and earlier versions store the AutoComplete list in an nickname (.nk2) file on the disk. Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2016 store the AutoComplete list as a hidden message in your primary message store. Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2016 let you import the older .nk2 files.

For more information about how to import .nk2 files in Outlook 2010, go to the following Microsoft website:

Import Auto-Complete List from another computer

 

How to import .nk2 files into Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016

When you start Microsoft Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 for the first time, your nickname cache (stored in the  profilename.nk2 file) is imported into a hidden message in your default message store.

Note profilename is the name of your Outlook profile.

For example, if you are using a Microsoft Exchange account, the nickname cache is imported into a hidden message in the Exchange mailbox.

Note Outlook 2007 and earlier versions store the nickname cache .nk2 file in the following folder.

  • Windows XP
    Drive:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
  • Windows Vista and later versions
    Drive:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook

After the nickname cache is imported, the
profilename.nk2 file is renamed to
profilename.nk2.old. On the next start of Outlook, your nickname cache is not imported. Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016 do not use the .nk2 file for maintaining your nickname cache. All updates to your nickname cache in Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016 are made to the hidden message in your default message store.

Note If you have multiple Outlook profiles, the nickname cache from each profile is merged into your new Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 nickname cache on the first start of Outlook by using that profile. Therefore, you may find more than one .nk2 file renamed to .nk2.old.

However, there may be situations where you have to import a nickname cache file after this first-run nickname cache import process has finished. For example, a colleague wants to share their nickname cache with you and you want to update your existing nickname cache with your colleague’s data.

To import .nk2 files into Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016, follow these steps:

  • Make sure that the .nk2 file is in the following folder:
    %appdata%\Microsoft\Outlook

    Note The .nk2 file must have the same name as your current Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 profile. By default, the profile name is “Outlook.” To check the profile name, follow these steps:

    1. Click Start, and then click
      Control Panel.
    2. Double-click Mail.
    3. In the Mail Setup dialog box, click
      Show Profiles.
  • Click Start, and then click
    Run.
  • In the Open box, type
    outlook.exe /importnk2 , and then click
    OK. This should import the .nk2 file into the Outlook profile.
Note After you import the .nk2 file, the contents of the file are merged into the existing nickname cache that is currently stored in your mailbox.
Note The .nk2 file is renamed with a .old file name extension on the first start of Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016. Therefore, if you try to re-import the .nk2 file, remove the .old file name extension.

How to copy the AutoComplete list

The steps to export and import the AutoComplete list are different, depending on the version of Outlook that you are using.

Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2016

To copy the AutoComplete list in Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2016, follow these steps:

Note: Please make sure the you are using the appropriate MFCMAPI for x86 or x64.

Step 1

To export the AutoComplete mailbox message, follow these steps:

  1. Exit Outlook, and then close Outlook Web Access or Outlook Web App (OWA) on all workstations that are connected to your mailbox.
  2. Download and install MFCMAPI from http://mfcmapi.codeplex.com.
  3. Run mfcmapi.exe.
  4. On the Session menu, click Logon.

  5. If you are prompted for a profile, select the desired profile name, and then click OK.

  6. In the top pane, locate the line that corresponds to your mailbox, and then double-click it.
  7. In the left-side navigation pane, expand Root Container, and then expand Top of Information Store or IPM_SUBTREE.
  8. Right-click the Inbox folder, and then click Open Associated Content Table. This action opens a new MFCMAPI window that contains various properties.

  9. Under the Subject column, right-click the item that has the subject IPM.Configuration.Autocomplete,


    and then click Export Message. This action opens the Save Message To File window.

  10. In the drop-down list, select MSG file (UNICODE), and then click OK.
  11. Select a folder location to which you want to save the message, and then click Save. Note this location.

Step 2

To import the AutoComplete mailbox message, follow these steps.

  1. Exit Outlook, and then close Outlook Web Access or Outlook Web App (OWA) on all workstations that are connected to your mailbox.
  2. Download and install MFCMAPI from http://mfcmapi.codeplex.com
  3. Run mfcmapi.exe.
  4. On the Session menu, click Logon.
  5. If you are prompted for a profile, select the desired profile name, and then click OK.
  6. In the top pane, locate the line that corresponds to your mailbox, and then double-click it.
  7. In the left-side navigation pane, expand Root – Mailbox, and then expand Top of Information Store or IPM_SUBTREE.
  8. Right-click the Inbox folder, and then click Open Associated Content Table. This action opens a new MFCMAPI window that contains various properties.
  9. To avoid duplicate entries, you must delete the existing AutoComplete message.
    Note: Before you delete the IPM.Configuration.Autocomplete message, you must export the message.

    To delete the existing AutoComplete message, follow these steps:

    1. In the Subject column, locate the item that has the subject IPM.Configuration.Autocomplete.
    2. Right-click the item, and then click Delete message. This opens the Delete Item window.
    3. In the drop-down list, select Permanent deletion (deletes to deleted item retention if supported), and then click OK.
    4. On the Folder menu, click Import, and then click From MSG.

    5. Locate the .msg file that you created in step 11 of the “How to Export the Auto-Complete List” section, and then click OK.
    6. In the Load MSG window that appears, select Load message into current folder in the Load style list, and then click OK.

The AutoComplete information is imported from the IPM.Configuration.Autocomplete_<hexadecimal code>.msg , where the placeholder <hexadecimal code>  represents a long string of numbers and letters.

How to remove AutoComplete list entries one at a time

To remove entries from the AutoComplete cache one entry at a time, follow these steps:

  1. Open a new email message.
  2. Type the first few characters of the AutoComplete entry that you want to remove.
  3. When the entry appears in the list of suggested names, move your mouse pointer over the name until it becomes highlighted, but do not click the name.
  4. When the “X” icon appears next to the highlighted name, click X to remove the name from the list, or press the Delete key on the keyboard.

How to clear the whole AutoComplete list

This section explains how to delete the AutoComplete list.

Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2016

Use one of the following two methods to delete the AutoComplete list in Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2016.

Method 1

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. On the File tab, click Options.
  3. Click the Mail tab.
  4. Under Send Messages, click Empty Auto-Complete List.

  5. Click Yes.

Method 2

Start Outlook by using the /CleanAutoCompleteCache switch. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. Type Outlook.exe /CleanAutoCompleteCache .

    Note If Outlook is not installed in the default location, you must point to the path of Outlook.exe.

Filling the Auto-Complete list with Contact addresses

You can directly fill the list again by creating a new message addressed to all your contacts at once.

  1. Place Outlook in ‘Work Offline’ mode (see instructions below)
  2. Create a new message.
  3. Press the To… button.
  4. Select the contact list in the right top corner from which you would like to add the contacts from.
    Examples; Contacts folder, Global Address List (GAL) or a contacts folder in a Public folder.
  5. Select the first contact.
  6. Scroll all the way down to your last contact.
  7. Hold the SHIFT button on your keyboard while clicking on the last contact to select them all.
  8. Press the To –> button to add them all to the To… field.
  9. Repeat step 3 to 7 if you have contacts in additional lists that you would like to add.
  10. Press OK to close the dialog and to return to the newly created message.
  11. Now when you address a new message the AutoSuggest/Auto-Complete feature will pop-up again.

For Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013 and Outlook 2016, you must send the message to actually store these addresses in the AutoSuggest cache. However, by placing Outlook in Offline Mode first via the Send/Receive tab, you can easily prevent it from actually being sent by removing it from the Outbox and then place Outlook back online mode.

Working in Offline Mode

This is fairly simple for folks that dont know.

The main confusion is about Work Offline icon which is being displayed on the Send/Receive tab in the Ribbon in Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013; you’ll find a globe with a red cross in front of it. This doesn’t mean you are in Offline Mode as the icon is always like this. The icon doesn’t change to for instance a globe without a red cross when you are Online

When you actually are in Offline Mode, the icon will show highlighted (as see below, when using a black color theme for Office 2016)  and your Status Bar will also show “Working Offline”. Clicking on the icon then will bring you back to Online Mode.

Status Bar:

POP3 Accounts:

When you are using a POP3 account, you can reuse your original pst-file on another computer or when reconfiguring the account without losing your AutoComplete cache. However, it is important that you do this in the correct way or the list will still be lost.

How to Configure Time Server (NTP Server) on Centos 7?

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Linux VMware

Prerequisites:

VM/ Physical – It is recommended to have the time server as a physical server, but VMs should be okay depending on your setup and requirement. My virtual lab environment is VMware based so here’s the guide for a VM. Once the CentOS Minimal is installed on the VM make sure to install open-vm-tools.

If you are not conformable with Vi Editor please use install nano for editing.

Installing the time server:

  1. First we need to install NTPd . to do this open command line :

  2. Then open NTP main configuration file for editing:
    If you are planning on hosting your time servers externally like time01.yourdomain.com, time02.yourdomain.com with ports 123 open on the firewall. Each of the time server will be talking to 0.us.pool.ntp.org, 0.us.pool.ntp.org, 0.us.pool.ntp.org, 0.us.pool.ntp.org. Later on you can probably add your time servers to the NTP.org by joining the pool. For my example, I am not using the centos default pool, but i am using the U.S. zone. For internal servers/workstations you can point it to the local ip/dns name for the local time servers.

  3. Then start and enable ntp server:

  4. You need to allow ntp service on firewall(NTP service uses UDP port 123). So run next command:

  5. Verify you ntp service with next command:

Your output should be similar to:

How to restart management agents on ESX or ESXi host

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Linux VMware

If you are not unable to connect ESXi server to vCenter, or when you cannot connect to ESXi server from VI client it may be necessary to restart the management agents on ESX or ESXi host.

To restart the management agents on ESXi 6.x

This applies to ESX4/5.x/6.x

For the restart of the management agents (mgmt-vmware and vmware-vpxa) do the following:

Log in to SSH or Local console as root.
Run these commands:

Or also (alternative way)
To reset the management network on a specific VMkernel interface, by default vmk0, run the command:

Note: Using a semicolon (;) between the two commands ensures the VMkernel interface is disabled and then re-enabled in succession. If the management interface is not running on vmk0, change the above command according to the VMkernel interface used.

to restart all management agents on the host, run the command:

To restart the Management agents on ESXi Server – via the console:

1.) Connect to the console of your ESX Server and press F2
2.) Login as root and when using the Up/Down arrows navigate to Restart Management Agents.
3.) Press Enter and press F11 to restart the services.
4.) When the service has been restarted, press Enter. Then you can press Esc to logout of the system.

Screen should be similar to:

To restart the management agents on ESXi 4.x and 5.x:

From Local Console or SSH:
  1. Log in to SSH or Local console as root.
  2. Run this command:
You can also check:  Service mgmt-vmware restart may not restart hostd (1005566).

To restart the management agents on ESX Server 3.x, ESX 4.x:

  1. Login to your ESX Server as root from SSH session or directly from the console.
  2. Type service mgmt-vmware restart and press Enter
    Make sure that automatic Startup/Shutdown of virtual machines is disabled before running this command otherwise you might reboot the virtual machines. See more at 103312
  3. Type service vmware-vpxa restart and press Enter.
  4. Type logout and press Enter to disconnect from the ESX Server.

Successful output :

This may also server as a solution for the error “Unable to access file since it is locked. An error occurred while consolidating disks: One or more disks are busy.”

Migrate Office365 Photos to AD

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Office 365

Many of my customers have Office365 and have been using Skype for Business for sometime now. It is likely that your organization users have uploaded their profile picture. Now only if there was a way to sync those pictures back to your AD – so it looks neat & nice. There is a way!

Source

Quick and Simple Way to Export DHCP Scope Settings From One Server to Another

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Windows

Applies to:

Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012R2, Windows Server 2016

From the command prompt on the source DHCP server run the following command:

2.  Copy the “dhcp.dat” file to the new, or destination, DHCP server and run the following command:

While running the export command, the DHCP service will be temporarily stopped and won’t respond to DHCP requests.  Also, the import will fail if there are any existing DHCP scopes that overlap with the original DHCP servers configuration.

Mo Wasay
My name is Mo Wasay. I work with a variety of technologies and engage with the community and customers around the world. I am located in Dallas, Texas, U.S.A. I like to share my knowledge and experiences and help others who come across similar situations. My current focus is Microsoft Azure, Azure Stack and Windows Server.
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