Duke5A

I've got a friend who does network and server roll outs. He went to one of their boot camps to learn more about their network gear and came out vowing never to use their hardware in a production network. Their switches use some sort of embedded Linux instead of doing the switching in hardware. Unstable and hard to setup according to him.

The quick, free, and dirty way would be to define your proxy through an auto configuration script (PAC file) through GPO. When they need Internet access to be blocked off all you have to do is edit the proxy.pac file and point them to 127.0.0.1. If this is something that happens on a schedule then use a scheduled task that fires a script to change the config file (or swap two of them around, one that works normally and one that points to loopback).

You need to run RSOP.msc on the server and check to see if there are any startup scripts currently set to run on it. If not, then Office didn't get installed via your script.

Every Dell desktop BIOS I've seen has options for scheduled wake up, but I don't know about server hardware. If it isn't present in the BIOS then as @fairm010 mentioned you should look at a scheduled WOL operation from another workstation to turn it on. Depending on the hardware though it might not support S3 sleep. I know the Perc5 RAID controllers in Dell servers do not support any kind of power saving, so you could be out of look in that regard with your Fujitsu server. If sleep doesn't work, then I would think a scheduled task to just shut it down would work.

You don't have multiple network adapters in the DNS server do you?

This forum seemed more appropriate than the security forum for this question... We run four CCTV servers in my district with roughly 200 IP cameras. All of them are various models of AXIS POE cameras. I've been trying to squeeze every last ounce of storage on the servers to maximize our retention and just recently noticed where all my space is going - most of the cameras are recording all night long. Looking at traffic graphs all four servers are being hit at night and times coincide with sunset and sunrise. The cameras that record all night are setup for motion recording. I'm thinking the flicker of fluorescent lights in the absence of natural lighting is tripping the motion trigger. Has anyone else seen this kind of behavior before? Thanks!

I've got two separate scripts that will do this, so you need to splice them together. This one will join a domain: Call DoSomething Sub DoSomething Dim strPassword Dim strDomain Dim strUser Const JOIN_DOMAIN = 1 Const ACCT_CREATE = 2 Const ACCT_DELETE = 4 Const WIN9X_UPGRADE = 16 Const DOMAIN_JOIN_IF_JOINED = 32 Const JOIN_UNSECURE = 64 Const MACHINE_PASSWORD_PASSED = 128 Const DEFERRED_SPN_SET = 256 Const INSTALL_INVOCATION = 262144 strDomain = "domainname" strUser = "userwithaccesstojoindomain" Set objNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network") strComputer = objNetwork.ComputerName Set objComputer = GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=Impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2:Win32_ComputerSystem.Name='" & strComputer & "'") Do strPassword = InputBox("Enter password to join domain:", "Join to Domain", "password") If strPassword = "" Then Exit Sub ReturnValue = objComputer.JoinDomainOrWorkGroup(strDomain, strPassword, strDomain & "\" & strUser, NULL, JOIN_DOMAIN + ACCT_CREATE) If ReturnValue = 1326 Then MsgBox "Logon failure: unknown username or bad password." End If If ReturnValue <> 1326 Then Exit Do Loop If ReturnValue = 5 Then MsgBox "Access is denied. Run from an elevated command prompt." Exit Sub ElseIf ReturnValue = 87 Then MsgBox "The parameter is incorrect." Exit Sub ElseIf ReturnValue = 110 Then MsgBox "The system cannot open the specified object." Exit Sub ElseIf ReturnValue = 1323 Then MsgBox "Unable to update password." Exit Sub ElseIf ReturnValue = 1355 Then MsgBox "The specified domain does not exist or could not be contacted." Exit Sub ElseIf ReturnValue = 2224 Then MsgBox "The account already exists." Exit Sub ElseIf ReturnValue = 2691 Then MsgBox "The machine is already joined to the domain." Exit Sub ElseIf ReturnValue = 2692 Then MsgBox "The machine is not currently joined to the domain." Exit Sub End If If ReturnValue = 0 Then If MsgBox("Domain joined successfully. Restart machine?", vbQuestion + vbYesNo) = vbYes Then Set OpSysSet = GetObject("winmgmts:{(Shutdown)}//./root/cimv2").ExecQuery("select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where Primary=true") For Each OpSys in OpSysSet OpSys.Reboot() Next Else 'Just quit End If End If End Sub This one will rename according serial number: strDomain = "domainname" strUserName = "userwithaccess" strPassword = "password" Set objWMI = GetObject("winmgmts:").InstancesOf ("Win32_ComputerSystemProduct") For Each SystemItem in objWMI strSerialNumber = SystemItem.IdentifyingNumber Next Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & "." & "\root\cimv2") Set colComputers = objWMIService.ExecQuery ("Select Name from Win32_ComputerSystem") Do For Each objComputer in colComputers If objComputer.Name <> strSerialNumber Then intErrorCode = objComputer.Rename(strSerialNumber, strPassword, strUserName) End if Next Select Case intErrorCode Case 0 strStatus = "Success" Case 2 strStatus = "Missing OU" Case 5 strStatus = "Access denied" Case 53 strStatus = "Network path not found" Case 87 strStatus = "Parameter incorrect" Case 1326 strStatus = "Logon failure, user or pass" Case 1355 strStatus = "Domain can not be contacted" Case 1909 strStatus = "User account locked out" Case 2224 strStatus = "Computer Account already exists" Case 2691 strStatus = "Already joined" Case Else strStatus = "UNKNOWN ERROR " & ReturnValue End Select Msgbox "Satus: " & strStatus If intErrorCode = 0 Then Exit Do Else If MsgBox("Error encountered for " & strSerialNumber & ". Retry the rename?", vbQuestion + vbYesNo) = vbYes Then 'Do nothing Else Exit Do End If End If Loop If strStatus = "Success" Then If MsgBox("Restart machine?", vbQuestion + vbYesNo) = vbYes Then Set OpSysSet = GetObject("winmgmts:{(Shutdown)}//./root/cimv2").ExecQuery("select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where Primary=true") For Each OpSys in OpSysSet OpSys.Reboot() Next Else 'Just quit End If End If As far as your language settings are concerned it sounds like a goof in your sysprep answer file.

Why even use an x64 boot WIM? All I use are the x86 ones and they deploy both x64 and x32 images.

...and apparently a little senile too, good catch! Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") strAllDesktopPath = WshShell.SpecialFolders("AllUsersDesktop") strUserDesktopPath = WshShell.SpecialFolders("Desktop") Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\.\root\CIMV2") Set colItems = objWMIService.ExecQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_OperatingSystem", "WQL", wbemFlagReturnImmediately + wbemFlagForwardOnly) For Each objItem in colItems If InStr(objItem.OSArchitecture, "64") Then strProgramFilesPath = "C:\Program Files (x86)" Else strProgramFilesPath = "C:\Program Files" End If Next On Error Resume Next If objFSO.FileExists(strUserDesktopPath & "\My Shortcut.lnk") Then Else Set objShortcutUrl = WshShell.CreateShortcut(strUserDesktopPath & "\My Shortcut.lnk") objShortcutUrl.TargetPath = strProgramFilesPath & "\" & "My Program" & "\" & "Program.exe" objShortcutUrl.WorkingDirectory = strProgramFilesPath & "\" & "My Program" objShortcutUrl.IconLocation = strProgramFilesPath & "\" & "My Program" & "\" & "Program.exe,0" objShortcutUrl.Save End If Our logon script is VB and has been since the days of Win2k; if I was starting over it would most certainly be Power Shell. The way it sits now it handles drive mappings, printer load outs, icon creation, quick fixes, etc. I've become addicted to the granular control scripting has over using GPP. The initialization sub in the logon script pulls username, computer name, user group membership, and LDAP paths for both users and computers.

Call me old, but I still prefer to use VB for this stuff. Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") strAllDesktopPath = WshShell.SpecialFolders("AllUsersDesktop") strUserDesktopPath = WshShell.SpecialFolders("Desktop") If GetObject("winmgmts:root\cimv2:Win32_Processor='cpu0'").AddressWidth = 64 Then strProgramFilesPath = "C:\Program Files (x86)" Else strProgramFilesPath = "C:\Program Files" End If On Error Resume Next If objFSO.FileExists(strUserDesktopPath & "\My Shortcut.lnk") Then Else Set objShortcutUrl = WshShell.CreateShortcut(strUserDesktopPath & "\My Shortcut.lnk") objShortcutUrl.TargetPath = strProgramFilesPath & "\" & "My Program" & "\" & "Program.exe" objShortcutUrl.WorkingDirectory = strProgramFilesPath & "\" & "My Program" objShortcutUrl.IconLocation = strProgramFilesPath & "\" & "My Program" & "\" & "Program.exe,0" objShortcutUrl.Save End If I just tossed this together, so it needs to be tested.

Our guest network is setup exactly the same with: an Ubtunu VM with two NICs, a VLAN with no IP information, one NIC in that VLAN with the other in the DMZ on our firewall. It works, but HTTPS is essentially broke. Everywhere I've read states that you can't transparently proxy HTTPS cleanly without being able to install a cert from the proxy onto the client device. The SSL bump feature works in Squid, but without the cert being installed on the client device HTTPS errors are constantly thrown in the browser. It's basically a man-in-the-middle attack. The only workaround I've been able to come up with is setting up a captive portal on the proxy with instructions directing users to manually put proxy settings on their device. The HTTPS errors go away after doing this, but it is no longer transparent.

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. The subnet scanning feature in the Dude is screwballs. I use it on my security subnets for monitoring IP cameras as they're setup with static addresses and it makes it easy to see if one drops; this also gives the added benefit of auto adding any new cameras I install, but for switching maps it makes an absolute mess. It only took me an hour or so to setup our high school by hand in it; which has about 50 devices between switches and servers. Once you get the basic map setup you can begin making probes for specific SNMP OIDs to monitor things. I've got it setup now to text message my phone if the volumes start to fill on our Exchange server amongst other things. Below is a map of one of the smaller buildings.

The driver itself might be borked. Does this printer successfully install on other laptops running the same version and architecture of Windows on problem machine? Also, deleting the drivers folder inside the spool directory does not completely remove the driver. Remove the printer, stop the spool service, delete the driver's registry key and restart the spool service. When you go to reinstall the printer Windows will copy a fresh copy of the driver from the print server. The key under environments will change depending on the architecture of Windows you're running.

Unclean shutdowns are what is most likely tripping it. Disable System Restore through GPO - you'll be glad you did.

App Locker is awesome; I'm using it here to keep the kids from running executables from there home folder and removable drives. You need Windows 7 Enterprise though as any lesser edition does not have it.

I used to use NTLM for authentication on a pair of Squid proxies, but dumped it over a year ago in favor of Kerberos. There are plenty of guides on how to set it up in Squid, but whether it works or not against and Android tablet is anybody's guess. I had issues with programs running in Windows that didn't support authenticating proxies.

Awesome!

I just rolled up my first 8.1 image and it works, but when a user first logs on it takes forever - even longer than Windows 7 would having to create a profile from scratch. It seems to take the longest when installing apps for the new user profile and this is after I removed all the garbage provisioned apps through Powershell. We use local profiles here in the district for both staff and students. I'm guessing I could use a mandatory profile for the students, but am afraid of how it would affect wireless systems as it's a pretty regular occurrence for a teacher to fire up 30 netbooks under a single access point at once. To further add to the mess, student machines are frozen with Deep Freeze. How are you guys dealing with this? Thanks...

Why not just disable System Restore through GPO since that is the underlying problem? I have it disabled in my base image and have since XP. If a machine comes to the point that it needs a restore I just reimage.

@witch: You ever try setting a power profile through GPO and have it so the netbooks shutdown when the lid is closed? I had the exact same issue of students leaving these things on and stuffing them back into the carts. Since students can't lock the machine it would never go to sleep either. Staff seem to like it since it makes cleanup that much faster.

Certificate revocation isn't working because of the additional filtering on the student account; newer browsers care about it, older not so much. Watch the proxy log when logged in as a student and you'll probably see connecting requests to certificate authorities being swatted down. A couple I had to add to my whitelists: .entrust.net .verisign.com .usertrust.com

It's probably just a bad stick of RAM. Let MemTest86 run on it for a couple hours.

That I've found yes, but The Dude doesn't look like it is being actively developed anymore. Mikrotik has been silent in the forums regarding it's development for a couple of years now. It still works though and I see no reason to look for a replacement.

I cannot stress enough for the need to setup some kind of network monitoring software; aside from alerts and the peace of mind that comes from it, it'll help out immensely with troubleshooting. There is no need to spend money on this either as there are plenty of good, free alternatives. I'm using The Dude in my district and have every single network device and server across seven buildings setup in it with reporting on UPS units, core/edge switches and even temperature in data center. Included is a map of one of my smaller buildings. Traffic is logged and graphed between all switch links and has already aided me a couple of times in diagnosing issues with a few being broadcast storms. I get the occasional staff member that decides to bring a dumb switch into their classroom where they promptly introduce a switching loop causing a broadcast storm. Trying to find the source in a large building without a monitoring setup would be a lesson in futility. Just glancing at the map I was able to see what switch it was coming in off of, and opening the switches properties allowed me to see the exact port. This is just one time this has made my job a lot easier.

Cannot Correct RunTime Error MCI32.OCX.