Shutdown / Startup DPA

Published   16 Aug 2016 Read time 41 sec(s)   (296 visits).

This article provides simple steps to shutdown and startup Networker DPA services

Sky Q Hub lights explained

Published   6 Dec 2018 Read time 2 min(s) 17 sec(s)   (2513 visits).

Confused by the lights on your Sky Q Hub when glowing solid, flashing or even off? This article explains and how to troubleshoot common problems.

How to refresh Apps on your Sky Q box

Published   7 Aug 2020 Read time 40 sec(s)   (2514 visits).

If your Sky Q TV apps are missing or the app freeze 15-30 seconds after starting, then use these steps to try and fix the issue.

Configuring DNS services in Solaris 11

Published   24 Feb 2012 Read time 32 sec(s)   (340 visits).

Modifying /etc/nsswitch.conf and /etc/resolv.conf to configure naming services is depricated in Solaris 11, We now perform this task using SMF.

How to find your Windows 10 Product Key using command prompt.

Updated   4 Jan 2020 Read time 1 min 8 sec(s)   (703 visits).

I use one of two trusted methods finding Window Product Keys, but what happens if the output is empty? Here's a brief explanation why it may happen.

Writing man pages

Updated   19 Oct 2001 Read time 5 min(s) 17 sec(s)   (359 visits).

Every good program that can be used from the UNIX shell should be documented with a good man page.

Using vxfsconvert to migrate a UFS file system to VxFS

Updated   6 Apr 2015 Read time 5 min(s) 40 sec(s)   (411 visits).

The vxfsconvert utility converts a UFS file system to a Veritas File System. This utility is only available for the Solaris environment.

Comparion of service and chkconfig commands against systemctl utility

Updated   30 Sep 2015 Read time 57 sec(s)   (767 visits).

A short article providing a comparision between the service and systemctl utilities, and between the chkconfig and systemctl utilities

How to change user password on Solaris/Linux

Updated   27 Dec 2009 Read time 34 sec(s)   (400 visits).

How to change a user password on Solaris/Linux systems and also see password policy

Patching a Solaris System using Live Upgrade

Updated   15 Jun 2015 Read time 1 min 37 sec(s)   (995 visits).

Solaris Live Upgrade is not limited to only OS upgrades; you can use it to manage downtime and risk when patching a system.

How to setup a DHCP client in Solaris

Updated   16 Dec 2007 Read time 3 min(s) 2 sec(s)   (961 visits).

Setting up a Solaris system as a DHCP client is fairly straight forward, it's just a matter of setting up files on your system.

Using "sneep" to find/set the chassis serial number

Updated   16 Dec 2009 Read time 1 min 55 sec(s)   (816 visits).

sneep is a utility that displays the chassis serial number for a given Solaris system. A handy tool to use when inventoring your data centre.

Converting entire text file contents to upper or lower case

Updated   7 Oct 2009 Read time 57 sec(s)   (314 visits).

Have you ever needed to convert the contents of a text file from uppercase to lowercase or vice versa? Here's how!

How to display Routing Table

Updated   7 Dec 2007 Read time 48 sec(s)   (310 visits).

On Linux systems the routing table maps destinations to the router and network interface that IP must use to reach that destination.

How to determine free and used memory in Solaris

Updated   5 Jul 2011 Read time 1 min 34 sec(s)   (319 visits).

Using 'prtconf' and 'sar' we can determine the amount of memory installed on a Solaris SPARC or Soalris X86 system.

Shutting down and rebooting a Linux system

Updated   2 Jan 2003 Read time 53 sec(s)   (270 visits).

When it comes to shutting down and rebooting a Linux system the shutdown command is only command you need to know to do both jobs

Opening Local Firewall Ports on Windows 2008 Server

Updated   10 Mar 2010 Read time 19 sec(s)   (407 visits).

This article explains with illustrations on how to configure a firewall (open local ports) on a Windows 2008 Server.

Importing VxVM disk group with older disk group version

Updated   11 Feb 2019 Read time 3 min(s) 47 sec(s)   (921 visits).

Veritas Volume Manager (VxVM) traditionally introduces a new disk group version with each new major release.

Using mpack to send email attachments from command line

Updated   22 Apr 2010 Read time 21 sec(s)   (449 visits).

mpack encodes the named file in one or more MIME messages and sends the message to one or more recipients

Changing the default Solaris 11 locale

Updated   23 Nov 2015 Read time 55 sec(s)   (487 visits).

In Solaris 10 you had to edit the /etc/default/init file to chance the default locale, now with Solaris 11 it is defined in SMF.

How to enable USB write protection in Windows 10

Updated   26 Jun 2017 Read time 1 min 17 sec(s)   (680 visits).

Introducing an unknown USB device into a network can cause a host of security headaches. Take away the threat in Windows 10 in just a few short steps.

How to Backup and Restore the VxVM DiskGroup Configuration

Updated   18 Jul 2014 Read time 3 min(s) 33 sec(s)   (1005 visits).

When VxVM data like disk group private regions or disk headers gets corrupted we can restore them from a vxconfigbackup file using vxconfigrestore.

Creating an LDOM step-by-step

Updated   19 Nov 2013 Read time 4 min(s) 53 sec(s)   (1509 visits).

This article acts like a demo showing step-by-step instructions on the creation of a new LDOM, assigning resources and installation of the Solaris OS.

Enabling the Solaris Auditing subsystem

Updated   13 Oct 2016 Read time 39 sec(s)   (1113 visits).

To configure the Solaris Auditing subsystem on Solaris 9 or Solaris 10 we simply run the bsmconv command-line utility from the /etc/security directory

Integrating VMware with NetWorker

Updated   29 Nov 2019 Read time 12 min(s) 51 sec(s)   (922 visits).

This article provides procedures for backup and restore of virtual machines deployed on a VMware vSAN data store using EMC NetWorker 9.1, 9.2 and 18.1

Setting up a Sun ZFS Storage Applicance as an iSCSI device

Updated   25 Mar 2015 Read time 2 min(s) 31 sec(s)   (559 visits).

Simple steps to setup a Sun ZFS Storage Applicance as an iSCSI device.

Clearing Linux memory cache and swap

Published   29 Aug 2016 Read time 3 min(s) 9 sec(s)   (545 visits).

Every Linux system has three options when clearing cache without interrupting any processes or application services.

Adding a SAMBA user

Updated   22 Apr 2013 Read time 51 sec(s)   (749 visits).

This is a short how-to post to provide simple steps to add users to a SAMBA environment.

Show outstanding NetWorker savesets by backup group

Updated   22 Apr 2011 Read time 22 sec(s)   (2276 visits).

This is a quick how to guide, giving details of how you can see the outstanding savesets remaining or queued using nsradmin

#man RTFM

Updated   20 Oct 2005 Read time 3 min(s) 22 sec(s)   (3011 visits).

RTFM is often used as a response to technical questions. Unfortunately, some folks do not even know how to find the manual, let alone understand it.

Building a QFS shared file system tutorial

Updated   28 May 2003 Read time 5 min(s) 17 sec(s)   (720 visits).

This article provides the steps necessary to create a QFS Shared file system

VxVM command line cheat sheet (part 2)

Updated   4 Dec 2019 Read time 9 min(s) 6 sec(s)   (1467 visits).

This article is aimed at providing a list of basic and advanced command-line examples for Veritas Volume Manager.

Sending a ZFS snaphot

Updated   2 Sep 2013 Read time 49 sec(s)   (836 visits).

You can use the zfs send command to send a copy of a snapshot stream and receive the snapshot stream in another pool

Upgrading to Solstice Backup 6.1

Updated   18 Mar 2003 Read time 4 min(s) 47 sec(s)   (2175 visits).

An action plan showing the steps required to upgrade to Solstice Backup 6.1 from previous versions.

Lotus Notes with NetWorker quick reference

Updated   15 May 2014 Read time 5 min(s) 3 sec(s)   (1058 visits).

A quick reference guide to backups and restore details for Lotus Notes using NetWorker.

Configure Ubuntu 16.04 to use two-factor authentication

Updated   4 Dec 2017 Read time 3 min(s) 24 sec(s)   (762 visits).

When a ssh-key authentication is not enough, the quickest solution for a server could be to make ssh to ask for 2-factor token when logging in.

Securing the Nibbleblog Admin area by renaming it

Updated   19 Apr 2016 Read time 1 min 23 sec(s)   (1437 visits).

A simple hack to rename the Nibbleblog default admin area to something a little more secure.

Installing Nibbleblog on Ubuntu 16.04

Updated   20 Apr 2016 Read time 2 min(s) 33 sec(s)   (725 visits).

This article describes how to install Nibbleblog on a Ubuntu 16.04 system running Apache and PHP.

How to use zlogin to Shutdown and Start a zone

Updated   14 Nov 2013 Read time 1 min 1 sec   (1436 visits).

You must be the global administrator or a user with appropriate authorization in the global zone to perform these procedures.

Enabling and adding NIC teaming to a virtual machine

Updated   15 Jan 2013 Read time 3 min(s) 12 sec(s)   (1225 visits).

Although you can add NIC teaming to a virtual machine, it's not a Hyper-V feature but functionality of the Windows Server used for network workload

Using Disk2vhd to convert Physical computers to Virtual machines

Updated   15 Jan 2013 Read time 2 min(s) 31 sec(s)   (1526 visits).

Every day we can see companies implementing virtual servers to explore the virtualization benefits such as cost reduction, flexibility and automation.

Converting VHD files to VHDX files

Updated   15 Jan 2013 Read time 2 min(s) 5 sec(s)   (444 visits).

Microsoft have been using the VHD format since the one created by Connectix in 1995 to allow Windows 3.1 to run on Mac computers.

How to Restart the NetBackup client on a Windows server

Updated   3 Nov 2014 Read time 1 min 9 sec(s)   (3287 visits).

The procedure is quite simple to recycle the NetBackup client running on a Windows Server. It does require System Administration permissions.

How to fix "No 'NSR auditlog' resource found" errors

Updated   25 Mar 2012 Read time 1 min 44 sec(s)   (1803 visits).

The logging service is configured by the NSR auditlog RAP resource. The NSR auditlog resource is created by default and cannot be deleted

Which Solaris 11 Patch Level am I working on?

Updated   19 Oct 2011 Read time 2 min(s) 43 sec(s)   (2697 visits).

Explanation of the Solaris 11 fine grained versioning schema for SRUs and updates

Accessing the ZFS Storage Appliance Console through ILOM

Updated   7 May 2018 Read time 2 min(s) 33 sec(s)   (1905 visits).

When a ZFS Storage Appliance system cannot be reached through the network, you can gain access to the ZFSSA console prompt through the ILOM server.

How to reset MySQL root password

Updated   3 May 2019 Read time 2 min(s) 3 sec(s)   (2114 visits).

Have you forgotten MariaDB root password? You don't know how to recover it. Not to worry, use these steps to reset MariaDB root password.

How to reset MariaDB root password

Updated   4 Sep 2018 Read time 1 min 50 sec(s)   (1855 visits).

Have you forgotten MariaDB root password? You don't know how to recover it. Not to worry, use these steps to reset MariaDB root password.

How to clear Exadata Storage Alerts

Updated   1 Jun 2016 Read time 1 min 6 sec(s)   (544 visits).

The cleaning process of events automatically recorded when a problem occurs can be done automatically and sometimes it is not cleaned automatically.

How to boot a Solaris system without starting any services

Updated   5 Mar 2012 Read time 47 sec(s)   (1966 visits).

If problems with starting services occur, sometimes a system hangs during the boot process. This procedure shows how to troubleshoot this problem.

Private and public key pairs for SSH

Published   14 May 2014 Read time 3 min(s) 2 sec(s)   (1611 visits).

SSH has a key management capacity and related agents.When configured with public key authentication, your key proves your identity to remote SSH hosts

SSH configuration and security best practices

Updated   14 May 2014 Read time 2 min(s) 18 sec(s)   (2303 visits).

Here is a list of processes and configurations that you can use to tighten and enhance SSH security with regard to remote host access

Accessing a Tape Device from a non-global Zone

Updated   17 Aug 2007 Read time 1 min 0 sec(s)   (815 visits).

Accessing a tape device (or any device) from a non-global zone in Solaris

Sun Serial number locations

Updated   16 Oct 2012 Read time 7 min(s) 14 sec(s)   (2662 visits).

A simple table which provides a listing of where to locate the serial number on various Sun related products.

Configuring Multiple Instances of MySQL in Solaris 11

Updated   12 Sep 2012 Read time 2 min(s) 50 sec(s)   (1439 visits).

There are numerous advantages to run multiple database instances on the same physical server.

Move a NetBackup image catalog to new location

Updated   5 Jan 2010 Read time 1 min 29 sec(s)   (2935 visits).

In preparing to move the NetBackup image catalog from one location to another, it is recommended to perform a full catalog backup beforehand.

ZFS Send and Receive

Updated   2 Sep 2013 Read time 2 min(s) 51 sec(s)   (2583 visits).

ZFS has the ability to send and receive data. This can be used to combine snapshots, create backups, or replicate data between servers

Renaming a ZFS zpool

Updated   21 Jul 2016 Read time 1 min 21 sec(s)   (2214 visits).

Renaming a zpool is not as intuitive as I would expect, but it is still pretty simple. However, we can accomplish this through a three step process.

Setting up email notifications on a NetWorker Server (Windows) using blat

Updated   29 Nov 2000 Read time 2 min(s) 4 sec(s)   (3739 visits).

This article shows you how to configure NetWorker servers for Windows to use blat console based binary for sending email notifcations.

How to Boot a system with the Kernel Debugger (kmdb) enabled

Updated   5 Mar 2012 Read time 1 min 8 sec(s)   (1495 visits).

This is a simple procedure which shows how to load the kernel debugger (kmdb)

Installing SunLink DNI v8.0 on Solaris 2.x

Updated   10 Jul 1998 Read time 28 sec(s)   (1500 visits).

A brief howto article on the best practice to install DNI8.0 on a Solaris system

Assigning a Volume Name to a Solaris disk

Updated   7 Jun 2008 Read time 2 min(s) 28 sec(s)   (2900 visits).

Having a large number of disks can be a challange for sysadmins. By giving each disk a volume name may make it easier.

Deleting Windows temp files

Updated   30 Jun 2012 Read time 3 min(s) 6 sec(s)   (2156 visits).

Any file under the Windows Temp folder is safe to delete. But that isn't the only place that temporary files are stored on Windows computers.

How to configure robots for NDMP devices

Updated   23 Oct 2013 Read time 1 min 53 sec(s)   (2142 visits).

The NetBackup NDMP extension with a tape device attached to the NAS device allows a NetBackup Master Server to backup/restore files from a NAS device.

NetBackup Recovery without Import

Updated   30 Nov 2012 Read time 3 min(s) 47 sec(s)   (2231 visits).

Veritas NetBackup now supports a method of recovering image information without having to import from a tape.

Creating a Flash Archive Recovery (FLAR) Image

Updated   10 Oct 2012 Read time 4 min(s) 20 sec(s)   (2722 visits).

This article provides simple instructions to create a Flash Archive image that can be loaded onto the target system to recover from a failed drive.

How to rename a SAM-QFS file system

Updated   17 Apr 2008 Read time 1 min 8 sec(s)   (3069 visits).

We use the samfsck command to rename a SAM-QFS file system after making the necessary changes in the mcf file.

SAM-QFS Manager Logging

Updated   13 Jun 2008 Read time 1 min 1 sec   (2311 visits).

To generate a SAM-QFS Manager troubleshooting report, run the /opt/SUNWfsmgr/bin/fsmgr_report command to create the /var/tmp/fsmgr.overall.log file.

Mounting and Unmounting Sun QFS Shared File Systems

Updated   20 Jul 2002 Read time 1 min 25 sec(s)   (2758 visits).

When mounting or unmounting a Sun QFS shared file system, the order in which the Solaris OE is mounted or unmounted is important.

Configure DNS services in Solaris 11 using SMF

Updated   9 Jan 2013 Read time 1 min 19 sec(s)   (1544 visits).

The previous method of modifying a configuration file to configure naming services no longer works we now reply on SMF.

List directory contents of an ISO image

Updated   26 Jul 2006 Read time 21 sec(s)   (2762 visits).

isodump is a crude utility to interactively display the contents of iso9660 images in order to verify directory integrity

Extract a single file from ISO image

Updated   26 Jul 2006 Read time 46 sec(s)   (2325 visits).

isodump is a crude utility to interactively display the contents of iso9660 images in order to verify directory integrity

Recreating /dev/null in Solaris

Updated   5 Jul 2005 Read time 20 sec(s)   (2892 visits).

A simple procedure to recreate /dev/null on a Solaris system using the mknod command to create a special character device.

How to Change or Set hostname on OEL/RHEL/CentOS 7

Updated   2 Sep 2014 Read time 2 min(s) 18 sec(s)   (2306 visits).

Unlike OEL/RHEL/CentOS 6, manually appending “HOSTNAME=xxxxx” into file /etc/sysconfig/network and restarting system will not work on version 7.

NetWorker NSR Log Viewer

Updated   3 May 2011 Read time 28 sec(s)   (2972 visits).

Within the NetWorker Config Checker 1.1 there is an additional application called NSR Log Viewer.

Deleting Savesets in NetWorker 7.5x

Updated   23 Oct 2014 Read time 1 min 30 sec(s)   (2918 visits).

In versions of NetWorker 7.4.x and below, it was always possible to use nsrmm to delete savesets that exist on disk backup units

Adding fonts in Solaris 11

Updated   25 Oct 2012 Read time 44 sec(s)   (2445 visits).

fontconfig is used to manage all types of fonts including PostScript and TrueType fonts in the Solaris desktop environment.

Installing Manual pages in Solaris

Updated   26 Feb 2002 Read time 1 min 21 sec(s)   (2850 visits).

You need to have both the SUNWdoc and SUNWman packages installed on a Solaris system in order to view manual pages.

Troubleshooting Veritas File System (VxFS)

Updated   12 Jul 2002 Read time 4 min(s) 41 sec(s)   (2288 visits).

A collection of troubleshooting tps for the Veritas File System (VxFS).

Adding International Language Support in Solaris

Updated   12 Aug 2008 Read time 1 min 49 sec(s)   (2529 visits).

A locale is a collection of files, data and sometimes code which contain the necessary information to adapt Solaris to a specific language.

Changing UIDs and GIDs for a user

Updated   2 Mar 2012 Read time 1 min 40 sec(s)   (2829 visits).

A quick procedure to change the UID and GID for a given user using the usermod and groupmod commands.

Installing Solaris boot blocks

Updated   14 Mar 2016 Read time 1 min 30 sec(s)   (2604 visits).

This post discusses how to install the boot block on a Solaris system running either the older UFS file system or the newer ZFS root file system.

Performing a ZFSSA factory reset

Updated   12 Jan 2016 Read time 1 min 10 sec(s)   (2359 visits).

A factory reset of ZFSSA will reset the appliance configuration back to factory settings of the current software version, and reboot the appliance

Merging Legato NetWorker Servers

Updated   12 Apr 2002 Read time 5 min(s) 0 sec(s)   (2495 visits).

This document provides the necessary steps to allow Backup Administrators to Migrate or Consolidate several Legato NetWorker servers.

Solaris Secure by Default

Updated   26 Sep 2007 Read time 1 min 42 sec(s)   (2332 visits).

This project changes the default configuration of the Solaris OS such that ssh is the only network-listening service.

How to determine which tape drives are configured under SAM-FS?

Updated   23 Feb 2006 Read time 3 min(s) 47 sec(s)   (2482 visits).

This article provides a brief outline of how to determine which tape libraries and tape drives are configured under SAM-FS

How to setup NetBackup for Lotus Notes partitioned server

Updated   14 Aug 2006 Read time 55 sec(s)   (2179 visits).

This document provides the basics for getting successful backups of a Lotus notes partitioned server using Veritas NetBackup

Solstice Backup Server Recovery (pre 6.x)

Updated   29 Oct 1999 Read time 2 min(s) 24 sec(s)   (2854 visits).

A procedure to recovering from the loss or corruption of a Solstice Backup servers critical files including the index, media index, and resource files

Reregister VSS components to resolve NetWorker backup failures

Updated   8 Sep 2014 Read time 45 sec(s)   (2223 visits).

Sometimes re-registering VSS core components can fix errors and allow NetWorker backups to continue successfull

Solstice Disksuite (SDS) Cheat Sheet

Updated   31 Aug 2002 Read time 4 min(s) 12 sec(s)   (2652 visits).

Solstice DiskSuite is a software product that enables you to manage large numbers of disks and the data on those disks.

Installing PHP GeoIP on Ubuntu

Updated   20 Aug 2014 Read time 1 min 20 sec(s)   (2403 visits).

A simple article providing the steps necessary to get GeoIP working with PHP on Ubuntu systems.

Quick start on Oracle 8i and Solaris

Updated   21 Jul 1999 Read time 6 min(s) 22 sec(s)   (2746 visits).

This page assumes you want an oracle install on a single disk, with minimum memory, to just play around with oracle and learn the basics.

Installing and Configuring LDOMs (Oracle VM for SPARC)

Updated   1 Feb 2014 Read time 6 min(s) 27 sec(s)   (2672 visits).

Installing the Oracle VM and configuring the primary domain and create a guest domain and assign necessary resources to it.

Restarting ACSLS

Updated   19 Jul 2001 Read time 33 sec(s)   (2306 visits).

To restart the Automated Cartridge System Library Software (ACSLS) Software, simply perform the following steps.

Configuring datalink interfaces with dladm

Updated   23 Mar 2015 Read time 56 sec(s)   (2173 visits).

A configured data-link is represented in the system as interface that can be used for TCP/IP.

How to backup VCS Configuration

Updated   25 Aug 2006 Read time 4 min(s) 53 sec(s)   (3348 visits).

hasnap - backs up or restores a predefined and user defined list of VCS configuration files on each node in the cluster.

How to password reset a Sun StorEdge T3 storage array

Updated   20 Jun 2001 Read time 48 sec(s)   (2901 visits).

This simple article provides the steps necessary to password reset a Sun StorEdge T3 array.

Veritas File System (VxFS) Cheat Sheet

Updated   12 Jul 2002 Read time 3 min(s) 33 sec(s)   (2517 visits).

This article is aimed a providing a list of basic commands for Veritas File System (VxFS).

How to disable Unity overlay scrollbars in Ubuntu

Updated   10 May 2014 Read time 1 min 54 sec(s)   (2285 visits).

How to easily restore the classing scroll bar (disable overlay scrolling) or to re-enable it if disabled under Ubuntu 14.04 and 16.04 LTS

Displaying Sun Cluster release and versioning information

Updated   9 Jul 2006 Read time 1 min 1 sec   (2316 visits).

This is a simple procedure to display the version of SunCluster installed on a given system.

Sun Cluster 3.x cheat sheet

Updated   9 Jul 2006 Read time 9 min(s) 40 sec(s)   (3199 visits).

This cheat sheet contains common commands and information for Sun Cluster versions 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3.

Veritas Cluster (VCS) CLI reference guide

Updated   9 Jul 2006 Read time 1 min 33 sec(s)   (2414 visits).

In VCS configuration, each cluster contains systems, service groups and resources. Service Groups contain a list of systems belonging to that group.

Setting VxVM permissions on volumes

Updated   9 Sep 2001 Read time 49 sec(s)   (2303 visits).

Witihout using vxedit to change permissions VxVM device files go back to the defaults each time vxconfigd is enabled or the system rebooted.

Creating a Solaris FLAR image

Updated   13 Jan 2011 Read time 1 min 56 sec(s)   (2454 visits).

A Solaris FLAR image can be used for reinstalling the OS one the original host and other systems.

Resetting Solaris LDOM to factory default

Updated   8 Apr 2016 Read time 1 min 15 sec(s)   (2578 visits).

If you remove the LDOM before restoring the factory default configuration, you can restore the factory default configuration from the service processor

Running Gramps genealogy on Solaris 11 Express

Updated   27 Jul 2011 Read time 2 min(s) 2 sec(s)   (2900 visits).

A simple article on how to install the Gramps (Genealogical Research Software) on the Solaris/OpenSolaris Operating Systems.

Running Gramps Genealogy program on Solaris 10

Updated   6 Apr 2009 Read time 3 min(s) 45 sec(s)   (2296 visits).

A simple article on how to install the Gramps (Genealogical Research Software) on the Solaris/OpenSolaris Operating Systems.

Setting up an SSHD failover daemon in Ubuntu

Updated   13 Aug 2017 Read time 57 sec(s)   (2855 visits).

A simple article on how to create a failover SSH server on a Ubuntu system, allowing you to connect on an alternative port of the original SSHD fails

XP Tweaks

Updated   22 Jan 2002 Read time 2 min(s) 59 sec(s)   (2364 visits).

Here, we've assembled 10 fast n' easy tweaks for any PC that break the factory mold and improve performance.

Solaris Zone status and Configuration

Updated   2 Feb 2015 Read time 3 min(s) 49 sec(s)   (2278 visits).

This article describes how to display the Solaris Zone Status and Configuration from the global zone.

How to view LDOM configuration as non-root user

Updated   5 Nov 2012 Read time 37 sec(s)   (2268 visits).

If you try to view LDOM configuration information as a non-root user under Solaris...

How to Update a file on all zones at the same time

Updated   12 May 2012 Read time 24 sec(s)   (2762 visits).

A brief article and how to quickly copy an updated configuration to all child zones.

Listing avilable Solaris 10 services

Updated   30 Sep 2010 Read time 2 min(s) 21 sec(s)   (2232 visits).

Under Solaris 10 we use the svcs command to provide information about services, including their status.

Veritas NetBackup cheat sheet

Updated   29 Apr 2003 Read time 5 min(s) 18 sec(s)   (2455 visits).

This a quick cheat sheet of the commands that can be used when using Veritas NetBackup

xargs examples

Updated   17 Jan 2008 Read time 5 min(s) 11 sec(s)   (2443 visits).

xargs command are unlike most other Unix commands in that its function is not so much to do something on its own, but to construct other commands

How do I convert hexadecimal to binary to decimal and vice versa?

Updated   11 Feb 2010 Read time 52 sec(s)   (2815 visits).

A simple post providing various methods of converting hexadecimal, binary and decimal with different Solaris commands,

How do I adjust interprocess communications (IPC) variables?

Updated   1 Feb 2010 Read time 2 min(s) 45 sec(s)   (2895 visits).

IPC allows information transfer or synchronization to occur between processes.

How to remove an AFTD in NetWorker 8

Updated   19 Oct 2014 Read time 20 sec(s)   (2275 visits).

With NetWorker 8 this process has been simplified; now you just un-mount the AFTD and select delete.

How to test phone home on Celerra

Updated   3 Jan 2012 Read time 31 sec(s)   (2362 visits).

A simple step-by-step guide on how to test phone home on a Celerra system

How to turn on Statistic logging on EMC Unisphere

Updated   14 Mar 2011 Read time 15 sec(s)   (2269 visits).

This is a simple post providing the necessary steps on how to turn on Statistic logging on EMC Unisphere

How to turn on statistic and data logging on EMC Unisphere for VNX

Updated   1 Feb 2011 Read time 47 sec(s)   (2417 visits).

How to turn on statistical and data logging on EMC Unisphere for VNX

How to turn on data logging on EMC Unisphere to collect .naz files

Updated   1 Feb 2011 Read time 13 sec(s)   (2766 visits).

How to turn on data logging on EMC Unisphere to collect .NAZ files

How to turn on Data logging on EMC Navisphere Express

Updated   14 May 2011 Read time 13 sec(s)   (2692 visits).

How to turn on Data logging on EMC Navisphere Express

Testing ping with jumbo frames

Updated   22 Jun 2013 Read time 1 min 30 sec(s)   (2999 visits).

Depending on the OS you are running determinas which command and options to use in your testing.

How to temporary disable access to ZFSSA CIFS/SMB shares?

Updated   12 Jan 2016 Read time 1 min 14 sec(s)   (2313 visits).

The preferred way of temporarily disabling access to smb / cifs shares is to set the parameter smbshare to off.

How to Shutdown ZFSSA from CLI

Updated   12 Jan 2016 Read time 28 sec(s)   (2324 visits).

Shutdown a ZFS Storage Appliance (or one node of the appliance) from CLI without typing 'Y' to the confirmation.

How to Identify the ZFSSA Serial Number

Updated   12 Jan 2016 Read time 30 sec(s)   (2881 visits).

The goal of this document is intended to help identify the correct serial number associated with a ZFS Storage Appliance.

Installing the ZFS Storage Appliance Simulator

Updated   9 Mar 2015 Read time 3 min(s) 1 sec   (2541 visits).

This post is a quick start guide to getting the Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance Simulator up and running on your desktop

Renaming a ZFSSA nodename

Updated   13 Jan 2016 Read time 1 min 37 sec(s)   (2543 visits).

A step-by-step instructions to change the nodename of a ZFS storage appliance

Replacing a failed SCSI disk in Solstice DiskSuite (no reboot)

Updated   2 Sep 2002 Read time 2 min(s) 9 sec(s)   (2385 visits).

A simple procedure to replace a failed SCSI disks which is mirrored with Solstice DiskSuite without the need to reboot the Solaris server.

How to configure an NTP client under Solaris

Updated   3 Nov 2014 Read time 58 sec(s)   (2539 visits).

The following procedures show how to set up and use the NTP service.

Exchange RDB Level Recovery with NMA 2.4

Updated   20 Aug 2014 Read time 0 sec(s)   (2862 visits).

EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Application 2.4 -- Exchange RDB Item Level Recovery

Removing failed jobs in a DPA report

Updated   17 Oct 2014 Read time 32 sec(s)   (2333 visits).

What this setting does is allow failures to be discounted when there is a successful backup of the same job within a given time frame.

Setting up postfix to use Gmail SMTP under Ubuntu

Updated   26 Feb 2013 Read time 1 min 59 sec(s)   (2382 visits).

Using Gmail's SMTP server as Postfix relay for reliable email delivery and also for logging all outgoing mails.

Configuring puppet on Solaris 11

Updated   30 Aug 2014 Read time 4 min(s) 26 sec(s)   (2756 visits).

A short article on the introduction and how to manage Solaris 11 systems using puppet.

How to check OEM agent status on Solaris

Updated   12 Mar 2015 Read time 52 sec(s)   (3080 visits).

This article provides the steps necessary to check the status of the OEM agent on any given Solaris system

Installing Oracle OEM agent on a Solaris host

Updated   12 Mar 2015 Read time 1 min 13 sec(s)   (3094 visits).

This post provides the simple steps necessary to install the Oracle Enterprise Manager agent on a given Solaris system.

Enabling and Disabling ftp services on Solaris

Updated   22 Jan 2012 Read time 1 min 13 sec(s)   (2900 visits).

For security purposes, administrators may wish to disable ftp on a given Solaris system.

Enabling and Disabling telnet service on Solaris

Updated   17 Oct 2013 Read time 1 min 4 sec(s)   (3727 visits).

For security purposes, administrators may wish to disable telnet on a given Solaris system.

Enabling SNMP on Solaris 10 and Solaris 11

Updated   19 Sep 2013 Read time 36 sec(s)   (3610 visits).

This article provides the simple steps to enable SNMP on Solaris 10 and Solaris 11 systems.

Installing Windows Server Backup

Updated   11 Mar 2013 Read time 1 min 27 sec(s)   (2203 visits).

WSB is not installed by default. The feature installation is made by Server Manager. After installation, the tool can be accessed via console or CLI.

Sending CTRL+ALT+DEL in a VMware vSphere client

Updated   17 Mar 2010 Read time 11 sec(s)   (2608 visits).

This is a simple screenshot of how to send the Ctrl+Alt+Del key sequence to a VM guest

Uninstalling VMware Workstation from a Linux Host

Updated   14 Jan 2015 Read time 29 sec(s)   (2136 visits).

This article provides the simple steps needed to uninstall the VMware workstation from a Linux host. You must run the command from a Linux server.

NetWorker 9.0 Management Console database changes

Updated   9 Oct 2015 Read time 1 min 19 sec(s)   (2574 visits).

In 9.0, NMC uses a PostgreSQL database instead of Sybase. As a result, you must migrate existing databases during upgrades.

Configure KMS encryption on a UNIX NetBackup server

Updated   8 Sep 2012 Read time 2 min(s) 31 sec(s)   (2479 visits).

This article provides the necessary actions needed to install and configure Key Management Service (KMS) encryption on a UNIX NetBackup master server.

Configure KMS encryption on a windows NetBackup server

Updated   8 Sep 2012 Read time 2 min(s) 27 sec(s)   (3269 visits).

This article provides the necessary actions needed to install and configure Key Management Service encryption on a windows NetBackup master server.

Upgrading NetBackup 5.x to 6.0

Updated   15 Sep 2009 Read time 1 min 14 sec(s)   (2180 visits).

This article provides simplistic overview steps of performing an upgrade of your NetBackup environment from 5.x to release 6.0

Recovering from a lost root password under Linux

Updated   15 Sep 2012 Read time 54 sec(s)   (2739 visits).

This article provides a quick procedure on how to recover a lost root password frm virtually any version of Linux which uses the GRUB boot loader.

How to enable checkpoint restart on a NetWorker client?

Updated   26 Mar 2013 Read time 1 min 16 sec(s)   (2876 visits).

The checkpoint restart feature allows a failed backup operation to restart at a known good point prior to the point-of-failure during the backup.

What is the NetWorker hostid?

Updated   20 Jul 2015 Read time 59 sec(s)   (3402 visits).

NetWorker uses hostid for authorization code. hosted depends on the IP address of the computer used.

How To Cross-check and Refresh Client File Indexes

Updated   30 Jul 2015 Read time 57 sec(s)   (2808 visits).

This article will provides details on how to Cross-check and Refresh Client File Indexes

How to use the NetWorker Software Administration Wizard

Updated   17 Aug 2015 Read time 4 min(s) 4 sec(s)   (3185 visits).

The NetWorker software admin wizard is an option within NMC that allows you to Upgrade Individual or Multiple client computers at the same time.

How to determine which version of VMware Backup Appliance is running?

Updated   7 Sep 2015 Read time 1 min 27 sec(s)   (3152 visits).

This article helps to determine which version of NetWorker VBA is running to help open Service Requests and troubleshoot issues.

How To Reconfigure Libraries under NMC

Updated   8 Sep 2015 Read time 1 min 39 sec(s)   (2997 visits).

This article is to tell you how to Reconfigure Libraries or Jukeboxes in NetWorker using the NMC (NetWorker Management Console) GUI interface.

Configuring a basic firewall under Ubuntu 14.04

Updated   11 Jan 2015 Read time 2 min(s) 49 sec(s)   (2895 visits).

This article provides a quick reference to UFW commands that will create iptables firewall rules are useful in common, everyday scenarios.

Moving window to edge in Lubuntu 14.04 (updated)

Updated   20 Mar 2014 Read time 34 sec(s)   (2365 visits).

AeroSnap is a feature of some window managers to anchor the windows to the screen edges.

Adding volumes and disk devices to non-global zones

Updated   20 Jan 2014 Read time 3 min(s) 54 sec(s)   (2208 visits).

This article provides a series of examples of adding different file systems, raw and disk devices to a non-global zone.

How to run SPcollect on EMC Navisphere

Updated   1 Feb 2011 Read time 1 min 18 sec(s)   (2344 visits).

This article provides the simple steps needed to gather SPCollects from the EMC Navisphere.

How to run SPcollect on EMC Unisphere

Updated   1 Feb 2011 Read time 53 sec(s)   (2304 visits).

This article provides the simple steps needed to gather the SPCollects from the Unisphere Maager.

Overview of NetWorker Snapshot Policy Attributes

Updated   20 Oct 2014 Read time 1 min 46 sec(s)   (2533 visits).

Overview of NetWorker Snapshot Policy Attributes

Creating a free iSCSI SAN with OpenFiler

Updated   27 Apr 2010 Read time 2 min(s) 28 sec(s)   (2396 visits).

This article makes use of the OpenFiler product to create an iSCSI target for an iSCSI SAN.

NetWorker Data Zone and Hosts

Updated   18 Jun 2011 Read time 1 min 39 sec(s)   (2253 visits).

Another way to define a data zone is to say it is the set of hosts managed by a single NetWorker server.

Cloud device integration with NetWorker

Updated   18 Jun 2011 Read time 4 min(s) 58 sec(s)   (2923 visits).

The NetWorker Cloud Backup Option provides support for backing up to both private (onsite) and public (offsite) cloud configurations.

Tomcat 7 on CentOS 7

Updated   19 Dec 2014 Read time 1 min 39 sec(s)   (2363 visits).

This post provides a basic installation and configuration of Tomcat 7 on a CentOS 7 server.

Moving from LAMP to LEMP

Updated   11 Dec 2014 Read time 3 min(s) 15 sec(s)   (2651 visits).

LAMP is a popular server stack using apache to deliver dynamic content; LEMP utilises ngnix to achieve the same open source technologies.

Installing BMC Patrol Agent 9.5

Updated   16 May 2013 Read time 30 sec(s)   (2326 visits).

This topic describes how to perform a first-time installation of the BMC patrol agent, which includes the system collectors and service daemon.

Removing VxVM from a Solaris root disk

Updated   26 Jun 2002 Read time 1 min 51 sec(s)   (2797 visits).

This post provides an example of how to remove VxVM from a Solaris root disk. The operating system is mirrored between the two devices.

Sun Explorer Utility (SUNWexplo)

Updated   1 Jul 2001 Read time 58 sec(s)   (2408 visits).

The Sun Explorer utility gathers information and creates detailed snapshots of a systems architecture and configuration.

Changing Avamar Passwords

Updated   30 Jul 2012 Read time 46 sec(s)   (4686 visits).

Changing only the passwords for the operating system users does not sufficiently prevent someone from logging in to Avamar server nodes.

Converting Nibbleblog .htaccess to IIS

Updated   18 Apr 2014 Read time 11 min(s) 18 sec(s)   (2433 visits).

This post gives an example how to convert the .htaccess file provided with Nibbleblog when SEO is enabled into the equivalent IIS web.conf file.

Automating Solaris 10 explorer upload to Oracle MOS

Updated   2 Sep 2014 Read time 42 sec(s)   (1078 visits).

The Solaris explorer gathers system diagnostic data and creates an archive suitable for Oracle support analysis.

SSH Cheat Sheet

Updated   13 Jan 2010 Read time 5 min(s) 24 sec(s)   (418 visits).

This post provides me with a reminder of the syntax for the most useful SSH features I use whist auditing systems.

Editing (vi) large files in Solaris

Updated   9 Sep 2013 Read time 35 sec(s)   (317 visits).

Editing large files with vi may result in the error 'Not enough space in /var/tmp' may appear and prevents you from editing your file.

Dump device estimates in Oracle Solaris

Updated   8 Dec 2015 Read time 2 min(s) 18 sec(s)   (350 visits).

The dumpadm program is a Solaris administrative command that manages the configuration of the operating system crash dump facility.

Migrating a Solaris 11 Kernel Zone

Updated   8 Jan 2015 Read time 1 min 57 sec(s)   (388 visits).

You can migrate a kernel zone to another host by using the zoneadm command. For zone migrations, a zone configuration must be portable across machines.

Using pkgcond to determine a zone type

Updated   10 Dec 2014 Read time 1 min 20 sec(s)   (315 visits).

The pkgcond command allows you to determine the type of target being operated on (global zone, non-global zone, diskless client, and so forth)

What is the NetBackup Catalog?

Updated   28 Nov 2015 Read time 2 min(s) 15 sec(s)   (1277 visits).

The NetBackup Catalog is the internal database that contains information about backups and configuration and should be protected regulary.

Backing up the NetBackup Catalog

Updated   28 Nov 2015 Read time 2 min(s) 26 sec(s)   (545 visits).

The NetBackup Catalog is the internal database that contains information about NetBackup backups and should be protected.

When are jobs purged from jobsdb?

Updated   31 Mar 2008 Read time 35 sec(s)   (2320 visits).

A process runs every 12 hours to check for entries to be purged also if a record's lifetime has passed the time limit it will be also be deleted.

Overwriting EDM tapes with NetWorker

Updated   13 Aug 2007 Read time 43 sec(s)   (2403 visits).

Unfortunately, this feature has been implemented in such a away that will prevent you from overwriting EDM media with a NetWorker label in general.

How to rename a pool under NetWorker

Updated   18 Jul 2005 Read time 1 min 23 sec(s)   (2865 visits).

Pools define to which set of media the data shall be saved, it is mandatory that each pool must have different data selection criteria assigned to it.

Data Domain system clock

Updated   22 Feb 2014 Read time 1 min 9 sec(s)   (2903 visits).

When using AD mode for CIFS access, the data domain system clock time cannot differ by more than five minutes.

Configuring a CIFS Share

Updated   21 Feb 2014 Read time 1 min 39 sec(s)   (3481 visits).

This article describes how to create a CIFS share on the data domain system and how to troubleshoot access to it.

DD Boost over Fibre Channel

Updated   18 Feb 2014 Read time 1 min 4 sec(s)   (3007 visits).

This post provides the steps needed to configure DD Boost over Fibre Channel via the System Manager and/or via command line.

Configuring a CloudBoost Share

Updated   19 Apr 2015 Read time 1 min 18 sec(s)   (2348 visits).

You must configure the shared data store immediately after you have deloyed the CloudBoost virtual appliance.

Debugging NetWorker recovery job failures within NMC

Updated   17 Sep 2012 Read time 1 min 4 sec(s)   (2467 visits).

To troubleshoot a recovery issue configure the Recovery resource in NMC to display greater detail in the log file and retry the recovery.

Using NetWorker to Restore from the Cloud

Updated   19 Apr 2015 Read time 1 min 53 sec(s)   (2320 visits).

Using the NetWorker recovery wizard you can restore files from the cloud.

Connecting NetWorker to CloudBoost

Updated   19 Apr 2015 Read time 42 sec(s)   (2256 visits).

Connect NetWorker to CloudBoost to send a NetWorker backup clone to CloudBoost.

Deploying the CloudBoost virtual appliance

Updated   19 Apr 2015 Read time 3 min(s) 11 sec(s)   (2966 visits).

After you configure the CloudBoost virtual app via vSphere cli you can login the CloudBoost management console to configure its deployment settings.

Configuring the CloudBoost virtual appliance

Updated   19 Apr 2015 Read time 1 min 42 sec(s)   (2511 visits).

After you have installed CloudBoost virtual appliance, you must next configure the IP settings and hostname for CloudBoost from the VM console.

Installing the CloudBoost virtual appliance

Updated   19 Apr 2015 Read time 1 min 45 sec(s)   (2422 visits).

This simple post provides the steps needed to install the CloudBoost virtual appliance in vSphere

Downloading the CloudBoost encryption keys

Updated   19 Apr 2015 Read time 52 sec(s)   (2394 visits).

Always download your Cloudboost Encryption keys at your earliest possible time as there is no way to retrieve them after a system failure.

Creating a ramdisk in Solaris (updated)

Updated   10 Nov 2015 Read time 1 min 13 sec(s)   (2594 visits).

Using the ramdiskadm command we can create a ramdisk pseudo device in the Solaris OS

How to Restart or Shutdown a remote Windows Server

Updated   2 Aug 2011 Read time 2 min(s) 43 sec(s)   (2945 visits).

When you attempt to restart a remote server remember that the default ComputerName is the local machine, therefore you need to append -m ComputerName.

NetBackup 6.0 Restore Process Flow

Updated   12 Jun 2012 Read time 3 min(s) 33 sec(s)   (2492 visits).

The steps correspond to the information shown in Figure 1 (below). Please refer to Figure 1 while reviewing the steps outlined.

NetBackup 6.0 Backup Process Flow

Updated   12 Jun 2012 Read time 4 min(s) 40 sec(s)   (2576 visits).

The steps correspond to the information shown in Figure 1 (below). Please refer to Figure 1 while reviewing the steps outlined.

NetBackup Key Management Service (KMS) command line examples

Updated   20 Nov 2014 Read time 1 min 4 sec(s)   (3151 visits).

KMS is integrated into NetBackup in such a way so as to eliminate difficulties in using NetBackup from a system management perspective.

Configuring client direct backups under NetWorker 8

Updated   28 Jul 2012 Read time 1 min 18 sec(s)   (3424 visits).

The Client Direct feature paired with DDBoost is especially powerful, because it enables DSP to take place on the client.

Performing SharePoint backups with NetWorker

Updated   12 May 2011 Read time 1 min 54 sec(s)   (2395 visits).

NMM enables more granular backup and recovery than a standard VSS SHAREPOINT save set which can only be restored in its entirety.

Configuring link based IPMP on Solaris

Updated   14 Apr 2010 Read time 2 min(s) 12 sec(s)   (632 visits).

IP network multipathing (IPMP) provides a mechanism for building redundant network interfaces to guard against failures with network interfaces.

How to install and change locale in Solaris 11

Updated   21 Mar 2016 Read time 2 min(s) 42 sec(s)   (801 visits).

In a default installation of Oracle Solaris 11, ten Core Locales are available. You can add support for additional locales using the pkg command.

How to create a client via the NetWorker Management Console?

Updated   9 May 2008 Read time 1 min 39 sec(s)   (2354 visits).

Configuring the new NetWorker client via the NetWorker Management Console (NMC)

Securing SSH on Solaris 10

Updated   28 Sep 2012 Read time 2 min(s) 52 sec(s)   (2394 visits).

It is strongly recommended that sites abandon older clear-text login protocols and use SSH to prevent sniffing of sensitive data off the network

How to obtain NetWorker license keys

Updated   25 Oct 2002 Read time 44 sec(s)   (2355 visits).

This article generates a simple text file with the current active and previosly installed license keys for completeness.

How to setup ZFS Storage Appliance iSCSI luns on Ubuntu Server

Updated   11 May 2020 Read time 12 min(s) 51 sec(s)   (2606 visits).

This article shows how to configure iSCSI LUNs on an ZFS Storage Appliance and integrate them to a Ubuntu Server using the command line.

Changing Oracle Enterprise Linux hostname

Updated   1 Sep 2011 Read time 57 sec(s)   (2290 visits).

Either due to cloning or corporate naming standards, you may find the need to change the hostname of an Oracle Enterprise Linux System.

Reducing the size of the indexes by removing the oldest save sets

Updated   4 Jan 2001 Read time 3 min(s) 3 sec(s)   (2884 visits).

This procedure addresses how to reduce the index size by removing the oldest full save set and its dependencies.

Disabling Spotlight under Mac OS X (updated)

Updated   10 Dec 2011 Read time 2 min(s) 5 sec(s)   (2776 visits).

If like me you're not a fan of Spotlight and want to disable it completely then you can hese simple steps.

Installing the EMC NetWorker 7.6 client on a Ubuntu Server (UNSUPPORTED)

Updated   6 Jan 2012 Read time 1 min 27 sec(s)   (453 visits).

An article on how to install the NetWorker 7.6 client on Ubuntu or Debian unsupported platforms

RM6 drivutil examples

Updated   19 Apr 2002 Read time 1 min 56 sec(s)   (2226 visits).

Allows you to obtain drive and LUN information, revive a LUN, fail and unfail a drive, and obtain LUN reconstruction progress.

Changing the Oracle VM Manager User Password

Updated   9 Aug 2014 Read time 1 min 54 sec(s)   (3274 visits).

The Oracle VM Manager user lets you log in to the Oracle VM Manager Web UI. This article provides the steps required to change the admin password.

How to create 1GB zeroed sparse file

Updated   15 Dec 2010 Read time 1 min 7 sec(s)   (2520 visits).

A sparse file is a type of file that attempts to use file system space more efficiently when blocks allocated to the file are mostly empty.

Solaris System log (syslogd) overview

Updated   4 Mar 2011 Read time 3 min(s) 27 sec(s)   (2357 visits).

Efficient event log syslog analysis reduces system downtime, increases network performance, and helps tighten security policies in the enterprise.

Changing the NetWorker Management Console (NMC) service port

Updated   19 Dec 2014 Read time 1 min 15 sec(s)   (2555 visits).

If you other applications running on the same system you may come across a conflict where both applications are using the same service port.

Downloading and Managing CloudBoost log files

Updated   19 Apr 2015 Read time 1 min 12 sec(s)   (2247 visits).

NetWorker with CloudBoost enables long term storage provisioning via the cloud.

Using preap to kill defunct processes on Solaris

Updated   1 Sep 2008 Read time 44 sec(s)   (2765 visits).

Using preap to kill defunct processes on Solaris may be an option of kill -9 fails

Finding Solaris release and kernel info

Updated   19 Apr 2001 Read time 50 sec(s)   (2330 visits).

Do you need to determine which release of Solaris you are running? Or other useful information that comes with it? The read more

Solstice DiskSuite Soft Partitions

Updated   28 Feb 2006 Read time 33 sec(s)   (2264 visits).

SVM provides the ability to create more partitions than the limit of 7 using traditional partitions. Such partitions are called soft partitions.

Verifying the blocksize of an NTFS volume

Updated   11 Aug 2011 Read time 40 sec(s)   (2213 visits).

This simple post provides details on how to verify the block size of an NFS volume, using the fsutil command.

Creating dummy files with mkfile/fsutil

Updated   21 Jun 2011 Read time 38 sec(s)   (2316 visits).

The following command will create a dummy file in the specified path with the specified size (in bytes):

Special file permissons (setuid, setgid and sticky bit)

Updated   29 Jul 2011 Read time 2 min(s) 21 sec(s)   (3038 visits).

setuid and setgid are unix access rights flags that allow users to run an executable with permissions of the executables owner and group respectively

How to analyze NetBackup unified logs

Updated   23 Mar 2011 Read time 3 min(s) 52 sec(s)   (3199 visits).

For legacy NetBackup logs which is located under /usr/openv/netbackup/logs , below numbers can indicate to you the severity when troubleshooting.

How to configure a local repository in Solaris 11.3

Updated   4 Feb 2016 Read time 1 min 38 sec(s)   (3030 visits).

Once completed, clients can use this repository server to get updates over the local network instead of via the internet.

Recovering data from media which is already passed a retention policy

Updated   23 May 2012 Read time 1 min 10 sec(s)   (2277 visits).

Have you ever needed to recover data from a NetWorker tape which is already out of retention policy, use this simple procedure to perform just that.

Redirecting an Avamar System State backup to another drive

Updated   30 Jul 2013 Read time 38 sec(s)   (2307 visits).

On Windows 2003 AVAMAR client uses the NTBackup Utility to create a backup of the system state.

NetWorker Interoperability and backward compatibility

Updated   4 Jul 2014 Read time 2 min(s) 23 sec(s)   (2990 visits).

When upgrading to NetWorker 8.1.x you cannot revert to 7.6.x without additional steps, whereas you can revert to 8.x without an issue.

Migrating from Sun StorEdge Enterprise Backup to EMC NetWorker

Updated   10 Jun 2012 Read time 1 min 15 sec(s)   (2356 visits).

Moving from Sun StorEdge Enterprise Backup (EBS) to EMC NetWorker is a procedure similar to an update to a newer release of the NetWorker software.

Disable Idle Device Timeout under NMC

Updated   21 Oct 2013 Read time 45 sec(s)   (2413 visits).

To prevent devices from being unloaded from the drives while scanner is in use, you must temporarily disable the Idle Device Timeout attribute.

Unable to launch NMC on Windows after NetWorker upgrade

Updated   22 Jan 2014 Read time 49 sec(s)   (4324 visits).

After NMC is upgraded, the NMC gconsole.jnlp in the Java Web Start cache will be different from the previous version of NetWorker.

Creating a fully automated Solaris 10 Jumpstart

Updated   18 Jan 2011 Read time 3 min(s) 13 sec(s)   (2250 visits).

This post provides the necessary steps in creating a fully automated jumpstart for Solaris 10

How to move NetWorker Server License to a different server

Updated   10 Apr 1998 Read time 2 min(s) 37 sec(s)   (2809 visits).

Use this procedure to move your Legato NetWorker server license from one server to another

How to manually reduce the client file indexes and media database

Updated   8 Apr 1998 Read time 1 min 21 sec(s)   (3901 visits).

You can also use manual methods to control the size of the client file indexes and the media database

Restoring NetBackup files using command line utilities

Updated   30 Jun 2016 Read time 2 min(s) 2 sec(s)   (529 visits).

A simple post with examples of restoring NetBackup archives using NetBackup command line utilities.

How to recover the SunFire Tx000 ALOM password

Updated   18 Jul 2011 Read time 1 min 14 sec(s)   (358 visits).

A simple procedure to recover the SunFire T1000/T2000 ALOM password by resetting the ALOM NVRAM settings.

How to shutdown or reboot Solaris, Linux, AIX or HPUX

Updated   4 May 2014 Read time 1 min 34 sec(s)   (953 visits).

A simple post which provides a common place for the shutdown and reboot of various operating systems.

Moving the NetWorker Management Console to a new server

Updated   18 Apr 2012 Read time 40 sec(s)   (2529 visits).

Use the following procedure to install NMC on a new server and to move the existing NMC database to the new server.

Using CLI to identify disk state in a Data Domain system

Updated   17 Dec 2014 Read time 49 sec(s)   (2372 visits).

This article describes how to identify the state of each disk drive in the Data Domain system using the command line interface (CLI).

Resolving NetWorker duplicate volume names

Updated   15 Nov 2012 Read time 45 sec(s)   (2776 visits).

This can occurs when Relabelling existing or new media via the command line or using the GUI where cartridge barcode differ to the internal label

How to hide Windows 2012 Server Manager at login

Updated   19 Jul 2016 Read time 1 min 21 sec(s)   (2397 visits).

If you have a server which is low on resources, having to wait for the server manager process to finish loading can be a little bit painful

NetWorker checkpoint restart backups

Updated   26 Mar 2013 Read time 2 min(s) 18 sec(s)   (2360 visits).

The checkpoint restart feature allows a failed backup operation to restart at a known good point prior to the point-of-failure during the backup.

How to reset the NetWorker NMC password on a Windows server

Updated   21 Mar 2012 Read time 1 min 36 sec(s)   (4339 visits).

Use this procedure to reset the NMC administrators password on a windows server

Virtialised clocks and timezones in Solaris

Updated   11 Mar 2016 Read time 51 sec(s)   (2412 visits).

You can set time values in non-global zones that are different from the value in the global zone.

Missing NetWorker groups after disk space issues

Updated   12 Jan 2014 Read time 1 min 20 sec(s)   (3417 visits).

It all stemmed from a problem with disk space, namely the disk partition where the NSR resided became full

Mounting DFS on Oracle Linux

Updated   4 Nov 2015 Read time 1 min 18 sec(s)   (3297 visits).

A short article on how to mount a DFS (distributed file system) on an Oracle Linux 5.11 system.

Proactively failing a disk in Data Domain

Updated   24 Mar 2014 Read time 21 sec(s)   (3115 visits).

Here's a quick procedure to proactively fail a disk in Data Domain

Identifying an ethernet (MAC) address in Solaris

Updated   22 Nov 2016 Read time 1 min 14 sec(s)   (4404 visits).

Identifying a ethernet MAC address in Solaris as a non-root user is not as difficult as people think. arp, netstat and prtpicl are your friends.

Resizing Solaris swap partition online

Updated   7 Mar 2014 Read time 26 sec(s)   (2894 visits).

A short tip on how to increate the size of swap online for a given Solaris system under zfs.

Installing a package using CYGWINs apt-cyg utility

Updated   21 Jul 2011 Read time 1 min 5 sec(s)   (3072 visits).

Installing a package using CYGWINs apt-cyg utility

EMC Data Protection Advisor Discovery of EMC NetWorker

Updated   23 Jul 2014 Read time 0 sec(s)   (2172 visits).

Watch this video to see how to use the EMC Data Protection Advisor Discovery Wizard to discover EMC NetWorker servers.

EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Hyper-V GLR

Updated   2 Aug 2012 Read time 0 sec(s)   (2832 visits).

EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Hyper V Overview and GLR

NetWorker 8.1 Block Based Backup Configuration and Backup demo

Updated   10 Jul 2013 Read time 0 sec(s)   (2302 visits).

This video walks through using the NetWorker Client Configuration wizard to create a client for Windows Block Based Backup to a Data Domain system

DB2 backups with EMC NetWorker

Updated   15 Mar 2012 Read time 3 min(s) 37 sec(s)   (3171 visits).

Backing up a DB2 client using the EMC NetWorker Module for Databases and Applications (NMDA)

Marking a NetWorker saveset or clone as suspect/notsuspect

Updated   22 Feb 2012 Read time 57 sec(s)   (2422 visits).

If you have multiple savesets in suspect or notsuspect mode and you want to change their mode without using scripts simply review this article.

Setting up NetWorker log file rotation size limits

Updated   13 Oct 2011 Read time 1 min 48 sec(s)   (3060 visits).

At times it is necessary to limit the size of the NetWorker logs to prevent the daemon and rap log files from growing too large.

Setting up a NetWorker Dedicated Storage Node

Updated   10 Apr 2010 Read time 1 min 8 sec(s)   (2753 visits).

With the introduction of Legato NetWorker 7.0 a dedicated storage node can back up only its own local data and a DSN license is required.

Configuring Distributed File System (DFS) backups with NetWorker

Updated   27 Mar 2010 Read time 1 min 15 sec(s)   (2565 visits).

To ensure consistent and complete backups of your DFS environment, you will need to ensure that a configured schedule backup includes DFS topology

Listing NetWorker processes and there start times on a Windows server

Updated   14 Jun 2012 Read time 59 sec(s)   (2693 visits).

Listing NetWorker processes and there start times on a Windows server

Listing files in a NetWorker saveset

Updated   4 Jan 1999 Read time 1 min 24 sec(s)   (2486 visits).

At first glance the answer this is not straight forward, but the answer is quite simple; Using two commands mminfo and nsrinfo we get the results.

Stopping scheduled clone jobs using JOBQUERY and JOBKILL

Updated   7 Oct 2014 Read time 1 min 27 sec(s)   (4404 visits).

Scheduled clones are predefined policies that let NetWorker initiate clone jobs at a particular time with a wide variety of criteria.

Forcing an update to the NetWorker License Manager (NLM)

Updated   10 Sep 2014 Read time 30 sec(s)   (2233 visits).

Use this quick procedure if you ever want to force an update to the NetWorker License Manager

Recovering deleted Exchange Mail databases in NMM 3.0 and 3.0.1

Updated   10 Oct 2014 Read time 1 min 48 sec(s)   (2818 visits).

A new feature exists within NMM 3.0 and beyond that enables you to recover deleted exchange mail databases.

Restarting the EMC Backup and Recover Appliance (EBRA) server

Updated   24 Oct 2014 Read time 56 sec(s)   (3718 visits).

Sometimes the EMC Backup and Recover Appliance (EBRA) server fails to allow you to perform simple tasks like adding clients,

Setting the NOTSCAN flag on a volume in NetWorker

Updated   13 Nov 2014 Read time 1 min 2 sec(s)   (3496 visits).

nsrim is unable to remove expired savesets which prevents data domain from performing housekeeping and prevents removing any data from the volumes

How to recover NetWorker client data on different NetWorker server?

Updated   14 Feb 2014 Read time 42 sec(s)   (2535 visits).

This is a simple procedure on how to recover the NetWorker client data onto a different NetWorker server or datazone.

How to browse Recovery after saveset has passed browse period

Updated   23 May 2012 Read time 2 min(s) 16 sec(s)   (2628 visits).

Occasionally when performing a restore NetWorker is unable to browse the content of a saveset due to the saveset passing its browse period.

Can NetWorker temporary files under /nsr/tmp be deleted?

Updated   13 Dec 2013 Read time 38 sec(s)   (3451 visits).

Files left in the temporary directory may impact the operations of a NetWorker server after an irregular shutdown and then not removed.

Best Practices for configuring NetWorker tape devices under

Updated   29 Jul 2014 Read time 2 min(s) 40 sec(s)   (2325 visits).

Introduced in 2001 with NetWorker release 7.0, CDI is used to provide a generic passthrough solution across all operating systems.

Clearing a stuck job in OEM OPS Center

Updated   24 Jun 2016 Read time 1 min 41 sec(s)   (2911 visits).

Solution to clear an Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center stuck job

Avamar Integration with Data Domain

Updated   9 Dec 2013 Read time 2 min(s) 9 sec(s)   (2987 visits).

Benefits of integrating an Avamar system with Data Domain on the backend would be a flexible architecture and lots of plugins for applications

How to do initial configuration on Data Domain

Updated   7 Apr 2011 Read time 56 sec(s)   (2232 visits).

This is a simplified method taken from the manuls on how to perform the initial configuration on Data Domain system

NetWorker Environment Tuning

Updated   10 Dec 2013 Read time 3 min(s) 27 sec(s)   (2425 visits).

To obtain maximum efficiency and system utilisation, there are parameters that can be adjusted to tune the NetWorker environmen

Sizing a NetWorker Server and Storage Nodes

Updated   10 Dec 2013 Read time 2 min(s) 59 sec(s)   (2936 visits).

Several factors affect a NetWorker server performance, including CPU, memory, paths and IO bandwidth and network bandwidth

Disabling services in Solaris 10

Updated   22 Apr 2011 Read time 27 sec(s)   (2307 visits).

To disable a service under Solaris 10 we use the svcadm command.

Creating Avamar backup schedules from CLI

Updated   12 Jun 2014 Read time 47 sec(s)   (2216 visits).

Creating an avamar schedule for your backup policies is a must for any systems administrator. This post shows you how to step-by-step.

VADP Recovery using command line

Updated   20 Aug 2012 Read time 1 min 43 sec(s)   (2841 visits).

Prereqs to a successful VADP restore are that the virtual machine be removed from the Inventory in VCenter.

Viewing and acknowledging Avamar events via CLI

Updated   10 Jun 2014 Read time 32 sec(s)   (2839 visits).

Avamar events can be quite tedious to acknowledge when you have a large number appearing in the GUI. This one-liner tip will acnowledge all events.

Running CYGWIN scripts as a scheduled task in Windows

Updated   11 Jan 2014 Read time 1 min 20 sec(s)   (3627 visits).

CYGWIN has many utilities you can install to make life as a UNIX administrator more homely within a windows environment, except cron

Setting up SAN boot for RHEL 6.x using native multipath on EMC storage

Updated   14 Mar 2014 Read time 2 min(s) 42 sec(s)   (2436 visits).

HOW TO: Setup SAN boot for RHEL 6.x using native multipath on EMC storage

Moving a client index on a NetWorker server (Windows)

Updated   2 Nov 2017 Read time 2 min(s) 17 sec(s)   (2011 visits).

Moving an index on a Windows NetWorker server must be performed using the UASM utility to prevent corruption of the index files.

Moving a client index on a NetWorker server (UNIX/Linux)

Updated   12 Aug 2002 Read time 2 min(s) 10 sec(s)   (2377 visits).

In a nutshell moving an index on a UNIX based NetWorker server os achieved by using the UASM command. This procedure is not for the faint hearted!

How to mount an ISO image under Solaris

Updated   15 Oct 2011 Read time 1 min 13 sec(s)   (2281 visits).

A simple procedure to mount an ISO image under the Solaris OS and present the image to Guest zones.

Starting and Stopping Solaris services with svcadm

Updated   15 Jul 2012 Read time 25 sec(s)   (2969 visits).

svcadm issues requests for actions on services executing within the SMF. Actions for a service are carried out by its assigned service agent.

How to uninstall a Solaris zone in an incomplete state

Updated   13 Dec 2010 Read time 1 min 38 sec(s)   (3635 visits).

A simple procedure to uninstall a solaris zone in an incomplete state

Troubleshooting ZFS

Updated   18 Jan 2014 Read time 2 min(s) 0 sec(s)   (2328 visits).

Most ZFS errors I've experienced generally fall into one of three categories. missing devices, damaged devices and data corruption.

ZFS Hardware Maintenance

Updated   18 Jan 2014 Read time 40 sec(s)   (2224 visits).

Once the drive has been physically replaced, run the 'zfs replace' command against the device to allow it to be brought back online.

ZFS Data Protection

Updated   18 Jan 2014 Read time 56 sec(s)   (2301 visits).

ZFS is a transactional file system. For each write request, a copy is made of the specified block protected by Copy-On-Write (COW)

ZFS Zones

Updated   17 Jan 2014 Read time 28 sec(s)   (725 visits).

If the filesystem is created in the global zone and added to the local zone via zonecfg, it may be assigned to more than one zone

ZFS Filesystem Management

Updated   17 Jan 2014 Read time 49 sec(s)   (2224 visits).

Similar filesystems should be grouped together in hierarchies to make management easier.

Creating Solaris 11 aggregated network interface

Updated   25 Jan 2014 Read time 47 sec(s)   (2735 visits).

This post provides the steps needed to create an aggregated network interface and cofigure a networker address in Solaris 11

openSUSE Quick Reference Guide

Updated   17 May 2015 Read time 2 min(s) 0 sec(s)   (477 visits).

This article provides a quick reference guide for the open SuSE operating system

Restoring Solaris files with NetWorker 7.x

Updated   26 Feb 2009 Read time 1 min 51 sec(s)   (504 visits).

This is a simple step-by-step guide on restoring files on a given Solaris system using the NetWorker recover command-line utility in NetWorker 7.x

How to retrieve Avamar serial numbers

Updated   19 Nov 2013 Read time 1 min 14 sec(s)   (4382 visits).

The methods listed in this article are for obtaining the serial numbers from Avamar DataStore Gen2, Gen3 and Gen4 hardware

How to retrieve an Avamar system id

Updated   19 Nov 2013 Read time 33 sec(s)   (4416 visits).

To retrieve an Avamar system id, you must login as either the root user or admin on your Avamar utility node, and execute the mccli command

Verifying Solaris 11 version

Updated   15 May 2015 Read time 47 sec(s)   (2155 visits).

To check your software to see if they meet minimum version requirements for installation you can use the uname comand, however...

Oracle VM 3.4 Server Log Files

Updated   17 Jul 2017 Read time 58 sec(s)   (2945 visits).

The Oracle VM Serverlog files you should check when troubleshooting problems with Oracle VM Server

Sharing and mounting a directory under solaris 10

Updated   27 Aug 2008 Read time 1 min 32 sec(s)   (2250 visits).

A fundamental task for any Solaris systems administrator is to know how to share and mount an NFS file system

Running nsrjb as non-root user

Updated   23 Jul 2001 Read time 1 min 25 sec(s)   (2361 visits).

running NSRJB as a non-root user

Changing the Oracle VM Dom0 Memory Size

Updated   29 Sep 2011 Read time 44 sec(s)   (2666 visits).

The Oracle VM Agent password is used by Oracle VM Manager when you discover an Oracle VM Server.

Basic VxVM Commands

Updated   1 May 2002 Read time 10 min(s) 15 sec(s)   (2607 visits).

This post provides a list of basic Veritas Volume Manager (VxVM) commands

Changing the Oracle VM Agent User Password

Updated   29 Sep 2011 Read time 25 sec(s)   (2382 visits).

The Oracle VM Agent password is used by Oracle VM Manager when you discover an Oracle VM Server.

Bypassing ALOM password on a Sun Fire V210/240/250/440

Updated   11 Jun 2008 Read time 1 min 2 sec(s)   (2877 visits).

To overide the ALOM password on the Sun Fire (V210, V240, V250 or V440) system you will need to perform the following tasks.

ZFS Quick Reference Guide

Updated   18 Sep 2009 Read time 2 min(s) 38 sec(s)   (2276 visits).

ZFS uses the concept of storage pools to manage physical storage. Historically, file systems were constructed on top of a single physical device.

Using the Hyper-V Best Practices Analyzer

Updated   15 Jan 2013 Read time 2 min(s) 38 sec(s)   (847 visits).

The Best Practice Analyzer for Hyper-V has 74 scans to identify which settings are not configured, based on the Microsoft documentation and practices.

Installing EMC PowerPath on Solaris

Updated   14 Jan 2013 Read time 2 min(s) 4 sec(s)   (2958 visits).

EMC PowerPath for Solaris automates data path management, failover and recovery, and optimizes load balancing to ensure application availability.

PowerPath command examples

Updated   19 Oct 2012 Read time 16 min(s) 58 sec(s)   (2417 visits).

In this post we discuss how to use powermt command with practical examples.

ZFS Pool Management

Updated   18 Jan 2014 Read time 54 sec(s)   (2360 visits).

When disks are added to an existing mirrored or RAID Z pool, the ZFS is resilvered to redistribute the data.

How to unexpire a user login in Solaris

Updated   3 Apr 2010 Read time 45 sec(s)   (3282 visits).

Using the usermod command on Solaris allows a sysadmin to unexpier/unlock a users login account

Shutdown and Startup an Avamar system (step-by-step)

Updated   22 Mar 2014 Read time 3 min(s) 52 sec(s)   (8939 visits).

The scope of this post is to share a how to like procedure aimed at the shutdown and startup of Avamar system.

Manually cleaning NetWorker backups on an Avamar system

Updated   22 Mar 2014 Read time 2 min(s) 49 sec(s)   (3778 visits).

The scope of this article is to provide a how to procedure aimed at cleaning up rouge and outdated NetWorker backups held on an Avamar system.

Fixing a prtdiag hung process

Updated   19 Nov 2012 Read time 32 sec(s)   (2271 visits).

fixing a prtdiag hang under solaris

ZFS Dataset Size

Updated   18 Jan 2014 Read time 33 sec(s)   (2332 visits).

A simple entry on how to discover or set the size for a given ZFS dataset as occasionaly we need to increase the size of a ZFS dataset.

Setting up Solaris 10 Accounting subsystem

Updated   17 Apr 2012 Read time 5 min(s) 45 sec(s)   (1205 visits).

To configure the Solaris Auditing subsystem on Solaris 9 or Solaris 10 we simply run the bsmconv command-line utility from the /etc/security directory