In this post we will see step by step how we can set up and deploy a new cluster of two ESXi hosts (2-node cluster). At the end we will also create and adding a datastore cluster to our newly created ESXi host cluster to provide shared storage for. This cluster architecture provides high availability and fault tolerance for virtual machines while minimizing hardware costs. Setting up such a cluster involves configuring shared storage, network connectivity, and cluster-specific settings. By leveraging features like VMware vSphere High Availability (HA) and VMware vSphere Distributed Resource Sc ..read more

In order to provide shared storage to my vSphere lab environment and later creating a vSphere ESXi host cluster, I will configure a new iSCSI virtual disk on my iSCSI Target Server and specify as access servers (so called iSCSI initiator(s)) both of my ESXi hosts. More about the Microsoft iSCSI Target Server you can read in my following post. Set up a Microsoft iSCSI Target Server About how to set up and deploy a VMware ESXi Host Cluster and Datastore Cluster, you can also read my following post. Set up and Deploy a VMware ESXi Host Cluster and Datastore Cluster Table Of Contents Cre ..read more

In this post I want to show how easily you can set up a NFS server in Windows Server 2022 (2012 and later). Further we will see how Windows Server can also connect to UNIX or Linux NFS shares that allows anonymous access by installing the Client for NFS on Windows Server. Network File System (NFS) provides a file sharing solution that lets you transfer files between computers running Windows Server and UNIX or Linux operating systems by using the NFS protocol. NFS in Windows Server includes Server for NFS and Client for NFS. A computer running Windows Server can use Server for NFS to act as ..read more

In this post I will go through the separate steps to set up a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15, SLES 15 was published on 13th December 2023. I want to show some basic configurations for Linux operating systems and how they will differ in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) is a Linux-based operating system developed by SUSE. It is available in two editions, suffixed with Server (SLES) for servers and mainframes, and Desktop (SLED) for workstations and desktop computers. SUSE Linux Enterprise products re ..read more

In this post I want to show how you can enable X11 forwarding by using PuTTY and the Xming X Server for Windows. In order to use X11 forwarding, an X11 server needs to be installed on the client (in my case Windows here). Therefore you can use several X11 servers available for Windows, I will use here the Xming X Server which you download under https://sourceforge.net/projects/xming/. X11 forwarding is supported by the SSH protocol that enables users to run graphical applications on a remote server and interact with them by using their local display and I/O devices. Table Of Contents Int ..read more

Today I want to go through the separate steps to set up a two-node Hyper-V cluster. A failover cluster is a group of independent computers that work together to increase the availability and scalability of clustered roles (formerly called clustered applications and services). The clustered servers (called nodes) are connected by physical cables and by software. If one or more of the cluster nodes fail, other nodes begin to provide service (a process known as failover). In addition, the clustered roles are proactively monitored to verify that they are working properly. If they are not working ..read more

In this post we will see how we can set up the Microsoft iSCSI Target Server to provide a network-accessible block storage device at low cost. This is a great and affordable solution for development, test, demonstration and lab environments. Internet Small Computer Systems Interface or iSCSI is an Internet Protocol-based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. iSCSI provides block-level access to storage devices by carrying SCSI commands over a TCP/IP network. iSCSI facilitates data transfers over intranets&n ..read more

When using the native Windows SSTP VPN, which utilizes SSL/TLS certificates to authenticate the VPN server and to establish a secure channel between the client and host, Windows by default will first perform a CRL (certificate revocation list) check before finally establishing the connection with the VPN server. In case for whatever reason this check failed, maybe because like in the error message below the revocation server is really offline, you can use a little workaround in case you trust this VPN server by disabling the CRL (certificate revocation list) check explicitly just for VPN SSTP ..read more

When using the native Windows SSTP VPN which utilizes SSL/TLS certificates, Windows by default will first perform a CRL (certificate revocation list) check before finally establishing the connection with the VPN server. In case for whatever reason this check failed, maybe because like in the error message below the revocation server is really offline, you can use a little workaround in case you trust this VPN server by disabling the CRL (certificate revocation list) check explicitly for VPN SSTP as shown below. The revocation function was unable to check revocation because the revocation serv ..read more

vCenter server is a service that acts as a central administrator for ESXi hosts connected in a network. vCenter Server lets you pool and manage the resources of multiple hosts. More about vSphere, which finally is just the brand name and umbrella term for VMware’s suite of virtualization products and features, basically the ESXi hypervisor and vCenter Server, you will find in my following post. Set up a VMware vSphere Environment – Part 1 In this post I want to show how you can use the ..read more