The usual IT babble
Posts tagged VMware Infrastructure
Using the integrated kickstart generator
Oct 14th
VMware built an kickstart generator into ESX 3.5. You just need to enable it, simply by editing an XML configuration and restarting the webAccess service. Simply edit /usr/lib/vmware/webAccess/tomcat/apache-tomcat-5.5.26/webapps/ui/WEB-INF/struts-config.xml and look for the line saying:
<action path="/scriptedInstall" type="org.apache.struts.actions.ForwardAction" parameter="/WEB-INF/jsp/scriptedInstall/disabled.jsp" />
This line needs to be commented out (<– and –>) and the lines following, having those comment marks around them needs to be removed.
<!-- <action path="/scriptedInstall" type="com.vmware.webcenter.scripted.ProcessAction"> <forward name="scriptedInstall.form1" path="/WEB-INF/jsp/scriptedInstall/form1.jsp" /> <forward name="scriptedInstall.form2" path="/WEB-INF/jsp/scriptedInstall/form2.jsp" /> <forward name="scriptedInstall.form3" path="/WEB-INF/jsp/scriptedInstall/form3.jsp" /> <forward name="scriptedInstall.form4" path="/WEB-INF/jsp/scriptedInstall/form4.jsp" /> <forward name="scriptedInstall.form5" path="/WEB-INF/jsp/scriptedInstall/form5.jsp" /> <forward name="scriptedInstall.form6" path="/WEB-INF/jsp/scriptedInstall/form6.jsp" /> <forward name="scriptedInstall.form7" path="/WEB-INF/jsp/scriptedInstall/form7.jsp" /> </action> -->
After doing that, you should be able to restart the webAccess service, and after that access your ESX host.
# service vmware-webAccess restart
Stopping VMware ESX Server webAccess:
VMware ESX Server webAccess [FAILED]
Starting VMware ESX Server webAccess:
VMware ESX Server webAccess [ OK ]
If that worked, you should see the Login to Script Installer link on the Dashboard of the Web interface.
VI Client: Changing the language from the system default
Jan 14th
Well, as I am in fact running a german Windows XP, the VI Client started displaying all menus and operations in German when I updated to 2.5u2. Normally, I wouldn’t have much of a problem with that, but recently it started to annoy me, since the translation is a bit off from the real meaning of much of the operations.
So today, in the morning I started looking for ways to revert the VI Client back to displaying everything in English. And guess what. There’s no way to switch the language from the VI Client itself. There’s just a workaround.
Simply rename the folder in “%ProgramFiles%\VMware\Infrastructure\Virtual Infrastructure Client\2.5“, %ProgramFiles%\VMware\Infrastructure\VIUpdate” “%ProgramFiles%\VMware\Infrastructure\Virtual Infrastructure Client\Plugins\Converter Enterprise 4.0.2” and “%ProgramFiles%\VMware\Infrastructure\Virtual Infrastructure Client\Plugins\Update Manager 1.0 Update3” named “de” to something else. Tada, your VI Client is back in English.
More VirtualCenter troubles (fini)
Aug 7th
Well, today the support request came back. Seems one of the originally linked VMTN dicussions really is the only way:
- Export the customization specification
- Edit the XML file
- Import it again
The related part inside the customization specification should then look like this:
<_type>vim.vm.customization.Password
true
Password01
So if you ever think about switching the default VirtualCenter certificate (for whatever reason), make sure you use the above workaround. Otherwise VirtualCenter is gonna fail miserably during the customization phase of the cloning process.
More VirtualCenter troubles
Aug 4th
Well, after my co-worker switched the VirtualCenter certificates with one produced by our RA a few days ago, I can’t clone anything using a customization specification anymore.
Guess, we’re shit outa luck. At least both of those linked VMTN discussions don’t contain any (that is for us) workable solution (well besides storing the password in cleartext in the spec — which ain’t sooo good). Gonna bug him tomorrow to open up a VMware support request, maybe that’ll help somewhat. I sure hope so.
Yet another VMware error
Jul 30th
Today I was moving a pretty standard SLES10 virtual machine to another host, when the migration dialog showed me this:
And if you now think, the virtual machine is something special take a look at those settings:
I don’t know what to think about that error message. Googling for it doesn’t reveal that much about it. If anyone out there got an idea, I’m open for suggestions.


