Windows 2008 the new Frontier – Lab 3 A little VMware house keeping.

Aim:- Turn off the internal VMware DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server.

The internal DHCP server in VMware Workstation can come as a nasty surprise (well it did to me) if your not aware of it. It will automatically hand out IP addresses to our servers and these addresses may not be the ones we want. In any case its poor practice to use DHCP issued address on servers, as the DHCP server could give the server a new address and not tell anyone. How will we connect to server – try and guess the new address?

So without further ado, lets get on with it.

Start VMware Workstation

1. You don’t need to have any vms running.
   Click on “Edit” (upper left of the menu bar)
   In the drop down menu Select “Virtual Network Editor”
2. Select the “DHCP” tab
   Click the “Stop” button
   The “Service status” field will say “Stopped”
   Click “OK”

Keep an eye on this lab, as any other changes I need to make to the configuration of VMware Workstation I will add as an update.

Windows 2008 the new Frontier – Lab 2 Cloning the virtual machine.

Cloning the second virtual machine for the Maxlab series.

Aim:- Clone a second empty virtual machine for 2K8 Server Core.

Start VMware

Clone one vm using the following steps

1. In the “Favorites” column Right click “2K8-1″
   Select “Clone”
   Click “Next”
2. In the “Clone Source” screen
   Select “The current state in the virtual machine”
   Click “Next”
3. In the “Clone Type” screen
   Select “Create a full clone”
   Click “Next”
4. In the “Name of the New Virtual Machine” screen
   Enter a virtual machine name of “2K8-Core”
   Enter a location of “e:\2k8VMs\2K8-Core”
   Click “Finish”

You might like to finish that cup of coffee, the cloning process will take a few minutes.

Once the process is finished click “Close”.

So, now we have two empty virtual machines waiting to have Windows Server 2008 poured into them.

Lab 4 will will show you how to install a full version of 2K8, while Lab 5 will cover installing 2K8 Core.

Where’s Lab 3 I hear you ask? Well Lab 3 is going to cover some virtual machine house keeping before we start doing the actual installs.

Windows 2008 the new Frontier – Lab 1 Creating the virtual machines.

Creating the virtual machines for the Maxlab series.

Aim:- Create two empty virtual machines (vm), one for a full install of 2K8 and one for 2K8 Server Core.

You will need the following

A copy of VMware Workstation, you can download a 30 day evaluation version from vmware.com

Install VMware

Create one vm using the following steps

1. Start VMware
2. Select File -> New -> Virtual Machine
3. Select “Custom (advanced)” Click “Next”
4. In the “Choose the Virtual Machine Hardware Compatibility” screen
5. Make sure that “Hardware compatibility” has “Workstation 6.5″ is selected. Click “Next”
6. On the “Guest Operating System Installation” screen
   Check that “I will install the operating system later” is selected. Click “Next”
7. In the “Select a Guest Operating System” screen
   Select “Microsoft Windows”
   In the “Version” drop down box select “Windows Server 2008″ Click “Next”
8. In the “Name the Virtual Machine” screen
   Give the virtual machine the name “2K8-1
   Pick a convient location for the vm files. For example vm name 2K8-1 in a directory of e:\2k8VMs\2K8-1 I have allowed for 15gig per virtual machine, so a total of 30 gig of disk space.
   Click “Next”
9. On the “Processor Configuration” screen Click “Next”
10. In the “Memory for the virtual Machine” screen
    Select the amount of memory — I have three gigabytes of memory in my PC.
    The memory break up is
    One gigabyte for XP and VMware
    One gigabyte for each of the virtual machines.
    Remember both virtual machines will be running at the same time, two gigabytes will be used.
    Select 1024 MB
    Click “Next”
11. In the “Network Type” screen
    Select “Use network address translation (NAT)”
    Click “Next”
12. In the “Select I/O Adapter Types” screen
    Click “Next”
13. In the “Select a Disk” screen
    Select “Create a new virtual disk”
    Click “Next”
14. In the “Select a Disk Type” screen
    Select “SCSI (Recommended)”
    I know, I know you don’t have a SCSI drive – just make sure its selected.
    Click “Next”
15. In the “Specify Disk Capacity” screen
    Set the “Maximum disk size (GB)” to 15.0
    Select “Allocate all disk space now” — This helps with the vm speed.
    Click “Next”
16. In the “Specify Disk File” screen
    Click “Next”
17. In the “Ready to Create Virtual Machine”
    Click “Finish”

Now sit back, have a cup of coffee and wait for the vm to be created. It will take a few minutes depending on how fast your pc is.

Ok. Put that cup of coffee down, there’s work to do.

We’ve created one vm, now we need to create another. We can either repeat the above steps or we can clone the empty vm we have created.

For interest sake lets go down the cloning path.

I’ll go through the process in the next lab.

Windows 2008 the new Frontier – well, it is for this grumpy old geek.

I’ve been forced to accept a harsh reality.  I have to come to terms with Windows 2008 and Active Directory Domain Services.

My background is Novell NetWare, Novell Directory Services and later on the great eDirectory. I did get an MCSE in NT4.  I didn’t ever use it to set up Microsoft networks, it was more because Novell networks always seemed to have lots of Microsoft operating systems associated with them. Every Novell network I worked on had a number of NT4 or 2000 servers, as well, as the usual NetWare.

Most of the IT positions I look at want eDirectory skills, as well as, Active Directory skills.

How to build these skills? I’ve got more time than I have money, so it will have to be done on the cheap.

I can use the 30 day trial version of VMware Workstation. Yes I know that Virtual PC 2007 is free. I have a fair amount of experience with VMware and very little with Virtual  PC – it would be one more thing to worry about. As I develop my 2k8 skills I will investigate Microsoft’s virtualization offerings.

Microsoft has a trial version of Windows 2008 that’s good for 180 days, I’ll use this.

For training materials I’ve bought myself a copy of “Windows Server 2008 Unleashed”from SAMS. This a great reference.

Friends have also told me about CBTnuggets, they say that nuggets are brilliant. Check them out at www.cbtnuggets.com. The price is a little too high for me to afford them.

Ok, all the pieces are ready to go, now lets start

Download and install VMware Workstation.

I intend having two virtual machines (vms), one running 2K8 and the other running 2K8 Server Core. The disk space for the vms will be 15 gigabytes each, so the total will be 30 gigabytes.

In lab one I’ll go through the steps to creat the vms I’ll use for the rest of the Maxlab series.

What do we do First with this Switch thingy?

So I’ve got a switch wired up ready to go.  Wired up? What do you mean by wired up? Well lets have a look.

The back of a Catalyst switch has an RJ45 socket labeled “console” and into this I’ve plugged in a “Cisco Console Cable”. One end is had an RJ45, the other end has a DB-9 Female plug that can be plugged into the serial port of a PC or laptop.

I use a product called “putty” as a client on my laptop. You can also use Microsoft’s “Hyper terminal”. I prefer putty as it supports ssh for secure access and will run on either windows or linux.

Accessing the switch via the console port requires the following settings in your comms software

Speed: 9600 bits per second

Data bits: 8

Parity: none

Stop bit: 1

Flow control: none

Just out of interest, the Catalyst 2950 switch doesn’t have a power switch, just plug it in and away it goes.

If the switch is set to the factory defaults, then it will enter the initial configuration setup mode. The following will appear on your terminal screen (It could be mixed in with all the boot up stuff)

% Please answer 'yes' or 'no'. Would you like to enter the initial configuration dialog? [yes/no]:

Answer no, as we will do it the real man’s way (or woman’s depending on your gender preference) in Lab 1.

So how do I get my switch back to the factory defaults I hear you ask?
Well, on the Catalyst 2950 all you need to do is turn the switch on, wait for it to boot, then press and hold the Mode button for eight seconds. Power the switch off, then on again. It will start up with its factory defaults.

Now we’re ready to hit Lab 1 – Basic Switch Configuration.

CCNA – the Grumpy old Geek way

I’m currently what some would call “between contracts”, that is retrenched and not found another job yet. I really enjoyed my previous job as a trainer, so it required some thought about what I would do next to generate an income. Something an old guy could do.

I’ve always had a bit of an  interest in network security, so I’m going to go down that track.

Where to start?

I noticed that Box Hill Institute was offering an Advanced Diploma of Information Technology (Network Security), however, to enroll in an advanced diploma I needed to have a diploma – poo! So first I need a diploma.

I’ve got plenty of certifications from my previous job, so how can I use these to get a diploma with a minimum amount of fuss? First I need to find a diploma that will allow me the maximum number of exemptions via the RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) process. It appears that a Diploma of Information Technology (Systems Administration) will do the trick. What’s all this got to do with CCNA study I hear you ask? Well bare with me, its a bit of a Grandpa Simpson monologue.

I decided to start out on the path to become a “Cisco Certified Network Associate Security” while I’m studying for my diploma, and to do that I first have to become a CCNA.

So how to become a CCNA as cheaply as possible – remember no job, no income, lots of time. The path I’ve taken involves buying the “Authorized Self-Study Guide CCNA Preparation Library, Seventh Edition”. I have also heard that the CBT Nuggets “Cisco CCNA Certification Package” by Jeremy Cioara is rather good, however there is only so much money to go around.

Next some gear to run labs on. The choices are to use virtualization or to buy some hardware. Given that I hadn’t played with Cisco hardware before, I decided to buy the hardware – no not new! I picked up some second hand from iptrading, they have some well priced CCNA bundles. Have a look at http://www.iptrading.com.au/parent_product_list/CCNA-104.aspx I bought the “CCNA Intermediate Bundle 5″ from iptrading for around $830AUD delivered. For this princely sum I received the following

2 x Cisco 1721 Router- 10/100BaseT Modular Router w/2 WAN slots – 16MB Flash Memory

2 x Cisco WIC-2T Module- 2-Port Serial WAN Interface Card

2 x WS-C2950T-24- 24 Catalyst 2950Tswitch with 24 10/100 ports and two fixed 100BaseT Uplink ports

4 x Cisco Consol Cable- Cisco Consol Cable RJ45 – DB-9 Female

2 x CAB-SS-2626-3FT- Smart Serial (WIC-2T) to Smart Serial (WIC-2T) back to back Crossover Cable, 3 Feet

So now to play!