How to passthrough an onboard SATA Controller in VMWare ESXi v.6.7 Update 3 for TrueNAS Scale installation.
As the HP Z800 WorkStation comes with onboard 6-ports SATA Controller and 8-ports LSI SAS/SATA Controller, the existing LSI Controller was dedicated to VMWare ESXi v.6.7 thus leaving the SATA Controller unused.
For experiment purposes, I wanted to passthrough this SATA Controller to a VM for TrueNAS Scale use as Storage Pool and thus able to directly manage all the HDDs connected on this controller.
1. Firstly is to create a VM and install TrueNAS Scale and configure the network settings.
2. Next is to shutdown the TrueNAS VM.
3. In the ESXi Server Host, under --> Manage --> Hardware.
Did you know that TrueNAS can function like a Hypervisor ? TrueNAS itself can have containerization of Virtual Machine (VM).
Although its not a full scale Hypervisor (Tier-1), sometimes we just need to temporarily test an application or operating system. So it is very useful to be able to run a VM inside TrueNAS.
How to create Users then add them into Group and create a Samba Share. Samba share is very useful for folder(s) and file(s) sharing between computers.
But not all folders you want to share to everyone, maybe some confidential data that only you have the access.
Users account created in TrueNAS can be assigned or added into a Group, by grouping all your users together in group will make it very easy for an administrator to manage the permissions and access of file and folder sharing.
There are times where some Operating System (OS) needs to have the Hard Drive's Serial Number or UUID enabled for it to work correctly.
This is especially true when it comes to TrueNAS installation in VMWare ESXi server. Although it is NOT RECOMMENDED to install TrueNAS (Scale/Core) in a virtualized environment, but for some Home Lab or for testing purposes, it is OK to do so.
1. The said Virtual Machine (VM) must be shutdown first.
2. Next, edit the VM's settings.
3. Goto --> VM Options.
4. Under --> Advanced.
5. Click --> Edit Configuration.
6. Click --> Add parameter.
7. Under Key, type --> disk.EnableUUID
8. Under Value, type --> TRUE
9. Save and exit.
10. Then only power-on the VM.
The Hard Drive's Serial Number will now be automatically created by ESXi server and TrueNAS will be able to detect those Virtual Hard Drive.
5. Ensure that MySQL Server is up and running before proceeding this steps. You will be prompted to create a password, proceed to create the password.
$ sudo mysql -uroot -p
password
mysql> create database zabbix character set utf8mb4 collate utf8mb4_bin;
mysql> create user zabbix@localhost identified by 'password';
mysql> grant all privileges on zabbix.* to zabbix@localhost;
mysql> set global log_bin_trust_function_creators = 1;
mysql> quit;
6. Import the Zabbix database schema into MySQL database. You will be prompted to key-in MySQL password. Depending on your system, it may a while to complete.
$ sudo zcat /usr/share/zabbix-sql-scripts/mysql/server.sql.gz | mysql --default-character-set=utf8mb4 -uzabbix -p zabbix
7. Once completed, disabled back the log_bin_trust_function option.
$ sudo mysql -uroot -p
password
mysql> set global log_bin_trust_function_creators = 0;
mysql> quit;
8. Configure Zabbix server to access the database.
$ sudo nano /etc/zabbix/zabbix_server.conf
DBPassword=password
9. Restart and Enabled both Zabbix and Apache2 services.
Building your own NAS (Network Attached Storage) is very easy and simple with TrueNAS. It supports a wide variety of hardware thus making it simple and easy to install.
You can make use of any old computer with at least 4GB or more and a minimum of 4 Hard Drives with any make or model, preferably with the same capacity (eg. 1TB). The performance of system will solely depends on your choice of hardware but for Home use it is more than sufficient.
There are 2 Community Edition available :-
TrueNAS Core
TrueNAS Scale
TrueNAS Core is based on BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution), it's very robust and stable.
TrueNAS Scale on the other hand is based on Debian Linux, it's also very stable and more suitable for Home use because it's using Debian Package.
While TrueNAS Enterprise is more designed towards Enterprise companies with demands on High Availability, High Performance and Professional Supports. iX System also developed and sell pre-build TrueNAS System to cater for anyone that doesn't want to build their own.
Well first of all, TrueNAS is using OpenZFS. It's an Open Source Storage Platform that have functionality of both traditional file system and volume manager.
Unlike other Array Controller that required all hard drives to be in the same Make and Model, OpenZFS make use of mixed Make and Model to create a Storage "Pool" thus making it very suitable for Home use because not everyone have the same hard drive specifications laying around.
2. Use any preferred ISO Maker/Writer to an external USB Flash Drive, a minimum of 8GB will be sufficient.
3. Once the USB Flash Drive is ready, you can plug into the computer.
4. But before installation, we need to ensure that all the hard drive is correctly detected and remove any RAID array configuration. ZFS works best without any RAID configured.
5. You will need to choose the install drive, any capacity drive will do. Preferably the first drive that is connected.
6. After that, you will be prompted to specify an Administrator's password, this password will be used to login to TrueNAS Web GUI on the later stage.
7. Once the installation completed and computer rebooted, on another computer and open your prefer browser (eg. Google Chrome) and type-in the IP Address of the server displayed at console screen.
8. Some basic configurations is required, we need to specify a Static IP Address for the server. This will ensure that everytime the server rebooted, it will use the same IP Address and also it is more easy to configure port forwarding in your router (if needed) for some applications to work.
9. Next is to create the first storage pool, you can configure as many pool(s) you want but all depends on the available hard drives. For example, ZFS-z required a minimum of 2 drives (similarly to RAID-1), if you have more than 2 hard drives (eg. 3 drives) then the additional hard drive will be used as Parity Drive which are similarly to RAID-5.
10. Now you TrueNAS will work correctly, further configuration is required such as creating SMB (Samaba) Shares, NFS Share or whichever you required.
This is an example of a batch file to rename the Hostname or Computer Name as per your preferences, it is much faster way to do computer renaming for many computers.
Note that the batch file must be "run as administrator" mode in order to works.
@ECHO OFF
CLS
>NUL CHCP 65001
:asktorename
REM To ask whether to Rename the Hostname or not.
ECHO.
ECHO.
ECHO.
ECHO ╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
ECHO ║ RENAMING THE HOSTNAME ║
ECHO ╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝
ECHO.
CHOICE /M "──────────────► DO YOU WANT TO RENAME THE HOSTNAME "
IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO eof
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO askforname
GOTO eof
REM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
:askforname
REM To ask User for the preferred hostname.
ECHO.
ECHO.
SET /P NEWNAME="PLEASE TYPE THE NEW HOSTNAME: "
ECHO.
ECHO " ► ► ► THE NEW HOSTNAME IS ───► %NEWNAME%"
CHOICE /M " ► ► ► IS THIS CORRECT "
IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO asktorename
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO dorenhost
GOTO eof
REM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
:dorenhost
REM To proceed Rename the Hostname as per Input by User.
As of 17-Oct-2023, latest Windows 10 update have yet again forced Internet Explorer (IE) to redirect and open via Edge browser.
No idea why Microsoft kept on forcing users to use Edge, and their "IE Mode" is sluggish and not compatible with local web server (which only works best in IE11). Edge browser is totally rubbish to our intranet application.
"Microsoft you cannot force user to Edge nor expect us to re-write the entire application to Edge compatible, as this will incurred lots of money, time and resources."
I do hope Microsoft see my message...
Workaround for the time being :-
1. Open --> Notepad
2. Type --> CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application").Visible=true
3. Save file as --> IE.vbs
4. Create a desktop shortcut.
5. Change the icon to "IE" icon.
6. End.
Disadvantage Note : You cannot save any "Favorites" link inside IE, doing so will only automatically open the link in Edge browser.
Windows 11 comes bundled with a some Apps that may or may not be needed in a Corporate environment, these may include App such as Xbox, Video Editor etc.
But removing all those unnecessary Apps maybe troublesome, and worst breaking the "SysPrep" function and further preventing for a mass deployment.
Below are the few Apps that can be removed safely without breaking "SysPrep" functionality. You will need to remove script lines for App(s) that you want to retain.
Copy and save the file as PowerShell Script (.ps1).
5. Mount the ISO file, search for "WinPreVista.ISO" and mount it as a CDROM drive.
6. Double-Click the drive for autorun, or browse it and run the setup according to your architecture. Such as "setup.exe" for 32-bit OS or "setup64.exe" for 64-bit OS.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installations.
8. Once completed, eject or un-mount the drive and restart the VM.
Recently I have bought a "Refurbished" HP Z800 Workstation from an online platform. The purpose of the purchase was to setup my first ever "Home Lab" server, this server will host a few services that I have in mind such as:
JellyFin
RustDesk
WebDAV
Windows Server
Ubuntu Server
The server also serve as platform for me to perform all sorts of testing including new version release, new open source projects and many others. But as a start, I will sharing an overview of the system that I've bought and how to dismantle it for general servicing.
The system that I've bought comes with the following specifications:
48GB DDR3 1333Mhz ECC Registered DIMM (6 x 8GB), 12 DIMM slots [Kingston KTH-PL313/8G] with NUMA Technology.
Intel 5520 Chipset.
Intel Matrix 6-ports SATA-3 RAID Controller.
LSI 1068E 8-ports SAS/SATA-3 RAID Controller.
HP SAS Back Panel Connector Kit.
nVidia Quadro FX-1800 768MB GDDR3, 30-bit, CUDA, 2 x DisplayPort, 1 x DVI port PCIe.
Intel WG82574L Gigabit Ethernet.
Broadcom 5764 LOM Gigabit Ethernet.
Realtek HD ALC262 Audio.
LSI 1394 OHCI Firewire.
850watts 85% (Bronze) Power Supply Unit.
4 Internal 3.5" HDD drive bays.
3 External 5.25" ODD/HDD drive bays.
3 Internal USB 2.0 Headers.
Rear I/O :
1 x IEEE-1394a
6 x USB 2.0
1 x Serial (RS232)
1 x PS/2 Keyboard
1 x PS/2 Mouse
2 x RJ45 Gigabit LAN
1 x Audio In
1 x Audio Out
1 x Microphone In
Front I/O :
3 x USB 2.0
1 x Headset Out
1 x Microphone In
1 x IEEE-1394a
PCI Express Connectors :
2 x PCIe Gen2 x16 slots 75W [Slot #2, #5].
2 x PCIe Gen2 x16 (8) slots 25W [Slot #4, #7].
2 x PCIe Gen2 x8 (4) slots 25W [Slot #1, #3].
1 x PCI 32b, 33Mhz slot 25W [Slot #6].
Something to note that as this system is refurbished, there are some disadvantages :
Warranty already expired.
Tons of dust in the system.
Tons of scratches on both side of the panels.
Tons of small chips and dents.
Missing 2 Internal drive bay caddies.
Missing left-side feet trim.
Missing 1 rear slot cover.
Faulty DVDRW drive.
Under such "used" conditions, the system still able to POST and the seller also installed Windows 10 in a Kingston A400 240GB SSD (included as FREE) and I don't intend to use it. So far there are no issues with hardware side, only the appearance of the system is bad.
In order to clean this system properly, I have to dismantle almost everything and below are a video guide on how to dismantle it for cleaning purposes :
Windows 10 "Recovery" partition is a special partition on system hard drive and is used to restore the system to factory settings in the event of system issues. To protect the recovery partition from being changed or deleted, the recovery partition usually doesn't have any drive letter assigned and other features or options are not available in Disk Management.
This "Recovery" partition can be deleted and it will not impact your existing Windows 10 OS. Though it can be deleted but to delete it, you must follow this steps.
NOTE : IT IS RECOMMENDED NOT TO DELETE THIS PARTITION ! DOING SO, YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY LAST RESORTS IN THE EVENT OF OS ISSUES.
1. Run --> CMD (run as admin)
2. Type --> diskpart
3. Type --> list disk
4. Type --> select disk[number]
(usually primary disk number is 0)
5. Type --> list partition
6. Type --> select partition[number]
(in this case my, based on my drive's partition layout, the number is 4)
7. Type --> delete partition override
8. Type --> exit
9. Now, open "Disk Management" and you will notice that now there is a "Unallocated" space available in the drive.
10. Next step is to extend your [C:] drive by right-click --> Extend volume.
11. Ensure the full size is selected and click --> Next
12. Verify the new configuration and click --> Finish
Now you will have a larger capacity of the [C:] drive partition.
Recently I have bought a brand new Kingston USB drive from an Online Store. The purpose of this new drive was to make it as a bootable USB drive for Ventoy and hence the large capacity of 128GB.
It was a bargain at first...
After several FAILED attempts in making the drive to be bootable, I got curious and starting checking for the genuine of the product.
Here is my findings :-
1. The Packaging was not Kingston's standard packaging but does resembles the original packaging.
(Original Front Packaging)
(FAKE Front Packaging)
(Original Back Packaging)
(FAKE Back Packaging)
2. The original Kingston USB drive have "Laser" engraving on the USB key.
(FAKE USB Drive) (Original USB Drive)
3. Using a third party utility to check the USB drive's VID and PID information reveals more details. The utility was called "CheckUDisk V5.4", you may google this utility and download it, no installation required.
4. Upon having the details, now you can cross-check it on this website (https://the-sz.com/products/usbid/index.php), this website contains many USB manufacturer information and their respective model.
(FAKE VID and PID, returns something else instead of Kingston)
(Original VID and PID, returns the correct Kingston's information)
Conclusions, always buy from reputable seller or Manufacturer's Official Website. This will ensure you get the original product and works as intended.
This video is specifically created for the use of people who doesn't have a very good understand on SmartPhone devices and how the new Touch 'N Go NFC card works.
The video is in Chinese (Mandarin) voice thus making it more easily to understand for those who didn't speak English language.
Whenever deploying an Ubuntu server, accessing and managing it with SSH via LAN (Local Area Network) was never an issues.
But if you wanted to allow SSH access remotely or through Internet, then the standard port must be changed and the server must be protected behind a firewall.
1) To check existing SSH port :-
sudo cat /etc/ssh/sshd_config | grep Port
2) To change the SSH port :-
sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
Search for line --> #Port 22
Add a new line just below it with your preferred new SSH port --> Port[Your New SSH Port Number]
(eg.Port 9222)
3) Restart the SSH service :-
sudo systemctl restart sshd
4) Also you might want to check UFW (if enabled) to have the specific port enabled :-
sudo ufw status
5) If the new port was not in the list, run the following command to ALLOW the access :-
sudo ufw allow 9222/tcp
6) Now you will need to DENY the access of common SSH port number 22 :-
sudo ufw deny 22/tcp
7) Now you can test the connection of the new port and the old port to confirm the connection is properly configured. Also ensure the firewall also allows the newly created port pass-thru.
WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) is a set of extensions to the HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) which allows Users to collaboratively author contents directly in HTTP web server by providing facilities for concurrency control and namespace operations.
In this tutorial, we will focus on the Installation and Configuration of WebDAV via Ubuntu Server v.22.04.2 and Apache2 Web Server.
