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Initialize VMs in a vSphere private Cloud using Cloud-Init Cloud-Init Datasource for VMware GuestInfo is deprecated The Web is full of explanations, how to use „Cloud-Init Datasource for VMware GuestInfo“ but https://github.com/vmware-archive/cloud-init-vmware-guestinfo it is deprecated. It is now integrated natively into Cloud-Init Cloud-Init 21.3 has been released https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/release-of-cloud-init-21-3/23857 which integrates this software. New name: „DatasourceVMware“ https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/pull/953, readthedocs https://cloudinit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/topics/datasources/vmware.html, I’d expect it to be in the current Ubuntu 21.10 (Impish Indri) https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/impish/current/ – the release notes for 21.10 don’t specify the exact version. Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa) is still at cloud-init 20.1-10 according to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FocalFossa/ReleaseNotes which is too old. Prepare a VM-Template Unfortunately Ubuntu provides theRead More →

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I prefer accessing VMs using SSH or RDP directly. Sometimes, the IP-Address of the VM isn’t reachable, or protocols for remoteaccess need to be disabled for security reasons. In these cases, if an IP-connection to the ESXi-Server is available this could be an option to use the ESXi hypervisor as VNC-Server to provide access to VM keyboard, video, mouse… Three VM advanced Configuration Parameters need to be set: „password“ is optional, but mRemoteNG as VNC-Client doesn’t work without password set.Read More →

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The beginning: Source Code Find the original source archive at https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html or get the Windows-Archive directly here: https://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/latest/putty-src.zip Modify the Source Code For example: Tweak the modal „Fatal Connection Error“ Dialog: Relax PuTTY: Suppress „Fatal Error“ Dialog Next step: GCC-Compiler I’d chose MinGW to compile native Windows Applications: MinGW as build-environment for native Windows Applications Compile it Using MinGw: In PuTTY it’s all prepared for us – go to the „windows“ subdirectory: mingw32-make -f Makefile.mgw Check the result EXEcute it Final thought: Donate PuTTY It is possible 😉 to donate to the original PuTTY developers – look here: https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/faq.html#faq-donationsRead More →

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It is possible to complie open source software like „PuTTY“ using the famous gcc open source compiler. Choose your favourite MinGW „distribution“ There are several  „distribution“-like packages available on the web. I found https://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw-w64/files/Toolchains%20targetting%20Win32/Personal%20Builds/mingw-builds/installer/mingw-w64-install.exe/download which worked „out of the box“. Install MinGw Just a few settings to think about, I chose: I changed from the default-settings: Version:8.1.0 Architecture:i686 Threads:posix Exception:dwarf Build Revision:0 to Architecture:x86_64 Threads:win32 Exception:seh Check the Windows „PATH“-Environment Variable I should contain C:\\Program Files\\mingw-w64\\x86\_64-8.1.0-win32-seh-rt\_v6-rev0\\mingw64\\bin Run a „MinGW-Terminal“ Using the following shortcutRead More →

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When deploying Virtual-Machines by OVF/OVA-Files in automated manner, eg. using PowerShell of Terraform, it’s crucial to set all individual deployment parameters using the provisioning system. Discover the available Properties using PowerShell OFV-Tool Using PowerShell Create a vCenter-Connection Retrieve the OVF-Config-Object Display all contained Properties („=Keys“) Deployment-Option? Using OVF-Tool OVFTOOL.EXE, provided by VMware (Download OVFTOOL) allows to inspect existing OVA/OFV-Files, too. OVF-Tool – Extra-Config? The CLI-Switch „–allowExtraConfig“ enables the support for ExtraConfig-Key/Values:Read More →

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The existing Windows-Comman-Script has been enhanced so it now waits until the Router-VM is up got an IP-Address assigned using DHCP. For Demonstration-Purposes an SSH-Connection will be established. The public-key of my laptop-ssh-client is part of the slipstreamed Router-Configuration. Deploy a Router-VM with hostname „CSY“. Establish an SSH-Connection to the discovered Router-IP: Have a look to the startup-config used: This is the „CMD“-Script used:Read More →

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The following version adds a „-c“ option: „Connected IP-Address“-Check. the script exits, when the Router-VM is up and running and has an usable IP-Address The Script still checks all CDP-Packets received at the specified Interface: If the Sender has the correct „Hostname“ it reads the CDP-Management-IP-Address announced. This IP-Address has to be within the IP-Range of any connected IP-Network at the specified Interface. So it’ll be possible to establish a SSH-Session to the router-VM.Read More →

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After provisioning a new Cisco CSR1000V-Router this script waits until the router is fully deployed got it’s Management-IP-Address assigned via DHCP. and returns this Management IP-Address. Prepare First, install „netaddr“-package. needed to check, if the management-IP of the CDP-Neighbor is in the correct IP-Subnet the „wait-for-CDP“-Script Obviously far to much hard-coded stuff, just as an example 😉 waiting for a CDP-Neighbor to appear with the following properties: hostname „CSR-A“ an IP-Address within the network „192.168.56.0 /24“ at the interface VirtualBox Host-Only-Network Provision a new CSR1000V Router named „CSR-A“ Run the „wait-for-CDP-Neighbor“-Script In a second CMD-Box, and… Be patient, of course. Or store the returned IP-AddressRead More →

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Watch and decode Cisco Discovery Protocol Packetes. CDP Monitor-Script Inspired by the Scapy ARP-Monitor i created an CDP-Monitor displaying hostname and an optional Management-IP-Address. Real-Life Example Run this script: Open another CMD-Window to spin up a new CSR1000V-Router: Go back to the „python“-Screen and wait: It works, the IOS-XE CSR1000V-Router is installed and it got it’s baseline-config applied: Hostname Interface set to „ip address dhcp“ CDP enabled takes some time, but these first CDP-Packets captured were not sent in 60s interval, so don’t be scared 😉Read More →

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It’s hard to believe, how easy it is to capture (and to craft) LAN-Data using Python Scapy. I need to capture CDP-Packets and to extract information like the hostname of the sender and it’s IP-Address. As an modification of the „ARP-Monitor“-example taken from the manual Using scapy in your tools. Scapy Installation nothing special: pip install Python: Install Scapy Example: List all Interfaces of my Laptop Capture 10 Packets on a specific interface Capture CDP-Packets Decode CDP (with inactive dissector) Activate the CDP-Parser Capture again and display CDP-Information as cleartext Decode CDP-Hostname Decode CDP-Management-IP-AddressRead More →