Easy way to find Server / PC serial number

Many times I find myself needing the serial number of a remote server or pc. Below is a simple command line that will provide the information quickly and easily.

C:\>wmic

wmic:root\cli>systemenclosure get serialnumber

SerialNumber
xxxxxxxx

wmic:root\cli>exit

C:\>

No network connectivity - IPSEC Event ID's 7023, 4292

I ran into an issue with a few servers that shutdown unexpectedly. After rebooting the servers appeared to boot normally but would lose network connectivity during the bootup process. I noticed that the IPSEC service would not start with Error 2: The system cannot find the file specified. This is also associated with Event ID 7023. Also in the Windows logs was Event ID 4292 which states that the IPSEC driver has entered Block mode. That error indicates that all inbound and outbound TCP/IP traffic is being blocked.

To resolve this issue I followed the solution in Microsoft KB article 870910 at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/870910 . I noticed, however, that the servers didn't have the key indicated in step one so I skipped that part and went to step two to register the dll (regsvr32 polstore.dll) and that resolved the issue for me. Once the dll was registered successfully I was then able to start the IPSEC service and connectivity was restored. I rebooted again for good measure.

Ubuntu Customization

To add effects run the command below:

sudo apt-get install compiz compiz-plugins compiz-gnome compiz-core emerald compiz-fusion-plugins-main compiz-fusion-plugins-extra fusion-icon compizconfig-settings-manager

Blank Screen with Blinking Cursor

This is not a pretty site. After trying to boot your pc all you see is a blank, black screen with a white, flashing cursor in the upper-left corner. Below are the steps I took to resolve this issue in Windows 7 (should work in Vista as well, not sure about XP).

-Enter the Recovery Console (boot from the Vista/Win7 dvd, system repair, command prompt)

-Type both commands below at the command prompt:
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /fixmbr

-Exit the Recovery Console and reboot

That most likely has resolved the issue and the pc will now boot normally. If not you may also have to enter Safe Mode and disable UAC.

How to allow Power Users to add printers in Windows XP

For XP and greater the Load Driver privilege was removed from Power Users
for security. You can add this ability back to Power Users by following the instructions below.

-Logon with admin privileges

-Go to Control Panel/Admin Tools / Local Security Policy / Local Policy / User Rights Assignment/ Load and unload device drivers

-Add machine\power users or the specific user

Configuring RPC over HTTP (Outlook Anywhere) in Ubuntu

At this point it doesn't exist as you might think but there is a fairly simply workaround. I've been able to simulate the same functionality as Outlook Anywhere by using Thunderbird and DavMail. The reference for this info is at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1237875 .

Configuring OpenDNS client in Ubuntu

Install ddclient in Ubuntu and configure file below.

-----------------------------------------------
/etc/ddclient.conf
----------------------------------------------
# Configuration file for ddclient generated by debconf
#
# /etc/ddclient.conf

daemon=600
ssl=yes
use=web, web=whatismyip.org
server=updates.opendns.com
protocol=dyndns2
login=*******
password=********
xxxxxxxx (your opendns network label)
--------------------------------------

Other helpful info:
sudo /etc/init.d/ddclient status
This checks to see whether it is running as a daemon.

sudo /etc/init.d/ddclient stop
This stops the daemon.

sudo /etc/init.d/ddclient stop
This starts the daemon.