UCS Manager errors due to Firmware Packages removal

by Harold Preyers | Oct 17, 2016 | Cisco, UCS

UCS Manager is showing 309 errors because a Firmware Packages have been deleted but the references in the Host Firmware Packages (HFP) still exist.

Appears that all of the errors show a cause of ‘image-deleted’. In the ‘Affected object’ the path where the error is originating is shown. In the first error it shows ‘org-root/fw-host-pack-HFP-2.2.7/pack-image-Cisco Systems|R200-1120402W|blade-controller’ The first portion ‘org-root/fw-host-pack-HFP-2.2.7’ is important because this is the path. The second part ‘pack-image-Cisco Systems|R200-1120402W|blade-controller’ is the component image which is missing.

A HFP resides in the ‘Servers’ tab. The referenced one can be found in ‘Servers – Policies – root – Host Firmware Packages – HFP-2.2.7’

Going to the referenced ‘Host Firmware Packages’ some of the components have a presence status ‘Missing’

Below is a screenshot of the existing ‘Firmware Packages’. You can see that the ‘Firmware Package’ 2.2.6f exists for the ‘B Series’ and for the ‘Infrastructure’ but not for the ‘C Series’.

Important to notice is that ‘Rack Package’ 2.2.7b’ is not present for the ‘C Series’ as you can see in the next screenshot.

Going to the Host Firmware Package general page and looking in the assigned versions. You can see that ‘Rack Package’ 2.2(7b)C is assigned. In the above screenshot we saw that this package is not in the UCS Manager anymore.

The rack package is empty. It was on ‘Rack Package’ 2.2(7b)C but because the Firmware Package was removed from UCS Manager this is showing blank.

Use ‘Show Policy Usage’ to look if the Host Firmware Package is used somewhere.

The Host Firmware Package is used in Service Profile Template ‘HP_FW_TEST_Cisco_Support_Case’

Navigate to the Service Profile Template

Verify the Policy Usage

It is not in use, so it is safe to delete the Service Profile Template

Delete the Service Profile Template

Going back to the Host Firmware Package and looking again at the policy usage

It is not in use anymore

Delete the Host Firmware Package

The previous actions made UCS Manager go down to 193 errors. The next ones are about the Host Firmware Package ‘default’. I don’t want to delete this Host Firmware Package ‘default’, so I will adapt this one so it doesn’t throw any errors anymore.

The following screenshot is not entirely correct as the package was already changed to the correct one (‘2.2(5d)C’ was ‘2.2(6f)C’ as you will see in a later screenshot) but I still wanted to show that I checked the Policy Usage first:

The Host Firmware Package ‘default’ is not used in a Service Profile Template, so it safe to change the assigned ‘Rack Package’.

Modify the Package version from the Rack package that was deleted

Set it to one that still exists

Going back to the errors lead me to the next Host Firmware Package package, which was on a sub-organisation level. Looking at the components in the Host Firmware Package I see a presence of ‘Missing’ again

First I was going to modify the package version but I went to look if it was in use first.

It was in use by a Service Profile Template and went to see if the Service Profile Template was in use

It was not so I deleted the Service Profile Template and went back up the chain. The Host Firmware Package was not in use anymore. So I deleted the Host Firmware Package

All references to Firmware Packages were corrected

As a result all faults are cleared:

Failed to clear bootbank content /altbootbank: [Errno 9] Bad file descriptor: ‘/altbootbank/state.xxxxxxx’

by Harold Preyers | Aug 20, 2016 | ESXi, VMware, vSphere

In a VSAN project the VMware Compatibility Guide mentioned a different driver version for the raid controller than the one that was installed. So I tried to install a driver update for the raid controller through the CLI. This did not work out as expected because the /altbootbank was in a corrupted state. There were two ways to go ahead, either reinstall from scratch or try to rebuild the /altbootbank from the /bootbank contents. This was not a production server so I had the freedom to apply a more experimental approach and therefor I chose the not supported, not recommended approach to rebuild the /altbootbank from the /bootbank contents.

I ran the following command to install the driver:

esxcli software vib install -d /vmfs/volumes/datastore/patch.zip

1	esxcli software vib install -d /vmfs/volumes/datastore/patch.zip

I got the following error message:

[InstallationError]
Failed to clear bootbank content /altbootbank: [Errno 9] Bad file descriptor: '/altbootbank/state.xxxxxxx'

Please refer to the log file for more details.

[InstallationError]

Failed to clear bootbank content /altbootbank: [Errno 9] Bad file descriptor: '/altbootbank/state.xxxxxxx'

Please refer to the log file for more details.

I found the following two links describing the issue:

https://communities.vmware.com/thread/413441?start=0&tstart=0

https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2033564

The vmware KB is going through the steps to solve this, which in this case didn’t. The better solution is to repair or reinstall but this is a time consuming task.

The steps in the KB didn’t solve it, so I tried to delete it with:

rm /altbootbank/state.5824665/

1	rm /altbootbank/state.5824665/

rm –rf /altbootbank/state.5824665/

1	rm –rf /altbootbank/state.5824665/

The ghost file/directory would not delete. The first command returned ‘This is not a file’, the second ‘This is not a directory’.
I repeated the same commands after a reboot with the same results. As the server was still booting well I knew the /bootbank was still ok. I wanted to replace the /altbootbank with the contents of the /bootbank partition.

THE FOLLOWING IS NOT RECOMMENDED NOR SUPPORTED! DO NOT EXECUTE ON A PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT !

Identity the naaID and partition number of the /altbootbank:

vmkfstools -Ph /altbootbank

1	vmkfstools -Ph /altbootbank

Scratch the partition through recreating the file system:

vmkfstools -C vfat /dev/disks/naaID:partitionNumber

1	vmkfstools -C vfat /dev/disks/naaID:partitionNumber

Remove the /altbootbank folder:

rm –rf /altbootbank

1	rm –rf /altbootbank

Create a symlink to the newly created vFat volume with /altbootbank:

ln –s /vmfs/volumes/volumeGUID /altbootbank

1	ln –s /vmfs/volumes/volumeGUID /altbootbank

Copy all the contents from /bootbank to /altbootbank:

cp /bootbank/* /altbootbank

1	cp /bootbank/* /altbootbank

Change the bootstate=3 in /altbootbank/boot.cfg

vi /altbootbank/boot.cfg

1	vi /altbootbank/boot.cfg

Run /sbin/autobackup.sh script to update the changes

/sbin/autobackup.sh

1	/sbin/autobackup.sh

Usefull vi commands

by Harold Preyers | Jul 5, 2016 | Linux

Some useful commands to work with vi

i	insert
r	replace
9yl	copy nine characters from cursor position, e.g 192.168.1.0 192.168.1 will be copied
p	paste what you have copied
x	delete character
:wq	write and quit (save and close)
/search_string	find search_string
n	go to next occurrence of search_string
N	go to previous occurrence of search_string
dd	delete line
10dd	delete next 10 lines
yy	copy line
10yy	copy next 10 lines
r	replace current character at cursor
R	replace current word at cursor

PowerShell goodies

by Harold Preyers | May 23, 2016 | Microsoft, PowerShell

(more…)

List registered SPNs in Active Directory: pimped

by Harold Preyers | May 13, 2016 | Active Directory, Microsoft, PowerShell

List all registered SPNs in Active Directory: pimped

This will go and poll all your registered SPNs in Active Directory and write them to a file. It accepts Debug, Log_Dir and Log_FileName as parameters.

Source: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/18996.list-all-spns-used-in-your-active-directory.aspx

<#
	.Synopsis
	Go and poll all your SPNs registered in Active Directory and write them to a file

	.Description
	Go and poll all your SPNs registered in Active Directory and write them to a file.

	.Author
	Harold Preyers

	.Parameter Debug
	The Debug parameter shows output to the screen.

	.Parameter Log_Dir
	Supply your own LogFile location.

	.Parameter Log_FileName
	Supply your own LogFile location. Don't add a file extension, the script will construct a filename based on the time of launch and add a .log extension

	.Example
	# Start SPN_List.ps1 without debug output based on the default log file location
	./SPN_List.ps1

	.Example
	# Start storage vmotions with debug output based on the default log file location
	./SPN_List.ps1 -Debug $true 

	.Example
	# Start storage vmotions with debug output based on custom log file location
	./SPN_List.ps1 -Debug $true -Log_Dir "C:\Scripts\SPN_List\Logs" -Log_FileName SPN_list 

#>

# Accept parameters
[cmdletBinding()]
	Param (
		[Bool]$Debug = $false				# Write output to console
		[string]$Log_Dir,					# Log Directory location
		[string]$Log_FileName,				# Log Filename
	)

#Variables
$Break = "-------------------------"

# Logging
$Log_Dir="C:\Scripts\Storage vMotion\Logs"
$Log_FileName="svMotion_log"
$Log_Breaker="##########################"
$global:File=""

# Create the necessary directories if necessary
If(!(Test-Path -Path $Log_Dir )){
	New-Item -ItemType directory -Path $Log_Dir
}

Function Initialize {
	# Logging parameters
	$Date = (get-date).tostring("yyyyMMdd_HHmmss")
	$global:File = $LogDir + "\" + $Log_FileName + "_" + $Date + ".log"
	If ($Debug) {Write-Host "The filename is: $global:File"}

	# Initialize log
	$Log_Breaker | Out-File "$global:File" -Append
	" LogFile:  $global:File" | Out-File "$global:File" -Append
	" LogDate:  $Date" | Out-File "$global:File" -Append
	" CSV File: $CSV_File" | Out-File "$global:File" -Append
	$Log_Breaker | Out-File "$global:File" -Append
	Add-Content -Path c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Value "`n"
}

#Set Search
cls
$search = New-Object DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher([ADSI]“”)
$search.filter = “(servicePrincipalName=*)”
$Results = $search.Findall()

#list results
Foreach($Result in $Results)
{
	$userEntry = $result.GetDirectoryEntry()

	$Output = "Object Name = " + $userEntry.name
	If ($Debug) {Write-Host $Output -backgroundcolor "yellow" -foregroundcolor "black"}
	$Output | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append
	$Break | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

	$Output = "DN = " + $userEntry.distinguishedName
	If ($Debug) {Write-host $Output}
	$Output | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

	$Output = "Object Cat. = " + $userEntry.objectCategory
	If ($Debug) {Write-host $Output}
	$Output | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append
	$Break | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

	$Output = "servicePrincipalNames"
	If ($Debug) {Write-host $Output}
	$Output | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append
	$Break | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

	$i=1

	foreach($SPN in $userEntry.servicePrincipalName) {
		If (($i).tostring().length -le 1) {
			$preZero = "0"
		}
		Else {
			$preZero = ""
		}
		$Output = "SPN(" + $preZero + $i + ") = " + $SPN
		If ($Debug) {Write-host "SPN(" $preZero$i ") = " $SPN}
		$Output | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append
		$i+=1
	}
	If ($Debug) {Write-host ""}
	$Break | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append
	Add-Content -Path c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Value "`n"
}

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

.Synopsis

Go and poll all your SPNs registered in Active Directory and write them to a file

.Description

Go and poll all your SPNs registered in Active Directory and write them to a file.

.Author

Harold Preyers

.Parameter Debug

The Debug parameter shows output to the screen.

.Parameter Log_Dir

Supply your own LogFile location.

.Parameter Log_FileName

Supply your own LogFile location. Don't add a file extension, the script will construct a filename based on the time of launch and add a .log extension

.Example

# Start SPN_List.ps1 without debug output based on the default log file location

./SPN_List.ps1

.Example

# Start storage vmotions with debug output based on the default log file location

./SPN_List.ps1 -Debug $true

.Example

# Start storage vmotions with debug output based on custom log file location

./SPN_List.ps1 -Debug $true -Log_Dir "C:\Scripts\SPN_List\Logs" -Log_FileName SPN_list

# Accept parameters

[cmdletBinding()]

Param (

[Bool]$Debug = $false # Write output to console

[string]$Log_Dir, # Log Directory location

[string]$Log_FileName, # Log Filename

)

#Variables

$Break = "-------------------------"

# Logging

$Log_Dir="C:\Scripts\Storage vMotion\Logs"

$Log_FileName="svMotion_log"

$Log_Breaker="##########################"

$global:File=""

# Create the necessary directories if necessary

If(!(Test-Path -Path $Log_Dir )){

New-Item -ItemType directory -Path $Log_Dir

}

Function Initialize {

# Logging parameters

$Date = (get-date).tostring("yyyyMMdd_HHmmss")

$global:File = $LogDir + "\" + $Log_FileName + "_" + $Date + ".log"

If ($Debug) {Write-Host "The filename is: $global:File"}

# Initialize log

$Log_Breaker | Out-File "$global:File" -Append

" LogFile: $global:File" | Out-File "$global:File" -Append

" LogDate: $Date" | Out-File "$global:File" -Append

" CSV File: $CSV_File" | Out-File "$global:File" -Append

$Log_Breaker | Out-File "$global:File" -Append

Add-Content -Path c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Value "`n"

}

#Set Search

cls

$search = New-Object DirectoryServices.DirectorySearcher([ADSI]“”)

$search.filter = “(servicePrincipalName=*)”

$Results = $search.Findall()

#list results

Foreach($Result in $Results)

{

$userEntry = $result.GetDirectoryEntry()

$Output = "Object Name = " + $userEntry.name

If ($Debug) {Write-Host $Output -backgroundcolor "yellow" -foregroundcolor "black"}

$Output | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

$Break | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

$Output = "DN = " + $userEntry.distinguishedName

If ($Debug) {Write-host $Output}

$Output | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

$Output = "Object Cat. = " + $userEntry.objectCategory

If ($Debug) {Write-host $Output}

$Output | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

$Break | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

$Output = "servicePrincipalNames"

If ($Debug) {Write-host $Output}

$Output | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

$Break | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

$i=1

foreach($SPN in $userEntry.servicePrincipalName) {

If (($i).tostring().length -le 1) {

$preZero = "0"

}

Else {

$preZero = ""

}

$Output = "SPN(" + $preZero + $i + ") = " + $SPN

If ($Debug) {Write-host "SPN(" $preZero$i ") = " $SPN}

$Output | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

$i+=1

}

If ($Debug) {Write-host ""}

$Break | Out-File c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Append

Add-Content -Path c:\temp\SPN_List.txt -Value "`n"

}

« Older Entries

Next Entries »

UCS Manager errors due to Firmware Packages removal

Failed to clear bootbank content /altbootbank: [Errno 9] Bad file descriptor: ‘/altbootbank/state.xxxxxxx’

Usefull vi commands

PowerShell goodies

List registered SPNs in Active Directory: pimped

List all registered SPNs in Active Directory: pimped

TOP POSTS

SUBSCRIBE