Andreas's questions

I need to restore a Azure VM snapshot backup of a VM and keep them both in the same AD. The DC is on the same subnet also in Azure.

When restoring, the windows computername on the restored server will be exactly the same as the old one, that will cause some DNS-issues in the AD. So I need to rename the new one after the restore.

Now how do I do that without touching the old server and its AD object / DNS entry? The server is part of a Windows virtual desktop environment so I do not want to rejoin it to the domain.

By changing the restored servers computername in windows settings, will that also trigger a rename on the AD object?

If I remove the restored server from the domain, will that keep or delete the AD object on the DC of the old server?

When running a simple batch file (.cmd) as administrator (Rightclick --> Run as administrator), it just flashes by in the taskbar and nothing more is happening.

Running the file by just doubleclicking on it works fine.

Total content of the .cmd file:

@echo off
set /p DUMMY=Done executing...

No logs in the eventviewer or error messages that I have found... Any ideas what to try?

I am trying to install Exchange Cu 14 from Server A to Server B through Powershell remote and Invoke-command.

The installation completes successfully when running locally on Server B as the same logged on user... But not remote using Invoke-command from another server.

Running on Server A (Simplified version and $SetupPath and $Params is correct):

$ScriptBlock_ExchangeInstallation = {
            Start-Process $SetupPath -ArgumentList $Params -NoNewWindow    
}

$SessionOptions = New-PSSessionOption -MaxConnectionRetryCount 50 -IdleTimeout 86400000 -OperationTimeout 21600000
$SecPw= ConvertTo-SecureString "PwSuperSecure!" -AsPlainText -Force
$Creds = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential ("MrMarshall\Andreas.marshall", $SecPw)

   Invoke-Command -ComputerName "ServerB" -SessionOption $SessionOptions -ScriptBlock $ScriptBlock_ExchangeInstallation -ErrorAction Stop -Authentication Kerberos -Credential $Creds

In the failed Exchange logs. I can see the error:

[11/12/2019 21:34:18.0728] [0] [ERROR] Active Directory operation failed on . The supplied credential for 'MRMARSHALL\andreas.marshall' is invalid. [11/12/2019 21:34:18.0728] [0] [ERROR] The supplied credential is invalid.

I feels like the credentials is not passed correctly towards the DC during the installation. Any ideas of how I could start the installation some another way?

More exceptions.

Microsoft.Exchange.Configuration.MonadDataProvider.MonadDataAdapterInvocationException: Active Directory operation failed on . The supplied credential for 'MRMARSHALL\andreas.marshall' is invalid. It was running the command 'Get-OrganizationConfig'. ---> Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADInvalidCredentialException: Active Directory operation failed on . The supplied credential for 'MRMARSHALL\andreas.marshall' is invalid. ---> System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.LdapException: The supplied credential is invalid.

I need to add an SQL-feature (SQL-replication) to an existing SQL-instance. It's SQL Server 2012 Standard SP1 that has been upgraded to SP3 a few years ago.

What installation media should I use to add the SQL-feature?

SQL Server 2012 Std with SP1 or SQL Server 2012 Std with SP3?

Or can I add it by installing the SP3 again somehow?

Had to restart a server running SQL Server and SQL Server Analysis Services. (The reboot was related to the Hyper-V Host it was running on.) The SQL service works fine, but the SSAS refuses to start.

Checking the log and Event Viewer, the following is displayed:

The service cannot be started: Message-handling subsystem: The message manager for the default locale cannot be found. The locale will be changed to US English. Message-handling subsystem: The message manager for the default locale cannot be found. The locale will be changed to US English. (Source: \?\E:\ASLOG\XXX\msmdsrv.log, Type: 3, Category: 289, Event ID: 0xC1210000)

When changing the locale settings for the account running the SSAS service to "EN-US" and trying to start the service again, it gives me a blank error message in both Event Viewer and the SSAS log...

The service cannot be started: (Source: \?\E:\ASLOG\XXX\msmdsrv.log, Type: 3, Category: 289, Event ID: 0xC1210000)

Any ideas?

I am currently importing IIS-logs into Logstash using Filebeat, and the Logstash is configured to output the documents into Elasticsearch. Now I also want to output my IIS logs to Azure storage (blob) for longtime-backup purposes, but I cannot find a way to do it.

There is a working Logstash plugin for output to AWS. But I need to use Azure blob storage. I cannot find an output plugin for Azure Blobstorage in the elastic output list, or anywhere else..

Is there a way to output documents from Logstash to Azure blobstorage?

Seems like a valuable feature. I guess it would look like something below.

output {
    Azure_storage {
        account => "test"
        key => "SuperSecret"
        container => "Backup_Documents"
        blobName => "nameofblob"
    }
  }

I have a resourcegroup in Microsoft Azure with some resources on it, nothing strange, some VMs, databases, storage accounts, and a virtual network. So far no web apps or app service plans.

I am trying to add a app service plan with a simple powershell command:

New-AzureRmAppServicePlan -Name "testsvcplan" -Location "North Europe"
-ResourceGroupName "mygroup" -Tier Free

which results in the following error:

Cannot find Web space mygroup-NorthEuropewebspace for subscription xxx-xxx-xxx.

Getting the same error when trying to add an app service plan through the portal and cannot find much info about this error or Azure Web space. Although it works fine when using other resourcegroups.

What is a Azure web space and what could cause this error with my resource group?

I need to alter some columns from nText to Nvarchar(max) on a active database with a simple query like

ALTER TABLE [dbo].[Table] ALTER COLUMN [Column] nvarchar(max);

But my question is, would this be safe to do on database in production? The tables differs from 50 rows to 2m rows. And to answer that question, I think my question should be:

What is the SQL-server doing under the hood when you change a Ntext datatype column to a Nvarchar(max)?

I have tried to find reading material on this, but without any luck.

I am migrating a SQL server 2008 R2 production database to Azure SQL database service in the cloud.

Is it possible to mirror/replicate the Azure database from the 2008 R2 database? So I can just switch over to just using the new one. Instead of take it offline, create a bacpac file, upload it to azure storage, and restore from that one.

I want to do this to reduce downtime during the migration.

Azure doesn't support the traditional log-shipping, and This require that you are moving from a 2012 database or newer.

Edit: Made the question much clearer.

We are moving our Webserver to Azure, it is hosting about 5 sites today, each listening on a private IP. We are using NAT to translate incomming request to the correct private IP at the edge router. Like this:

Internet public IPs --> Router (Translate to private IP) --> Server.

I have setup a VM on Azure with 5 NICs, each with a private IP-adress. How can I translate from 5 different incomming public IPs to my 5 private? (One Azure VM instance can only have one public IP)

Another way to put it, how do I use NAT 1-to-1 on Azure to my subnet?

I need to move a SQL 2008 R2 on-premis database to an Azure SQL cloud database. The database is to big to script out with data and Azure SQL cloud cannot restore a standard .bak file.

Trying to use Tasks --> Export data-tier application from this guide toghether with SSMS 2016 to create the .bacpac file that I will import to Azure SQL cloud. But I keep getting this errormessage: User [test_user] has an unresolved reference to login [test_user].

See below for complete message.

Why do I get this error? Maybe there is a better way to export / import a database from SQL 2008 to Azure SQL?

I am trying to set up an Remote-VPN IPsec ikev1 from a Windows 10 built in VPN-client to a Cisco asa 5505, using a L2TP/IPsec runnel with a Pre-shared key and xAuth. After some struggle, I manage to complete both IPsec Phase 1 and Phase 2. But I still got this error on the Windows side when trying to connect:

The remote connection was denied because the user name and password combination you provided is not recognized, or the selected authentication protocol is not permitted on the remote access server”.

On the Windows side, I have under "Allowed protocols" checked both Chap and MS-Chap v2. On the Cisco ASA, I have allowed MS-Chap v2 on the DefaultRAGroup, and the Cisco VPN debugger doesn't show me anything specific error about this either.

Will post parts of my running configuration if needed, but I have a feeling that the problem is from the Windows side.

Anyone succeeded with what I am trying to do here? Or know some details about Windows built-in VPN Client authentication methods that I don't?

EDIT

Added a screenshot of some VPN Debug messages. Notice the "PHASE 2 COMPLETE" message in blue, and then the client send a Terminate message. Also notice "Security negotiation complete for User(). There should be a user stated in there..

I am trying to setup our Cisco asa 5505 remote VPN access IKEv1 Pre-shared key, so I can access with Windows native VPN client using a L2TP/IPsec tunnel.

We have IKEv1 Pre-shared Key setup with a group ID configured already, but since Windows doesn't support group ID, I need to use the DefaultRA group.

I managed to complete Phase 1 after adding the correct IKEv1 policy. But to fix the mismatch problem at Phase 2, I figured out that I need to make add ESP-3DES-SHA-TRANS transport set to the dynamic crypto map.

The problem is: After adding the correct transform set (ESP-3DES-SHA-TRANS) to the crypto map using asdm, the router refuses to let any traffic out on the Internet… Not just the VPN traffic, but all traffic. I tried two times, needed to restart the Firewall both time to get it running again.

Not sure if I should post any running configuration. We don't have any advanced routing, just a static route outside really. We have another site-to-site VPN using a static crypto map. But it shouldn't affect.

Any idea what could cause this behavior? What is the cli command for adding that transform set to the crypto map?

I am trying to setup Windows built in VPN with an asa 5505 using IPsec/L2TP with IKEv1. Remote access vpn using a psk.

I got a mismatch error during phase 1, and I cannot figure out what IPsec proposal windows 10 is using, so I can match on the Asa5505 side!? I.e Auth method, hash algorithm, encryption algorithm, DH group and lifetime.

So, what IPsec proposal is Windows 10 using with builtin VPN client, and is it possible to change this?

Any tips n tricks out there?

Regards.