VMware vSphere 7 Update 3 and Microsoft Windows 11 both arrived on October 5 2021, many great lessons learned the hard way but testing is going well

Notes added on July 20 2022 - Warning, bypassing TPM isn't recommended, proceed at your own risk. See also TinkerTry commenter blogthis who wrote this warning below this article: You definitely do NOT want to use one of those Windows 11 hacks to bypass TPM 2.0 and CPU checks for install. They were…

Oct 8 2021

How to get Windows 11 Insider Preview running as a VMware ESXi 7 VM

On Oct 5th, Windows 11 became now Generally Available! I've added a new video to the library below using an alternative technique Install Windows 11 as VM on VMware vSphere / Workstation without TPM 2.0 chipset by Ivo Beerens. Step-by-step upgrade instructions and video below! If you already have a…

Aug 1 2021

Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows 4.0 demo of a fast Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1909 backup

On January 21 2020, Microsoft began allowing anybody who clicks on "Check for updates" to get their Windows 10 Version 1909. That means a lot of folks have it by now, and with the New Veeam Availability Suite v10 set to launch tomorrow, and it's likely that the Veeam Agent for Microsoft…

Feb 17 2020

VTUG Summer Slam 2019 was the last VTUG ever! Thanks for the memories, Dawn, Chris, and Chris!

If you're just here for the nostalgia, no problem, check out the Photos, Videos below, or have a look back at all my VTUG tweets. Don't get misty on me, not yet, I got more for you, read on... Magic moment #1 One of the most touching moments in my IT career ever was thanks to Matt Broberg…

Jul 24 2019

Microsoft Windows 10 May 2019 Update / Windows Server 2019 May 2019 Update, version 1903 downloads now available

Table of Contents Here's all the links for you, jumping you right down to the section you're most interested in below: Microsoft Windows Update Microsoft Windows Download Microsoft Windows Evaluation Center Microsoft Visual Studio Downloads Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) …

May 27 2019

Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows 3.0.2 supports Microsoft Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903)

May 28 2019 update, official 1903 support doesn't arrive until 3.0.2 next month (June), details from Anton Gostev below. Jul 22 2019 update, Official 1903 support arrived with 3.0.2 on July 16 2019, see release notes, download, and more details below, featuring a manual 3.0.1 to 3.0.2 simple…

May 27 2019

How to configure VMware ESXi 6.7 or later for VMDirectPath I/O pass-through of any NVMe SSD, such as Windows 10 1809 installed directly on an Intel 900P booted in an EFI VM

Notice the 900P U.2 NVMe SSD above the motherboard There was a little-discussed and finally mature capability that arrived with VMware ESXi 6.5, back in November of 2016. See Amazon for the Intel Optane SSD 900P Series, but this consumer drive might not be ideal for most home virtualization lab…

Nov 28 2018

Ian Sanderson's walkthrough details configuration of roll-your-own MFA using free Cisco Duo Authentication for Windows Logon and RDP

I must have mentioned Duo's MFA to over a dozen folks all this year, sharing the existence of this great gem with user group attendees, colleagues, friends, and strangers. If you have an alway-on Windows or Windows Server jump box or VM listening for connection attempts to port 3389 in your home…

Nov 27 2018

Microsoft Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019 download links for re-released version 1809 October 2018 Update

Table of Contents Here's all the links for you, jumping you right down to the section you're most interested in below: Microsoft Windows Update Microsoft Windows Download Microsoft Windows Evaluation Center Microsoft Visual Studio Downloads Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) …

Nov 20 2018

Windows 10 October 2018 Update and Window Server 2019 launched October 2nd then pulled October 5th

Nov 20 2018 - Fixed Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019 version 1809 has now been re-released, details at Microsoft Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019 download links for re-released version 1809 October 2018 Update. TinkerTry was first to report the issue with Windows Server 2019 code disappearing.…

Oct 6 2018

Fall 2018 is quite the season with Microsoft Windows Server 2019, Windows 10 October 2018 Update, and VMware vSphere 6.7 Update 1 releases!

*Oct 06 2018 09:19am ET - You may want to hold off working with the bits that you may have already downloaded earlier this week, as it appears Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019 have been pulled from downloads for now, details appended below. Nov 20 2018 - Fixed Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019…

Oct 3 2018

Meltdown and Spectre side-channel attack risk mitigation information from processor, server, and software vendors

This story continues to develop. Consider revisiting and refreshing. Disclosure: I'm a vSAN Systems Engineer, but this article isn't official VMware documentation. Please refer to articles on vmware.com listed below, and to each of the vendor's sites listed below, for their latest, official…

Jan 10 2018

It's Bugtober, with Adobe Flash crashes, numerous CVE vulnerability patches for Wi-Fi and routers, and an Intel SPI vulnerability patch for most Xeon D Supermicro SuperServers

Sometimes a home lab can be kept operational for months with minimal maintenance. This month, many things happened that required more immediate attention. Maybe this month should have been called Bugtober instead of Blogtober, and it ain't even over yet! None of these took terribly long to fix, but…

Oct 24 2017

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update introduces GPU monitoring features built right into Task Manager

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Version 1709 Build 16299 If you already: have a laptop or desktop PC with a WDDMv2 driver upgraded to Windows 10 Fall Creators Update using the Microsoft Update now or Download tool now buttons, or just using Windows Update (mine came flying down at 350Mbps!) then…

Oct 20 2017

Road-warrior productivity boosted by ASUS ZenScreen MB16AC secondary travel display that connects to Mac or PC with just one USB-C or USB 3.0 cable

ASUS ZenScreen MB16AC 15.6-Inch Full HD IPS Monitor is available on Amazon, B&H, and Newegg. This is not a paid promotion. This monitor was purchased bought online and used regularly for 6 weeks prior to publishing this article. When I took on a new job earlier this year, I knew full well that…

Oct 14 2017

How to configure VMware ESXi 6.5.x for VMDirectPath I/O pass-through of any NVMe SSD, such as Windows Server 2016 installed directly on an Intel Optane P4800X booted in an EFI VM

There was a little-discussed and finally mature capability that arrived with VMware ESXi 6.5, back in November of 2016. With last month's release of ESXi 6.5 Update 1, it's only gotten easier to configure your ESXi server to allow you to pass a single NVMe storage device, such as an Intel Optane…

Aug 24 2017

Veeam Availability Suite 9.5 Update 2 has full vSphere 6.5 Update 1 support, free NFR also available for Veeam Agent for Windows, Linux, and Backup for MS Office 365

Turns out the question of what backup solution to use to protect a home lab's VMs in a home lab comes up a lot here at TinkerTry, especially when a major new release of vSphere arrives on the scene. It's become such an important thing to consider for IT Pros working off the NFR code…

Aug 23 2017

Road-warrior productivity boosters for laptops blessed with USB-C but no Ethernet or VGA

Working in hotels with your laptop can be a pain, sometimes literally. I mean really working, and producing content. Here's just some of the issues commonly noticed when traveling for work like I do: no secondary display, man do I miss having one way-too-high desktop to type comfortably on…

May 15 2017

Open feedback for popular and free Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows 2.0 (RTM Pilot)

Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows . I've been kicking the tires these last few weeks on Veeam's latest free backup offering for physical systems, using a Dell Precision 5510, and my Xeon D SuperServer. It's going quite well, with numerous improvements evident throughout the already quite refined…

May 13 2017

What Veeam is doing to help protect you from ransomware like WannaCry

Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows . WannaCry Outcry This week ransomware got even nastier, with a new levels of proliferation. Being around a bunch of storage and availability experts this upcoming week at VeeamON is great timing, should make for some interesting conversations, even if this…

May 13 2017

VeeamON 2017 has some remarkable technologists, and I'll be there!

See veeam.com/veeamon. I'll be an attendee at VeeamON 2017 in New Orleans this week, with about 2,000 other IT Pros. I'm honored to be going as a Veeam Vanguard, ready to learn, socialize, blog, and enjoy the remarkable keynote speakers: Sanjay Poonen Chief Operating Officer, Customer Operations,…

May 13 2017

VMware vSphere Taskbar Shortcuts Unleashed - profile switcher isolated and uncluttered Chrome Browser UIs act like native Windows apps!

It's no secret that VMware is moving away from the Windows/C#-based vSphere Client and the Adobe Flash-based vSphere Web Client over to an HTML5/JavaScript combo that is far faster, and much more universal. These web UIs arrived in the form of the VMware Host Client (source) that's baked right in…

Mar 27 2017

Veeam Vanguard 2017 announced, 3rd year with TinkerTry friends!

Veeam Vanguard Definition: At VMware's Tech Summit in Las Vegas's fake Venice, Feb 01 2017. Happened to have an appropriate shirt for hunting down fellow Vanguard John Nicholson. These individuals have been nominated as Veeam Vanguards. A Veeam Vanguard represents our brand to the highest level in…

Feb 2 2017

Install Windows Server 2016 & Hyper-V on a TinkerTry'd Supermicro SuperServer Bundle 2 8-Core Xeon D with built-in Intel RSTe RAID, by Steve Shanks

Introduction I'm pleased to present you with the result of a massive installation and documentation effort by a TinkerTry fan. This voluntary article was authored by Greater Detroit's Steve Shanks, who is currently a Senior Consultant at The Speedware Company. He volunteered to help speed folks…

Jan 25 2017