I recently rebooted my KVM server. When I do this, I often have to run a script to update Open vSwitch by removing unused ports, but this reboot messed up my entire iSCSI bond and vSwitch configuration. It looks like some of the control files for when you reboot the node were broken and needed to be repaired. Now, I am still not sure why these steps are required, but they do fix the problem for me.

Continue reading “KVM Upgrade Saga: Open vSwitch Woes”

To keep vSphere installs secure, it is often necessary to patch or upgrade them in a specific order, as outlined in KB 2109760, which has been our guide for the last few parts of our upgrade saga. However, patching vCenter 6.0 vCSA is not as easy as it looks. The instructions in the online manuals are only apropos for upgrading from vCenter 5.1 or 5.5. For vCenter 6.0, they contain information only valid once you have Update 1 involved. So, how do we proceed? Continue reading “vSphere Upgrade Saga: Upgrading to vSphere 6.0 U1”

In previous Foray into Jenkins, Puppet, Docker, and Photon posts, I was able to clone a Photon OS VM (part 1), deploy a Docker container into the Photon OS VM (part 2), and do automated load testing (part 3). Now it is time to look at improving the security of my Git repository. Given the number of scripts out there to look through GitHub for API keys, usernames, and passwords in order to rack up serious bills on Amazon and other cloud services, it behooves us to be extra vigilant.

Continue reading “Foray into Jenkins, Git, Docker, and Photon: Part 4”

In previous Foray into Jenkins, Puppet, Docker, and Photon posts, I was able to clone a Photon OS VM (part 1) and deploy a Docker container into the Photon OS VM (part 2). Now, it is time to do some automated load testing in order to load and security test the deployed application. Load testing is required to determine the upper limit of the load this one container can handle. Once I know that, I can properly scale out the environment. But I also need to ensure that known security holes do not exist. Continue reading “Foray into Jenkins, Docker, and Photon: Part 3”

There is no one true path to becoming an independent consultant: there are many. But perhaps a look at my path may help others. There are two, perhaps three, types of consultants out there. The questions to ask yourself are, “Which are you?” and “Why does each matter?” There are concerns with each type that impact your life, your family, and your state of mind. Keeping all those in balance is important as a consultant. Continue reading “How I Became a Consultant: Part 1”

In my Foray into Jenkins, Puppet, Docker, and Photon article, I discussed how to set up Photon, Jenkins, and Docker and how I was able to use Jenkins to deploy a Photon template. However, this template was a simple template with just Docker set up within it: a template that could become anything required, run any Docker container. The next step was to deploy a container within Photon. For this, I chose NGINX. Continue reading “Foray into Jenkins, Puppet, Docker, and Photon: Part 2”