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So I got to work over the weekend with my virtual server. I ghosted my install of Server 2003 and installed ESXi server to start the virtualization process as I described in my last post. I was able to pass through the hardware I needed to for each of the guest installs, but I was unable to get ESXi server to recognize my onboard RAID controller. I had planned on putting all the Virtual hard drives on my Raid drive. I tried and tried but was unable to find a driver that ESXi would take and recognize it, so I just moved on. I would just install the virtual drives to the local drive and worry about space later. Hard drives are cheap, right?
Well, I popped in my Server 2003 disk and started the setup process. Everything was going great, but then Windows told me it was unable to detect any hard drives that I could install to. Not even the virtual drive I had created and assigned on the local drive. Interesting.
After a couple of hours troubleshooting why Server 2003 couldn't find it, I thought, I'll just install server 2008 to avoid the problem and upgrade at the same time. Well, Server 2008 showed the same problem. It is probably something I am doing, or not configuring correctly, but saturday night I thought this issue combined with a rumor I heard at work that we will be launching our virtualization project on Hyper-V later this year changed my mind and I decided to try Server 2008 with Hyper-V. This would also allow me to avoid getting a NAS because I could just install a virtual file server to handle the load. I installed Server 2008 Core, simply because that was what was recommended for Hyper-V, but that was a mistake. Having to do everything by command line lead to a bunch of googleing.
Back to the drawing board. I ghosted Server 2008 Core and went about installing Server 2008 R2 Full. I got it all installed, configured and updated, when my wife wanted access to some files that would have been contained on the Server 2003 Image. Sigh. I ghosted my Server 2008 image, re-applied my server 2003 image, got her the files, then it was time for bed.
So at the end of the weekend, I started with an installation of Server 2003, and after 2 full days of tinkering, i ended up with the EXACT SAME installation of Server 2003. Productive?
Well, I popped in my Server 2003 disk and started the setup process. Everything was going great, but then Windows told me it was unable to detect any hard drives that I could install to. Not even the virtual drive I had created and assigned on the local drive. Interesting.
After a couple of hours troubleshooting why Server 2003 couldn't find it, I thought, I'll just install server 2008 to avoid the problem and upgrade at the same time. Well, Server 2008 showed the same problem. It is probably something I am doing, or not configuring correctly, but saturday night I thought this issue combined with a rumor I heard at work that we will be launching our virtualization project on Hyper-V later this year changed my mind and I decided to try Server 2008 with Hyper-V. This would also allow me to avoid getting a NAS because I could just install a virtual file server to handle the load. I installed Server 2008 Core, simply because that was what was recommended for Hyper-V, but that was a mistake. Having to do everything by command line lead to a bunch of googleing.
Back to the drawing board. I ghosted Server 2008 Core and went about installing Server 2008 R2 Full. I got it all installed, configured and updated, when my wife wanted access to some files that would have been contained on the Server 2003 Image. Sigh. I ghosted my Server 2008 image, re-applied my server 2003 image, got her the files, then it was time for bed.
So at the end of the weekend, I started with an installation of Server 2003, and after 2 full days of tinkering, i ended up with the EXACT SAME installation of Server 2003. Productive?
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Comments: 3
Posted: 23rd August 2010 - 02:37 PM
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I have a new baby to play with. I know all of you are thinking "Oh, did he get an Elk?' or "Oh, maybe he has some new home theatre equipment.". No, I actually have a new baby, literally. My three month absence from this blog is explained by the birth of my daughter on August 4th. I was quite surprised when I got on here and realized i hadn't made a blog post since May. I guess the final 3 months of my wife's pregnancy took more of my time than I thought.
About the only things i did get done since my last post was getting frustrated. My brother recently upgraded his Nuvo Whole house audio system and gave me his old one! It is only a simplese system that does 4 zones, but it is a start. I got on Monoprice and ordered all the speakers (12 pair) that i need for the rest of my house, as well as a couple of other gadgets for future projects. With baby on the way, I have not had the time to get any of that installed, so for now it sits in boxes in my garage. Frustration.
I did get the Xbox and Wii cables from the upstairs wall plates tied into my patch panel. I then wired from the patch panel to the video switchbox. I went upstairs to try everything, and while it was all working, I couldn't switch the input on the switchbox via my IR repeater. I tried moving the switchbox, learning different codes and using my yamaha remote, everything i could think of. Frustration. My plan now is to get a couple of USBUIRTs and put one that will recieve commands from my IR Repeater, and one that will send commands from the same spot the IR Repeater is at. Hopefully the switchbox will be able to receive commands from the USBUIRT, and then I can use my (soon to be installed) Premise server to receive the commands via the repeater, then replicate the command via the other USBUIRT. Unless somebody else has a wonderful idea that I can try..........
Speaking of my soon to be installed Premise server, I took a ghost image of my Server 2003 machine so I could take a stab at installing ESXi server on it. It would be really nice to have a virtual server running so I can install a Domain Controller, an Exchange server, a SCCM server, a Premise server, a Development XP machine, and what ever else I decided I need all on 1 box. Power savings, Administration ease, it would be nice. I got ESXi server installed on it and created my first environment. I needed to assign the CD drive to the installation so I can start installing stuff and low and behold, Under the assignment section of ESXi server, There is nothing listed. Frustration. After some back and forth with Gigabyte tech support over the last couple of days, I found out that there is a hidden menu (visible by pressing Ctrl+F1 in the BIOS) that allows you to turn on Virtualization. I only had a couple of minutes this morning before work but I did find the menu and turn on Virtualization. I can't wait to get home to look in the client to see if I can pass through hardware. Hopefully this one doesn't end in frustration......
About the only things i did get done since my last post was getting frustrated. My brother recently upgraded his Nuvo Whole house audio system and gave me his old one! It is only a simplese system that does 4 zones, but it is a start. I got on Monoprice and ordered all the speakers (12 pair) that i need for the rest of my house, as well as a couple of other gadgets for future projects. With baby on the way, I have not had the time to get any of that installed, so for now it sits in boxes in my garage. Frustration.
I did get the Xbox and Wii cables from the upstairs wall plates tied into my patch panel. I then wired from the patch panel to the video switchbox. I went upstairs to try everything, and while it was all working, I couldn't switch the input on the switchbox via my IR repeater. I tried moving the switchbox, learning different codes and using my yamaha remote, everything i could think of. Frustration. My plan now is to get a couple of USBUIRTs and put one that will recieve commands from my IR Repeater, and one that will send commands from the same spot the IR Repeater is at. Hopefully the switchbox will be able to receive commands from the USBUIRT, and then I can use my (soon to be installed) Premise server to receive the commands via the repeater, then replicate the command via the other USBUIRT. Unless somebody else has a wonderful idea that I can try..........
Speaking of my soon to be installed Premise server, I took a ghost image of my Server 2003 machine so I could take a stab at installing ESXi server on it. It would be really nice to have a virtual server running so I can install a Domain Controller, an Exchange server, a SCCM server, a Premise server, a Development XP machine, and what ever else I decided I need all on 1 box. Power savings, Administration ease, it would be nice. I got ESXi server installed on it and created my first environment. I needed to assign the CD drive to the installation so I can start installing stuff and low and behold, Under the assignment section of ESXi server, There is nothing listed. Frustration. After some back and forth with Gigabyte tech support over the last couple of days, I found out that there is a hidden menu (visible by pressing Ctrl+F1 in the BIOS) that allows you to turn on Virtualization. I only had a couple of minutes this morning before work but I did find the menu and turn on Virtualization. I can't wait to get home to look in the client to see if I can pass through hardware. Hopefully this one doesn't end in frustration......
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Comments: 5
Posted: 18th August 2010 - 10:25 AM
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Ok, so I finally got this phone up and working. There weren't a great deal of resources out there about the KX-TGP550 but putting together what little I could find I got the basics in order.
First off... this is what the phone looks like:
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On the left of the phone is an old Plantronics headset that my wife loves. The lifter fit with a little tweaking so she is now a happy camper.
The first thing you need to know about this phone is that you will need to download the complete instructions. The included documentation will only tell you how to assemble and power up the phone.
Instructions can be found at: Documentation and Firmware Link The current firmware can be found here as well. I strongly suggest flashing your phone before you begin configuration.
I set up 2 extensions in Asterisk (1000 and 1001) and have configured the base station as extension 1000 and the handset as 1001. Following are screen grabs of the SIP config for the ext 1000:
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Since the phone uses just 1 IP you have to use different ports for each additional extension. So for extension 1001 I used 5070 as the source SIP port. This has to be configured on both the phone and the server.
I set up a ring group and have both externsions ringing when thee are incoming calls. All VM goes to ext 1000.
I guess next up is trying to figure out some of the cooler features available to Trixbox users.
First off... this is what the phone looks like:
Image
On the left of the phone is an old Plantronics headset that my wife loves. The lifter fit with a little tweaking so she is now a happy camper.
The first thing you need to know about this phone is that you will need to download the complete instructions. The included documentation will only tell you how to assemble and power up the phone.
Instructions can be found at: Documentation and Firmware Link The current firmware can be found here as well. I strongly suggest flashing your phone before you begin configuration.
I set up 2 extensions in Asterisk (1000 and 1001) and have configured the base station as extension 1000 and the handset as 1001. Following are screen grabs of the SIP config for the ext 1000:
Image
Since the phone uses just 1 IP you have to use different ports for each additional extension. So for extension 1001 I used 5070 as the source SIP port. This has to be configured on both the phone and the server.
I set up a ring group and have both externsions ringing when thee are incoming calls. All VM goes to ext 1000.
I guess next up is trying to figure out some of the cooler features available to Trixbox users.
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Comments: 0
Posted: 7th August 2010 - 09:31 PM
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I had planned to start out with a Polycom... but after some comments here and other places I have reconsidered. Instead I will be going with a nice little SOHO system from Panasonic. The KX-TGP550. Its certified for Asterisk and leverages DECT handsets.
Link to Panasonic Description
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Link to Panasonic Description
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Comments: 0
Posted: 26th July 2010 - 11:01 PM
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Just a few pictures showing the process of adding a phone jack and wiring it up.
1) Found my spot, traced my old work box, cut the hole and stuck in the old work single gang plastic thingy:
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And from the backside (I can see if from the access panel for TV on the outside of the house):
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2) Photo of the phone wiring before modification. You can see the source from the telco equipment going into the security system wiring. It spits back out and attaches to the blue CAT 5 which distributes dial tone throughout the house.
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3) I pulled the wires apart and recrimped then with new 3 way connectors to add another phone line right here:
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A wider shot so you can see the new grey CAT5 that will carry dial tone to the new phone jack inthe garage. You can see the CAT5 run up from the telco access box to the TV access box which is right behind where the jack will be.
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4) And now the finish work. Wiring the CAT5 to a phone port and screwing it all together.
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The orange insert makes the decora plate stick out a little too far but I haven't figured out a good way around that yet.
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1) Found my spot, traced my old work box, cut the hole and stuck in the old work single gang plastic thingy:
Image
And from the backside (I can see if from the access panel for TV on the outside of the house):
Image
2) Photo of the phone wiring before modification. You can see the source from the telco equipment going into the security system wiring. It spits back out and attaches to the blue CAT 5 which distributes dial tone throughout the house.
Image
3) I pulled the wires apart and recrimped then with new 3 way connectors to add another phone line right here:
Image
A wider shot so you can see the new grey CAT5 that will carry dial tone to the new phone jack inthe garage. You can see the CAT5 run up from the telco access box to the TV access box which is right behind where the jack will be.
Image
4) And now the finish work. Wiring the CAT5 to a phone port and screwing it all together.
Image
Image
The orange insert makes the decora plate stick out a little too far but I haven't figured out a good way around that yet.
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Image
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Comments: 2
Posted: 25th July 2010 - 05:34 PM
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I have decided to play around with setting up an Asterisk PBX here at home. There are two popular distributions out there that do most of the heavy lifting for you, AsteriskNow and Trixbox. It seems like Trixbox might be more popular so I have decided to give it a spin.
The first concern is scraping together the hardware I will need to make this happen.
From my reading I will collect the following items.
Old desktop PC to be the server. (Free)
Trixbox Software - Which is really Linux, Asterisk, and the Asterisk add ons all squished into the installer. (Free)
A 32 GB SSD so I can remove one of the moving part from the equation. (100 bucks)
A used Digium TDM410P card with 3x FXO and 1 FXS ports. (125 bucks)
I have a Vonage line and a Verizon line that I will use as my trunks. (So no additional cost)
A used Polycom 650 SIP phone (135. This is probably over kill but I have used Polycoms before and they seem to ROCK on VOIP to VOIP calls.)
Total: $360 bucks to have a commercial(ish) grade PBX at home. Sure it wont be fault tolerant but thats OK. If anything happens I can just plug old phones into the wall and be OK.
Before I get to the fun part of installing and configuring the software I need to put this computer somewhere it can run 24x7 and have access to both phone lines. My office already is sweltering from all the equipment but its the only spot that has Ethernet and a phone jack in close proximity. But my comfort trump convenience so this bad box is going in the garage and I will add a phone jack close to where the Asterisk box will be.
Construction details in the next post!
The first concern is scraping together the hardware I will need to make this happen.
From my reading I will collect the following items.
Old desktop PC to be the server. (Free)
Trixbox Software - Which is really Linux, Asterisk, and the Asterisk add ons all squished into the installer. (Free)
A 32 GB SSD so I can remove one of the moving part from the equation. (100 bucks)
A used Digium TDM410P card with 3x FXO and 1 FXS ports. (125 bucks)
I have a Vonage line and a Verizon line that I will use as my trunks. (So no additional cost)
A used Polycom 650 SIP phone (135. This is probably over kill but I have used Polycoms before and they seem to ROCK on VOIP to VOIP calls.)
Total: $360 bucks to have a commercial(ish) grade PBX at home. Sure it wont be fault tolerant but thats OK. If anything happens I can just plug old phones into the wall and be OK.
Before I get to the fun part of installing and configuring the software I need to put this computer somewhere it can run 24x7 and have access to both phone lines. My office already is sweltering from all the equipment but its the only spot that has Ethernet and a phone jack in close proximity. But my comfort trump convenience so this bad box is going in the garage and I will add a phone jack close to where the Asterisk box will be.
Construction details in the next post!
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Comments: 5
Posted: 25th July 2010 - 05:26 PM
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I finally found a ST2 (dual AM-FM) for a good price and pulled the trigger.
Installation was fairly easy but there are a few gotcha's to keep in mind. First off when you integrate with a CAM6.6 you need to configure the two sources on the CAM as perephial. You then physically attach the ST2's outputs to those two source inputs on the CAM. Don't forget to connect the CAT5/6 control cable betwrrn the 2 units. Now the piece that I missed at first is that on the ST2 you have to configure it with the sources it is targeting on the CAM. Its all detailed in the instructions but its not something I expected.
Once I made that change I updated my CasaTunes software and I was off to the races! Now I need to install a decent outdoor FM ant and I am golden!
Installation was fairly easy but there are a few gotcha's to keep in mind. First off when you integrate with a CAM6.6 you need to configure the two sources on the CAM as perephial. You then physically attach the ST2's outputs to those two source inputs on the CAM. Don't forget to connect the CAT5/6 control cable betwrrn the 2 units. Now the piece that I missed at first is that on the ST2 you have to configure it with the sources it is targeting on the CAM. Its all detailed in the instructions but its not something I expected.
Once I made that change I updated my CasaTunes software and I was off to the races! Now I need to install a decent outdoor FM ant and I am golden!
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Comments: 0
Posted: 12th June 2010 - 11:07 PM
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I recently upgraded some of my speakers for my home theater setup. I added some Polk Audio OMW3's to use for the Audyssey DSX Wide sound field as well as replacing my aging rear surrounds. Nice sound quality from a fairly small speaker. I also upgraded my aging center channel speaker with a Polk Audio CS10 Black Center Speaker that matches the Polk Audio Monitor 50's I have for the front speakers.
Playing a Bluray concert like David Gilmour: Remember That Night - Live At The Royal Albert Hall is just plain awesome with the Audyssey DSX Wide sound field in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound.
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Jump to Showcase Start
Playing a Bluray concert like David Gilmour: Remember That Night - Live At The Royal Albert Hall is just plain awesome with the Audyssey DSX Wide sound field in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound.
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Jump to Showcase Start
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Comments: 0
Posted: 9th June 2010 - 04:00 PM
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My Gyration Ultra GT (GP110) battery died so I came up with a cheap fix for it since you can't buy a replacement battery any longer.
I used a GE TL96158 3.6V 750mAh battery I got cheap off Ebay.
Below is the process I used to install it.
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The new battery will fit where the old one was in the outer cover (minus the top you took off and leave off). Just slide the cover back onto the mouse and charge the battery.
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Jump to Showcase Start
I used a GE TL96158 3.6V 750mAh battery I got cheap off Ebay.
Below is the process I used to install it.
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The new battery will fit where the old one was in the outer cover (minus the top you took off and leave off). Just slide the cover back onto the mouse and charge the battery.
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Jump to Showcase Start
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Comments: 0
Posted: 2nd June 2010 - 01:33 PM
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I've made more progress on the retrofit!
Some lessons learned... When sizing conduit, don't just add a little to what you think is adequate (I went from 3/4th to 1")... Take that number (1") and double it.... I was able to run just over 1/2 of the wires I need to my office, even though all the wires fit in the PVC in a straight run, there’s no way in heck you can get all of them bent.
I uploaded some new pictures to the album showing the new conduit run and the installed equipment in the audio rack. The brackets to mount the Elk and accessories are arriving mid-next week and I'll be able to get that started...
Some lessons learned... When sizing conduit, don't just add a little to what you think is adequate (I went from 3/4th to 1")... Take that number (1") and double it.... I was able to run just over 1/2 of the wires I need to my office, even though all the wires fit in the PVC in a straight run, there’s no way in heck you can get all of them bent.
I uploaded some new pictures to the album showing the new conduit run and the installed equipment in the audio rack. The brackets to mount the Elk and accessories are arriving mid-next week and I'll be able to get that started...
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Comments: 0
Posted: 28th May 2010 - 11:26 AM
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 10th September 2010 - 06:43 AM |
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