Some Virtual PC Notes Worth Sharing

The last few weeks in IT have been very hectic but in between builds and formats, I have established a secondary PC to house my Virtual_Lab. I have created a Master Virtual PC and Virtual Server . From this I was able to duplicate two more virtual hard drives to share with my fellow IT lab rats. My intention is that, through daily use, we can work out all of the bugs, that accompany this somewhat new technology and help evolve it into a stable and cost effective, system for use on our network. The cost savings alone, make this a worth while venture. Down times will be dramatically reduced and the IT department will see improved efficiency regarding quick setup and deployment and decreased down time, turn around time. I am very passionate about this new technology and believe, it, is what the future holds, for network technology. Here are a few notes to add to your lab, notebooks:

Formatting Notes:

During the XP Pro formatting process the mouse is very sketchy. You are able to manually walk your way through the initial formatting process by using the tab, shift + tab and return, filling in the required information as you go. There is a way to complete the formatting process unattended, by use of the command line function, although at this point more reading is needed.

Virtual PC Additions:

After the format process is completed, you are able to “capture iso image” (under CD tab) and load the iso image, Virtual PC Additions. This installation will eliminate the sketchy mouse function and is said to allow the user to drop and drag ability from the host desk top to the VPC.

File Sharing:

Under the Network Tab in Settings you are able to enable shared connection allowing you to share files between the Host and VPC.

File Sharing

Virtual Console
Action
Settings
Shared Folders
Indicate Folder to Share

Virtual PC Installation on a Virtual Installation:

Tried to install Virtual PC on a virtual PC – Will not allow it!!! More work is needed regarding Virtual PC on a Virtual Server.

I hope these notes, help you in your adventure. Feel free to comment regarding your findings.

Hard Knocks Schooling

I have recently started exploring the realm of virtual computing. After about 20 or so unstable builds (40 hours of study and application), I have managed to work out the bugs, of formatting a Master Virtual PC, for duplication. It is a bit mind boggling, to wrap your brain around the concept of a Virtual PC or Virtual Server, at first. They look, feel and act like a real a PC. They have most of the characteristics of a real PC, with the capability of being mass produced for several users in a short period of time. Once you have created a Master PC, choose its OS, and establish it's configuration, it is pretty easy to hand out a PC, to your users with any operating system they choose. Eliminating the need to format and configure every single PC from scratch. It gives an IT Tech the ability to configure a server as the host, housing your clients hard drive, while the clients PC houses the Virtual PCs console. Users have the choice of several PCs right at their finger tips. They also have the ability to run two separate OS configurations at the same time. I am currently running Vista Ultimate on my laptop, but have found that many of RMGC's applications are unable to run on this platform. Virtual PC 2007 allows me to use Vista as my host platform and simultaneously have an XP Pro platform running side by side. This allows me to assist users at home, with the click of a button, without it effecting my ability to run Vista at home. This also makes it an easier alternative to old fashioned partitioning, which requires a reboot to access the second OS. I took a screen shot of four of my virtual PC's running on my personal laptop. There is much more lab work to do and I will keep posting new discoveries as they come available. Enjoy.

I learned something new yesterday...

After doing the dishes and building an entire bowling alley in Gageys room, I decided to spent, some quality game time with the boys. "Who wants to play Guitar Hero", I asked? They said, "sure"! Of course anything worth experiencing, is worth experiencing fully. So I connected Jayces Xbox 360 to his stereo system, with some cabling I picked up the other day in town. I turned the volume knob up about half way and pushed the power button on the system. It was at this moment, that the velvet robes parted and the Pearly Gates opened. It sounded fantastic. The room was filled with Classic Rock. Turning off the light in the room, immerses you into the game. The games, stage lighting, covered the rooms walls with reds, greens and blue hues. I love the feeling of a dimly lit night club with nothing more than stage lighting casting it's glow upon the surroundings. After an awkward couple hours of teaching my left hand what buttons to push and my right how to strum. I noticed something peculiar. As the complexity of the songs increased I was able to follow along with ease, as long as I could feel the music. I noticed that songs, that where unfamiliar to me where difficult follow but those that I knew and loved would just flow. I realized that if I cleared my mind and just played, my hands just played the notes. If I thought about what I was doing then things went haywire. This leads me to believe if that in life, we can spend too much time analyzing things, causing things to go haywire....but if you fully immerse yourself and become one with everything around you, everything just seems to flow. Are we all not just a small part of a huge symphony in someway. The question is has the symphony been prewritten or are we creating it as we go?

New Years Re-solutions

I'm not making any New Years resolutions this year. This year will be a year of re-solutions. A sort recycling of past promises and personal goals. It will be a year of simplification, resulting in efficient ways, to manage my life, my family and my career. Late, last year I set several goals for myself and I will continue to work on them through out the year. I have set aside this year to establish the foundation, needed to build a reliable and efficient structure to base my personal, family and business life upon.

At home, I will continue to remodel the remainder of the house. It was a lot of work but with every ones help, I was able to get the ceilings sheet rocked and textured. The master bedroom and bath, are the only two rooms needing, to be finished. New floors through, are also still required and I have already picked out the new laminate that will be placed throughout the home. I would also like to complete the foundation for the addition by next fall, if time and money permits. This new space shall house the new living space and perhaps a small craft room for the Mrs. The old living room will be replaced with an actual dinning room for family meals. I will also do some research into upgrading the windows and perhaps a new heating system should the new windows fail to keep the home sufficiently warm after their installation. If anything a more efficient furnace should lower heating bills and with the added square footage, will most likely need upgrading.

As a family will be planning a family vacation. Last years trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico proved to be well worth the money. It is something, Amy and I believe, will be both enjoyable and relaxing for the boys as there is a plethora of activities for them to do, with minimal impact on mom and dad. I'm sure they will enjoy themselves and have memories, that will last a life time. So we will start the processes of obtaining passports for them in the upcoming weeks.

As for my career, I will be scheduling my first Microsoft Certification class. It will be the first of many, in my ever changing new career. Last year, I was granted the opportunity to enter, my dream, career field, of Information Technology. My supervisor, like me, shares the same charisma for the field and has proven to be a very intelligent mentor, for me to follow. It will make for a great learning environment for this exciting, career. I look forward to improving the processes already established and streamlining the department into a very efficient and reliable system for everyone.

I hope everyone has a happy, safe and prosperous, New Year...

Happy New Year