Moving a VM to another server might end in unexpected errors, e.g. event log might show ID 21024, 21026 or 32784 without any further detail informations.

Some steps you can try if you encounter issues:

• Delete all VM snapshots and check if they are fully merged (so that no .avhd file exists)
• Check free disk space on all affected drives
• Check if the VM has set any special CPU settings
• Turn off the VM before moving (seems to help especially when moving from Windows Server 2019 to 2022)
• Do not write destination server name manually (use the dialog/assistant instead)

Problem

MS Visual Studio 2022 (currently v17.4), e.g. within a simple C# .NET console app, becomes nearly unresponsive, taking multiple seconds while typing a few characters into the editor.

Solution/Workaround

1. Watch the current background tasks VS is running at the moment (bottom left), and make sure every task finishes within a few seconds.
   • If you experience e.g. a very long indexing of project files, this could be suspicious.
2. Reset VS settings to default:
   • devenv /ResetSettings
   • devenv /ResetUserData
3. Delete .vs subfolder of your project
4. Disable project cache:
   • Tools -> Options -> Environment -> Preview Features -> Use the project cache …

This should improve the editor’s AutoComplete feature a lot.

If not, have a look at the references, there are a few additional option tweaks which might be helpful.

References

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/72237599/how-to-disable-that-new-filecontentindex-folder-and-vsidx-files-in-vs-2022

https://superuser.com/questions/1663409/how-to-fully-reset-all-visual-studio-settings-to-factory-defaults

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/73787513/what-is-vsidx-in-visual-studio-and-why-is-it-autogenerated

https://www.reddit.com/r/VisualStudio/comments/zm252q/vs_2022_very_laggy_and_slow/

[:en]Home automation tools like Home Assistant offer convenient integrations for remotely shutting down computers with Windows OS (and also re-powering on via WOL, triggering a power switch etc).

To get the shutdown feature running, you need to prepare some simple steps on the Windows client.

Issues

Trying the first time you might encounter one of these error messages:

Could not initialise pipe winreg. Error was NT_STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_NOT_FOUND

WERR_CALL_NOT_IMPLEMENTED

Solution

• Create a separate local Windows user which is used only for this purpose (shutting down the machine), like “remoteShutdown” with the same password (not your usual one, as this might be stored on the calling system).
• (Optional) Assign user to the local Administrators group
• Run “secpol.msc” and assign the user to the object which allows Remote Shutdown
  • Note that even if the user Administrator is already listed there, it might not work with it. This is why we created the new user.
• Configure Windows Firewall to allow Remote Shutdown and WMI, you find both properties in “Allowed apps”.
• Make sure “Remote Registry” service is enabled (automatic) and running.

[:]

[:en]

Scenario

USB server devices, e.g. used for virtual appliances, can be error-prone when it comes to auto-reconnect USB client devices on startup. In addition, if you have to redirect USB license dongles to some virtual server, some devices might get “lost” from time to time for whatever reason.

Solution / Help

Using the following PowerShell script you can add some checks to your NSClient / Nagios or similar monitoring.

#2021-08 www.dxsdata.com
#Checking existence of certain USB devices
#To get the IDs, execute this script with -Debug option, or execute below Get-... command

param(
[switch] $Debug
)

#adjust to your needs
$neededUsbDevices = @(
    [pscustomobject]@{NameFriendly='Dongle1';Id='USB\HASP\2&1234'}
    [pscustomobject]@{NameFriendly='Dongle2'; Id='USB\HASP\2&2345'}
    [pscustomobject]@{NameFriendly='Dongle3'; Id='USB\VID_0529&PID_0001\1&3456'}
    [pscustomobject]@{NameFriendly='Dongle4'; Id='USB\VID_0529&PID_0001\1&4567'}
)


#$existingUsbDevices = Get-WmiObject Win32_USBControllerDevice | ForEach-Object { [wmi]$_.dependent } | select-Object description,deviceid
$existingUsbDevices = Get-PnpDevice -PresentOnly -Class "USB" | Select-Object FriendlyName,DeviceID

if ($Debug) 
{
    "Debug output enabled. "
    "These devices will be checked: "
    $neededUsbDevices | fl
    "These devices are connected: "
    $existingUsbDevices
    ""
    ""
    "Comparing:"
}

$err = $False;

$output = "";
foreach($device in $neededUsbDevices)
{
    $result = $existingUsbDevices.Where({$_.DeviceID -eq $device.Id})
    $exists = $result.Count -gt 0
    $existsFriendly = If ($exists) {"OK"} Else {"MISSING"}
    $output += $device.NameFriendly + " " + $existsFriendly + ". " #cosmetics for nagios

    if (!$exists) { $err = $True; }
}
$output

$exitcode = if ($err) { 1 } Else { 0 }

if ($Debug) { "Exit code (Nagios Warning = 1, OK = 0) -> " + $exitcode }

exit($exitcode);

Save it into your NSClient’s scripts folder.

Modify nsclient.ini:

; Below [/settings/external scripts/scripts]
check_usb = cmd /c echo scripts\check_usb.ps1; exit($lastexitcode) | powershell.exe -command -

I assume you have several options already enabled, like CheckExternalScripts = 1, allow arguments etc.

Don’t forget to restart your NSClient service.

You might also want to check the result on your Nagios server like:

./check_nrpe -H myserver -c check_usb

References

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/pnpdevice/get-pnpdevice?view=windowsserver2019-ps

https://docs.nsclient.org/howto/external_scripts/[:]

[:en]Assuming you have WinPC-NC USB 2.x installed, follow these steps to be able to control your Stepcraft CNC with your PS3 Dual Shock controller.

With former methods like ScpToolkit, it was possible, but only via wired USB connection. Using the new approach below (from the same developer), just disconnect the USB cable and the controller will connect wirelessly.

Note: It is recommended to use a separate BT dongle if you are using other BT devices, as the other devices might not be able to connect any more after installing the alternative driver.

Download the latest PS3 Bluetooth drivers from here.

Run the setup.

It will redirect you to this site afterwards.

Install the additional software like explained there:

• ViGEm Bus Driver (run Setup)
• FireShock (run Setup)
• Shibari (extract)
  • Then run the Shibari.Dom.Server.exe and leave the console open

Connect your PS3 controller via USB.

Disconnect it after a few seconds, maybe press the main PS3 key once. You should see the device connects via bluetooth within the Shibari window.

Now we configure WinPC-NC USB:

• Parameters -> Interfaces -> Joystick -> “Gameport1”
• Also run the joystick calibration, using e.g. the left analog key and X button.

Finally, open “manual joystick driving” (Shift+F5) and steer your Stepcraft:

https:// youtu.be/aBW22zcR_l0 (video not embedded, due to GDPR)

References:

https://forums.vigem.org/topic/362/playstation-r-3-peripherals-unofficial-bluetooth-drivers-bthps3

[:]

[:en]Because the team of the original AutoMapper project removed several static methods with the start of v9, I created a project which keeps the most important static ExtensionMethods like Map() or ProjectTo for easier access.

Get it via NuGet or Github.

[github-commits username=”DXSdata” repository=”AutoMapper” limit=”10″][:]

[:en]Using ASP.NET Core controllers, you can add e.g. the attribute [Authorize] to methods or whole classes to prevent unauthorized access.

The following example extends this functionality by allowing access if the client user resides in the local network.

namespace myns.Helpers
{    
    public class AuthorizeOrInternalAttribute : TypeFilterAttribute
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// If set, user is able to access the controller method if logged in or requests from LAN
        /// </summary>
        public AuthorizeOrInternalAttribute() : base(typeof(AuthorizeOrInternalFilter))
        {            
        }
    }

    public class AuthorizeOrInternalFilter : IAuthorizationFilter
    {        
        public void OnAuthorization(AuthorizationFilterContext context)
        {
            var internalIps = new[] { "::1", "127.0.0.1", "192.168." };
            var remoteIp = context.HttpContext.Connection.RemoteIpAddress.ToString();
            var isLAN = internalIps.Any(iI => remoteIp.StartsWith(iI));
                        
            if (!isLAN)
                if (context.HttpContext.User == null)
                    context.Result = new ForbidResult();
        }
    }



}

[HttpGet("[action]")]
[AuthorizeOrInternal]
public User Details()
{
    return this.GetAnyDetails();            
}

Reference[:]

[:en]openTRANS is a collection of XML definitions for automated ordering systems, developed by Fraunhofer IAO.

I partly implemented the openTRANS v2.1 definitions in C# .NET Standard 2.0.

Get it on Github and NuGet.

[github-commits username=”DXSdata” repository=”openTRANS” limit=”10″][:]

[:en]

Scenario

Local printers are deployed via central GPP to your domain’s workstations.

Some printers should not be used by certain users, but users should be able to switch workstations quickly,

Solution

Open Windows Print Management on a local workstation where the certain printer is installed.

Modify the permissions according to your needs.

The both special permissions should stay there. E.g. only delete the “everyone” permission and replace it with a stricter one.

Open RegEdit with administrative permissions and open this key item:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Print\Printers\<PRINTER NAME>\Security

The “security” item contains binary information about the printer’s permission.

You can either export it via RegEdit into a .reg file which you can distribute manually, or you import it into your central GPO, e.g. via the registry item assistant to avoid issues with the binary data (the wizard allows to import the item from your remote station).

Reference[:]

[:en]Released a tool which can be used for non-Outlook PCs to be able to see email files (.msg, .eml) as preview in Windows Explorer.

Get it via GitHub.

[github-commits username=”DXSdata” repository=”explorerFilePreview” limit=”10″][:]