SBS new install checklist
I was going to make one, but this guys is much better: http://blog.mpecsinc.ca/2009/05/sbs-2008-setup-checklist-v111.html
I am working on a checklist for a migration from standard server or sbs 2003/2000. Look for it soon.
VMWare standalone server checklist
This list assumes a Dell PowerEdge R710 with no SAN. Similar steps would be required for any VMware host. After unboxing server and setting it up on the bench boot it up.
- Hit f10 to configure your RAID, if needed. Reboot.
- Download and install firmware updates for RAID controllers and backplanes. Reboot.
- Enter bios and turn on virtualization support on the processor. Reboot.
- Configure iDrac IP settings and password (Ctrl-e at the prompt). Reboot and test access via the web console. Default username/password is root/calvin
- Boot to ESX 4.0 installer disc, go through installation prompts with defaults. Remove disc and reboot.
- After reboot, log in to the console, set IP information and password.
- On a machine on the same network, go to https://<server IP> and download the appropriate vsphere client for the version of VMWare ESXi you are running, if needed. Install the host update utility.
- Log in to the server via the vsphere client and enter your serial number. Select the host IP in the left hand panel, choose the configuration tab on the right hand panel, then select "licensed features" on the left and then choose edit in the top right corner. Enter your key. If you don't have one, get it from VMware.
- Configure your NTP server. Exit vSphere.
- Open the host update utility, connect to your new host, scan for patches and install them. Run through this process until you can do it twice and find no new patches.
- If needed, open vSphere and configure networking (vlans)
- Create an ISO directory on your data store, copy needed ISO files to that folder using either the store browser or the Veeam SCP utility.
- Build your VM. Configure startup options for the vm if needed.
- Install the vmware tools for the server in question.
WordPress Admin Site Corruption on 2.9.2
Normally, I assume that if I am running the most current version of a product, my chances of getting hacked are pretty low. I don't know what happened, but a few days ago, I noticed that the admin side of my site was rendering really funny, regardless of the computer or browser I was using. I noticed that the other sites I run on the same shared host (hostgator) had the same issue. I did the following steps in order until I found one that fixed it:
- Changes theme back to default
- Deactivated all the plugins (I really only use two, so this was not a big deal)
- Renamed the plugin directory to plugin.old via FTP
- Replaced the http.php file in wp-includes with a fresh copy from a newly downloaded zip file
- Replaced entire wp-includes directory with new copy
The last thing fixed it. Unfortunately, in my haste, I did not get a close look at the files to see if they had been modified. If I was in a situation where I only updated my site from one IP, I would definitely be modifying my .htaccess file to lock this down.
Below is a screencap of what the site looked like:
Everything worked fine, but it looked way off.