Fixed: Dell iDRAC6 SMTP Email Alert Settings

Goal: get email notifications sent from a Dell Poweredge with iDRAC6 when a server issue occurs.

Problem: "Email not sent." is the message displayed after clicking Send Test Email.

Solution: 

1. iDRAC Settings > Network/Security > Enter your DNS Domain Name (ex. yourdomain.com)
2. iDRAC Settings > Network/Security > Set DNS Servers (this is so external SMTP domains can be translated)
3. Apply
4. System > Alerts > Click Enabled for Enable Platform Event Filter Alerts
5. Apply
6. System > Alerts > Email Alert Settings > Enter destination email and Email Description
7. System > Alerts > Email Alert Settings > Enter in either your internal email server or external email relay. iDRAC 6 does work with external email relays outside of your organization.
8. Apply
9. System > Alerts > Email Alert Settings > Click Send to Test E-Mail

A successful email will be sent:

Subject: Alert from iDRAC

Message: [DELL IDRAC WARNING]
Message: TEST PAGE
Event: Email paging test to user.
Date: 10/11/2019
Time: 13:41
Severity: Info/Normal

PARTIAL FIXED: USB 3.0 External SSD not showing up in Disk Management XHCI

Symptom: Connecting an external USB 3.0 drive, in Windows, does not display in Disk Management. The only thing you see is the device is displayed in connected USB devices.

This happened to me with an Asus Zenbook UX series laptop. Attempts to connect a Samsung T3 drive failed. The drive would not show up in Disk Management, nor in the BIOS. Disabling XHCI in the BIOS allowed the drive to show in Windows 8.1, but this would revert the drive to USB 2.0 which is not what we want.

Re-enabling XHCI in the BIOS allowed for USB 3.0, but again, the Samsung T3 drive was still not displaying.

Solution: The Windows XHCI driver needs to be updated. Go to Device Manager, USB Controllers, then right click the Intel USB 3 XHCI device and select Update Driver Software.

NOTE: Not all External USB 3.0 drives will be compatible with the Windows driver and same goes with the Intel driver. The Samsung T3 works fine with the Windows driver, but another external drive randomly disconnects after copying files.

The driver will update with a Microsoft XHCI driver, and you should be able to see your drive in My Computer as well as Disk Management.

XBMC & VDPAU Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64bit w/HDMI Sound [HTPC]

XBMC Ubuntu 12.04 HTPC Tutorial

My Setup:

Zotac ION N330 w/integrated Nvidia ION Desktop GPU

Ubuntu 12.04 64-bit
Nvidia 295.49 Driver (302.17 removed overscan and broke sound)

HDMI Sound and Digital Passthrough for Dolby Digital and DTS

BIOS Southbridge - Internal Codec only

Nvidia HDMI to HDMI DD/DTC receiver - from HDMI DD/DTC receiver to HDMI TV (From the PC, a HDMI cable goes to HDMI receiver input | Another HDMI cable connects to the HDMI receiver output and goes to the HDMI input on the TV)

Instructions:

1. Install Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, during setup, choose autologin, and update software with an internet connection

2. Download System Software Updates once the system reboots

3. Get the latest Nvidia driver

How To Install Nvidia 275.09.07 Driver in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot & 12.04?

Nvidia removed overscan options in their newer drivers. To fix overscan, go here:

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=0pt7heqdtt2f0iiekelk4kpja2&topic=106650.msg916509#msg916509

http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/lucid/man1/alt-nvidia-96-xconfig.1.html

Enable VDPAU

sudo apt-get install libvdpau1 vdpau-va-driver
http://linuxforums.org.uk/index.php?topic=4232.0

4. Reboot

5. Upon Rebooting go into the BIOS.

In your BIOS, go to Southbridge configuration and change the video RAM from 256MB to 512MB (THIS IS OPTIONAL, MY SYSTEM PLAYS BACK BLURAY WITH 256MB SELECTED). Inside the Southbridge config, change Audio codec to Internal only--this will limit sound to HDMI only, so analog sound will no longer display in Ubuntu. Internal+External will enable both HDMI and analog.

6. Install XBMC--super easy tutorial thanks to Noobslab

Install XBMC on Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin

http://www.noobslab.com/2011/12/install-xbmc-on-ubuntu-1204-precise.html

7. Unmute HDMI/spdif

First, check to see if sound is enabled and unmuted. SPDIF should be unmuted as well:

From Ubuntuforums user lidex on http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=10363314&postcount=3 :

"Code:

alsasmixer

Press <F6> to select the correct soundcard.

Press <F3> to show playback levels. <F4> selects capture levels [or use <Tab>]

Use the left/right arrow keys to select and up/down arrow keys to change levels. <M> to mute/unmute.

Go to "System ->Preferences ->Sound" and make sure the correct soundcard is default and adjust your profile on the hardware tab. 

On the output tab choose the correct device."

8. Enabling HDMI sound in XBMC

Getting Sound over HDMI was a challenge for me. This was due to my own error in modifying the sound configuration files, which I did for my previous installations. Originally, I assumed I had to modify /etc/pulse/default.pa and .asound, in the home folder, but in the end, those steps broke sound over HDMI. I had to go back and delete all modifications to get DD/DTS sound over HDMI in XBMC.

With the newer Ubuntu 12.04, XBMC, Nvidia, and Ubuntu work well with one another. HDMI system sounds should work out of the box with some minor setting changes.

• Select HDMI in Audio Output
• Under Audio Output Device, select Defaults (ALSA)
• For passthrough sound to your receiver, select Defaults (PulseAudio)

8.5 Change sound outputs in Ubuntu

9. Install Xubuntu and fix video tearing

http://askubuntu.com/questions/74519/how-to-remove-tearing-in-videos-with-nvidia-driver

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/01/how-to-fix-video-tearing-in-videos-nvidia-ubuntu/

10. Enable VDPAU accelerated HD flash for browsing Youtube/Vimeo with Flashaid

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1685845 

11. Install Google Chrome http://www.google.com/chrome

Recap, now you should have video and system sounds over HDMI, XBMC DD/DTS passthrough over HDMI, HD VDPAU accelerated Adobe flash playback with sound, 

12. Now get some popcorn going, sit back, and enjoy your HTPC!

Troubleshooting links:

http://http.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/gpu-hdmi-audio-document/gpu-hdmi-audio.html#_verify_your_eld_is_valid

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1668737

Trading Issues with Facebook [UPDATED]

[UPDATE 6/10/12]
I've neglected to update this post, so here goes. The following weekend of the FB IPO, my trades were luckily cancelled. I was part of the herd of sheep that didn't get slaughtered. However, looking back, the whole FB Nasdaq trade debacle really screwed over all stakeholders: retail traders, brokers, institutions, and FB. Lesson learned: do what it takes to not be part of the heard of sheep! Anyway, good luck to y'all and best wishes.

[UPDATE 11:44AM]

There is a huge demand for FB stock, but the problem is with Nasdaq, marketmakers, and brokers. Orders are not going through. People who put in orders this morning are having their orders stuck in limbo, which means their cash is also stuck. You cannot cancel these orders, nor can you get updates whether the order was executed.

Possibly millions? of orders are in stuck causing widespread confusion and frustration. The bottom line is that there are people out there unable to trade Facebook stock right now. Whether or not Nasdaq cancels these orders, or screws over retail customers at a ridiculous execution price, is what I want to know.


[UPDATE 10AM]

Just got through to Zecco, and it looks like many brokerages are not getting updates from the marketmaker on orders that may, or may not have been filled. This is due to the high volume going through, so they cannot cancel or modify existing orders. You will just have to wait and see.




9:35AM Zecco Trading is having issues with either Nasdaq or having issues within their own servers for trading Facebook stock. For now, I cannot cancel a FB order, nor is my FB order going through.

Phonelines are full, and no news on their website....

Update from Zecco: "Extremely high traffic related to the IPO activity. - Due to extremely high traffic related to today’s IPO activity customers may be experiencing slower response times on the Zecco website. In addition, there are general market issues causing delays in order processing from the exchanges and market centers. We are actively monitoring the situation so the proper user experience can be restored as soon as possible."

Ooma Hub :: Orange Light of Death :: Hardware Failure

Symptom: When turning on your Ooma Hub, an orange light immediately appears on the clear Ooma tab. No other lights display on the buttons nor on the network connections in the back.

Problem: You've experienced an Ooma Hub hardware failure. (Don’t bother with reading the manual as the constant orange light is not mentioned in there. I checked.)

Solution: Your options are to either return the device to the store or call Ooma and have them replace the unit under the warranty.

Tips for replacement under warranty: If you already tried troubleshooting, hard reset, turning off the device, checking the lights and cable, then here’s a tip to get you through the call faster. Skip their attempts at troubleshooting over the phone because their tech support will get you to the same conclusion which you already know: your Ooma Hub is toast. The Orange Light of Death, or OLD, is 100% guaranteed that your Ooma Hub is no longer working. Insist that you’ve already tried troubleshooting, and you want to have the unit replaced. Also, double check the information they have on hand to ensure a speedy replacement.

*Update 9/13/10*
From Ooma Support:
Subject: Hardware Failure
Try slow power cycle first by unplugging the power from the back of the device, wait for at least 2 minutes before plugging it back in.
You can also try doing a factory reset to check if your device will recover:
1. Hold down the Tab button, unplug the power cord.
2. After 10 sec plug it back in, continue holding the tab until the 3 rows of buttons light up row by row at a fast pace (i.e. each row lights up for 300 msec.).
3. Release the Tab button.
4. The ooma Hub will then go back to factory default settings and reboot itself.
If the factory reset did not work, we can recommend the replacement of the defective unit under your current warranty coverage.

Currently going through the exchange process.



Update: 10/10/10
I'm happy to update that the exchange went smoothly. Ooma sent a new device that worked just fine.

Firefox 3.6.X & Vmware SSL/https Fix

Thanks to Alan Doyle on the mozilla forums for this fix:

1. Open up Firefox
2. Type in the address bar: about:config
3. Type in the filter bar: ssl2
4. Double click on security.enable_ssl2 to change the value from False to True

Now you should be able to log into https://localhost:8333
 
Vmware Console on the other hand will not work with Firefox 3.6.X. Therefore, if you're on Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid, you will need to access Vmware remotely via another computer on your network. If you're using anything below Ubuntu 9.10, then downgrade Firefox 3.6.X to 3.5.8, and Vmware Console will be okay.

Filezilla on Windows 2000 fix

Filezilla does not work on a Win2k machine due to the auto update feature. We need to turn this off to get it working.

Navigate to %APPDATA%\FileZilla, open filezilla.xml.

Search for code <Setting name="Update Check" type="number">1</Setting>

Change to code: 0

All should be well.

UltraVNC "Preconfigured to prevent users from setting their own password"

So we've installed UltraVNC on all of our machines via the Administrator login. Unfortunately, when we switched over to our User account, we got the following message:

"No password has been set and this machine has been preconfigured to prevent users from setting their own password."

If you received this message, as I did, here's what we have to do to fix it.

1. Log into your administrator account.

2. Go to the start menu and click Run

3. Type in regedit

4. Go to and select HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\ORL

5. Click File and then Export to some location of your choice i.e. c:\UltraVNC.reg

6. Log into the User account that is displaying the problem above

7. Browse to the drive we saved the UltraVNC.reg

8. Double click and click Yes

9. Now, UltraVNC works

Tip: UltraVNC settings can be edited in the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORL\WinVNC3

.