Thursday 12 February 2015

Hyper-V: Set Up An Internal Network For Host/Guest File and Service Sharing

Here’s a quick and simple How-To for setting up network communication between a Hyper-V host, both Server and Windows 8/8.1, and any guests.

  1. Hyper-V Manager --> R.Click ServerName --> Virtual Switch Manager --> New --> INTERNAL.
    • Note the description for the internal vSwitch.
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  2. Click APPLY and OK
  3. Assign the newly created vSwitch – Internal to the required VM(s)
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  4. On the HOST: Start –> NCPA.CPL [Enter] –> Set an IPv4 IP Address
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    • Use a different subnet for this network than anything else on the host’s NICs.
  5. On the Guest: Start –> NCPA.CPL [Enter] –> Set an IPv4 IP Address
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    • Note the host and the guest are assigned an IP on the same subnet.
  6. On either the Host or the Guest open Windows Explorer
  7. \\IPv4Address\
  8. Authenticate
    1. To host: Either MachineName\Username or DomainName\Username
    2. To guest: MachineName\Username
  9. Copy and paste files and access services as expected
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If there is a need to work with UNC paths, HTTPS and certificates, and more then make sure to set up a small VM running DNS and ADDS if needed. One could also put DHCP on that VM to make addressing simple.

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business

Monday 2 February 2015

Sample Client Phish Prevention E-mail

Here’s a sample of an e-mail we would send to our clients on a semi-frequent basis to help keep users wary and informed.

If there is ever a doubt about an e-mail claiming to represent anything from a bank to a newspaper NEVER click on any link in that e-mail.

Open a new browser session and navigate directly to the purported site and log on there.

In today’s day and age we need to be very mindful of clicking on anything.

For anything with a link in it hover your mouse over and a small pop-up will happen:

image
The above snip came from hovering over the Unsubscribe link in the email below.

As a rule, NEVER click on a link on any e-mail with perhaps the exception of the ones CONTACT sends out with software update links. Even then, hover your mouse over the link in her e-mail just in case someone is specifically targeting the firm!

One more point: We’ve been seeing a LOT of Word and Excel based macro virus transmission files. Anyone sending something should be requested to do so in PDF format if at all possible. For folks on the not-so computer savvy side they can click on FILE –> SAVE AS –> PDF (change Save As Type to).

While PDF files are not much safer than Office files they, at least at this point, marginally better. ;)

Happy Monday everyone. :)

Philip Elder
Microsoft Cluster MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen ASP Project
Find out more at
Third Tier: Enterprise Solutions for Small Business