Sunday, 19 January 2014

how to log-in to a fresh install of vCenter Server 5.5 using domain credentials (updated)

Updated: January 24, 2014.

I have read a few posts within the community lately [1][2] about an issue being encountered after a fresh install of vCenter 5.5. Basically, what happens is the only user that can log-in to the vCenter server is the SSO administrator (Administrator@vsphere.local). This may seem like unexpected behaviour, especially considering that even the account (perhaps an AD service account) that was used to perform the install is also unable to log-in and see the vCenter Server.

In contrast to the long title for this post, the solution that I would like to share is short and straight forward. I hope that this solution will save you from some post-install headaches.

Friday, 10 January 2014

the DIY home VPN experiment (part two - PKI)

Part Two: Generating a PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) for my OpenVPN Deployment

In part one of the DIY home VPN experiment, I introduced the project that I am working on - a client-server VPN utilizing OpenVPN. I will be deploying a VPN server using three different methods: 1) a VM running on VMware Fusion, 2) using CentOS on a Raspberry Pi, and 3) using DD-WRT on a consumer router; however, I would like to begin by building the common foundation - the PKI.

What is a PKI, or public key infrastructure?