VMWARE ESX Host Backups: Easy and Free

I don't if anybody remembers, but about a year ago, one of our really cool Dell servers decided to go belly up.  Now mind you it was our *most* redundant server.  The raid card blipped out and wrote bad data across 2 disks of our raid 5 array, thus destroying the array.  We were pretty good about backups, but the bad news was that this array contained all of our VM Hosts.  Now the data for each host was safe because we did per VM backups of exchange, databases, etc....but the fact remained that we just lost 8 VM's all of which would have to be rebuilt by hand, and then restore the data to each of them.

Not the end of the world, but the next 36 hours were full of caffeine and very painful.

Introducing ESXpress.  This software has revolutionized the way we backup our ESX server.  It automatically backs up each VM Full Host every night.  We do a full backup of the Host on Thursdays and it does block level Delta's the other nights of the week.  We have the system configured to compress and backup to our live backup server using FTP.  Basically it requires very little room on the ESX Server and it finishes our backups very quickly at night.

THE BEST part is, it can be installed and configured in about 10 minutes, and you don't need a VMWARE degree to get it done.  All you need to do is visit their site and download the package.  They have an 8 minute video that will walk you through the entire installation.  The only other thing needed is a place to dump the backups.  I tried some of the options, but we opted to install an FTP server on our Backup box and then it was easy as pie.  Configure EsXpress to dump to that FTP Server, and wait for results.

WARNING: Make sure you keep track of how much disk space this uses.  In the FREE mode the system doesn't automatically clean up old backups.  If you buy the basic LE license you get the added feature of it cleaning up the backup folder...Very nice, very worth the money.  They offer a 15% discount for Non-Profits.  This means the basic LE license is around $425.00.  I will tell you we have run the free version for about 6 months with no problems, but we are going to purchase the Pro Version next week to take advantage of faster backups, and also to gain the advantage automated cleanups.

National Day of Prayer

Today is the national day of prayer...  Keep our country in prayer today!  Churches and organization all over the country will be meeting at noon to pray for the nation!

Laminin

I was sent this email this morning about a Laminin.  Laminin is a cell adhesion protein in your body, but the really cool this is the shape of this cell.

This brings Colossians 1:17 to a whole new life. "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."  This protein holds cells together.

Almost like Jesus Christ stamped you and I with "Made by God."

 

Here is a video from GodTube where Louie Giglio talks about meeting a molecular biologist who introduced him to Laminin.  How Great is our God!

 

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=152b5103d741aca61093

 

 

Be Blessed Today!

Budget, Budget, Budget 2008

Well, it's that time of the year again.  Today wrapped up round 1 of the budget.  I am trying to get some fresh ideas and insights from God about what we need to do and what we can wait to do this year.

In that vein, what's the coolest idea everyone has for 2008-2009.  I realize some of you may have already done your budgets back in January, but we run from July-June, so we are heavy into the Budget right now!

2008 will be a year of simplifying for us.  We are looking at a lot of projects on how we can further use technology to simplify the many process around here.  Our Sharepoint Calendar Project, is one of these.  We are moving away from 12 calendars and moving (very quickly) towards 1 master calendar with lots of views.

This is just one of the projects.  If you want, share your coolest project...

The NEEKO Project

About a month and half ago my wife and I did what we said we would never do...Get a pet.

 

So everyone was totally surprised when I wanted to get this little guy.  This is Neeko - the name came because my darling wife thought he looked like a Nicholas, but the Greek (not geek) in me wanted something more fun...Thus NEEKO!

 

We have been busy the last 6 weeks with potty training and general training, but as of this moment he has learned the following:

• Sit
• Lay Down
• Paw (our version of shake hands)
• Rollover
• Come

Maybe not as exciting as a new server, but he has definitely changed our world. Neeko has been a huge hit at the office.  He loves to visit the server room and chew (DOH) on Cat 5 cables.  My staff loves him, so do I.

 

More to come this new endeavor in our lives.

Taking Sharepoint Calendars to the Web

There are many times in my career that I have ideas, and this is no exception. About a year and half ago, I had an idea... An IT guy idea. Lets get the data in one place, and then connect everything to that. As a truly lazy computer person, I hate, abhor the idea of repetitive tasks...That's why I like computers.

About a year ago, I shared an idea with my programmer about publishing a Sharepoint calendar to our website live...embedded in the page with no visible links back to Sharepoint.

About a month ago, my programmer, Richie, came back to me and wanted to tackle the project. About two weeks our beta went online, and last week we went live with a new breed of calendar.

http://www.calvaryccm.com/community/eventscalendar.aspx

This link takes you to a Flash Calendar that is reading it's data from Sharepoint WebServices on our back end Sharepoint site (our Intranet), and pumping in to the Flash App as an XML Document.

What is so totally cool about this is that it allows all of our ministries to publish their calendar information through standard methods (ie Sharepoint), and not have to learn something new. We are working on expanding this idea to include Categories (Each Ministry) and some of our larger venues as locations. We are also incorporating some really cool filtering so that each ministry can have their own calendars still based off the original idea.

When I found out that there were 12 calendars that all needed to be kept current...Well that blew my mind.

Thanks Microsoft, Thanks Sharepoint, Thanks Richie.... My hat is off to you for making this happen.

More to come on the Publishing Sharepoint Idea.

Windows Live Writer

Per a suggestion from another blog, I am posting my first time using Windows Live Writer. So here goes.

I have officially begun using Windows Live Writer. WOW... We are using a CMS called SiteFinity, and I have been reading on thier Forums that they will begin supporting Windows Live Writer and other API driven apps later this year... I can't wait... How totally cool.

You can download Windows Live Writer for free from:

http://get.live.com/writer/overview

Definitely a Cool Tool... I have to give props to Jason Powell from Granger Community Church. I first read about Window Live Writer on his Blog... Check him out to: http://jpowell.blogs.com/

Anyway... Back to Live Writing!