Tuesday, February 13, 2007

HP Visio Stencils

If you've ever gone looking for Visio stencils for HP ProLiant or StorageWorks, here is the place.

The logical layouts are very useful for configurations, since it gives you all the part number options. I use these stencils all the time when I am laying out a new server or storage solution to make sure I don't miss something.

They also make for a visually appealing layout that helps you sell the solution; doing a layout means you've actually thought it out!

Thursday, February 08, 2007

HowTo: Remove Hidden Devices in Windows 2003

Devices that were in a system but now are gone, such as NICs, still linger and even get in the way of healthy operation. To get rid of them, follow these easy steps.
  1. Open a command prompt.
  2. At the prompt, type set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1 to set the Device Manager Console MMC to show the hidden devices, then press Enter.
  3. Next, launch the Device Manager Console MMC by typing devmgmt.msc at the prompt.
  4. Now, in the Device Manager Console MMC, click ViewShow Hidden Devices.

Now you can browse the device tree and find the pesky device that has outstayed its welcome.

Devices that are not loaded will be greyed out, but don't go crazy here. Just whack the devices you know you don't need; being overly zealous here could get you into VERY deep trouble.

HP ProLiant BL GbE2 Default Password

I always tend to forget the default passwords for different gear, probably because they are all over the place, even with the same vendor.

For future reference, the default admin username and password for the GbE2 Switch Interconnect on HP Blade System is admin/admin. Also, the admin guide is located here.