Zenworks Configuration Management, PXE, and Firewalls

I recently added a new site to my ZCM setup and I couldn't get the clients to PXE boot.  This problem was particularly frustrating because it seemed so familiar and I knew that I had encountered it and fixed it once before.

I did remember to start the Proxy DHCP (pdhcp in some places) service and set it to automatically start.  That's a simple as going to the Services console, picking the "Novell Proxy DHCP Service" and setting the Startup type to Automatic and then clicking on Start.

But PXE still doesn't work.  What did I miss?

The firewall configuration.

Out of the box, the Zenworks installer sets a lot of firewall allow rules, but it doesn't set the ones needed for PXE booting.  You have to set those manually.  Here's how to do that.

Go to the Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall.  Click on the "Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall".  (You could just turn off the Windows Firewall if you wanted to, that would also fix this problem).


Then click on the "Allow another program..." button.

Then the "Browse..." button

Now you want to browse to your Zenworks folder.  By default that's C:\Program Files (x86)\Novell\Zenworks.  From there we're going to drill down further into the bin\preboot folder.  You should have wound up at C:\Program Files (x86)\Novell\Zenworks\bin\preboot

You'll notice a couple of applications: novell-pbserv, novell-proxydhcp, novell-tftp, novell-zisdservice, and novell-zmgprebootpolicy.  We're going to select and allow each of these in the firewall.  Just start with the first one, novell-pbserv, select it, then click the Open button.  Now you're back to the "Add a Program" screen, just click the Add button.

It should automatically check the box for the Domain network location which should be all you need.

At this point it's just rinse and repeat.  You'll click on the "Allow another program button" and go through and selecting all the "novell-xxxx" applications one by one adding them to the list.  Once you get them all done, it'll look like this.

How to change CTRL+ALT in vSphere Web Client

I've been working on setting up a new SYSPREP Win7.  I started the build on a virtual machine running on top of VMware vSphere.  I tweaked it and got it like I wanted it.  Then I went take the image in Zenworks and realized I couldn't get into the imaging mode.  To load the imaging menu you press CTRL + ALT during the PXE boot portion, but CTRL + ALT is also the same key combination to release control of the virtual machine window.  I could have just booted it from a Zenworks boot CD, but I wanted to use the PXE boot.  I looked through the options in vCenter and couldn't find anything related to the changing those settings.  Then I turned to Google and I found a bunch of posts talking about how you couldn't change it.  The outlook was starting to look a little bleak, but then I stumbled into a workaround.  Apparently, the standalone program VMPlayer and the vSphere console use the same configuration file.  You can find that file here:

C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Roaming\VMware\preferences.ini

There are lot of guides on how to tweak the settings in that file.  But here's the settings that were relevant to what I wanted to do.

pref.hotkey.control = "true"
pref.hotkey.gui = "true"
pref.hotkey.shift = "false"
pref.hotkey.alt = "false"

These settings change the CTRL+ALT combination to CTRL + Win (that's "gui" above).  Keep in mind that the "Hint" across the top of the window still says press CTRL+ALT to release the cursor.   You also have to close and reopen the window for it to pickup the change.  I panicked at first because I changed the settings, couldn't get them to work and then forgot that I had changed them.  Later when I went back into a VM I couldn't get out of it.  I'll admit, it did take me minute to realize what I had done.

Stubborn Broadcom USH device on a Dell E6400

I recently revisited the driver installation on a Dell E6400 laptop.  There was one stubborn driver that I couldn't get working, the "Broadcom USH" device.  Dell's support website didn't list a driver for this so I went out on a wider search across the internet forum.  I found a lot of posts talking about installing the Control Vault device drivers.  So I grabbed the Dell ControlPoint Security Device Driver and found that it was useless.  The drivers were wrapped in an installer (that I didn't want to run, I just wanted the drivers).  Then I scrolled a little further down the page and found the Dell ControlVault Driver package (here's the page where I found it). After extracting that exe file I was left with a bunch of MST files and one MSI file.  So I extracted the MSI and there they were, the elusive drivers.  But it wasn't just a straight forward install.

I tried to install the driver, but it didn't work either.  It told me it couldn't find one of the files.  At first glance, everything was there.  So I ran DPInst against it.  It errored on two different drivers.  I looked through their INF files and found that they were looking for 2 files that weren't there.  A ccidflt.sys and a cvusbdrv.sys were missing.  Looking in the folder there was a ccidflt.sys2 and a cvusbdrv.sys1.  Close enough, right?   I removed the extra number from the ends of the extension and ran DPInst again and it worked!

So there you go, sometimes drivers can be stubborn.  But a little persistence pays off in the end.

Chromebook Chargers (HP, Samsung, and Dell)

Again with the Chromebook posts, right?  There are tons of reviews out there.  But you can only rehash the same specs so many times.  In the K-12 market I need to know about the physical properties of the devices too.  Let's face it, these things are going to take some abuse.  What takes more abuse than the power connector?  The charger is going to be plugged up every day, it's got to be tough.

My first experience with a Chromebook was the Samsung Chromebook.  No model number, just the Chromebook.  That was the first ARM based one that was priced at $249.  My thoughts initial thoughts were wow, it's light, it's thin, maybe a little flimsy, but what's with that crazy small charger connector.  Really, is this a Nokia phone from 2008?  In saying that, I still love that particular model.  I was just worried about unleashing a hoard of students on that small connector.  The teachers haven't had an issue with it, but I feared the students.  I've seen what they were capable of with much more robust connectors.

Then I came across the HP Chromebook 11.  Not as thin or light, but not as flimsy either.  So how did that charger connector stack up?  It's micro-usb.  That's great, right?  I really thought it was.  It's micro-usb! Most of these kids are used to plugging these up with their cell phones.  My toddler can plug up a micro-usb connector.  Not to mention that micro-usb chargers are everywhere which should have been a huge advantage (but it's not, just Google it for the details, the short version is that cell charger doesn't provide enough juice, Chromebook battery will die while trying use and charge at same time).

All micro usb connectors are not the same.  The HP Chromebook 11 appears to have a micro-a usb socket.  What is that you ask?  It's almost just like the ubiquitous micro-usb connector.  In fact, the micro-b usb connector that you're used to works in a micro-a socket.  The big difference is that that micro-a connector is a rectangle, it doesn't have the "clipped" corners that make the micro-b connector look kind of like a trapezoid.  Here's a link to the USB Wikipedia article, they cover it better than I do and they have pictures, too.

What does the different connector mean to you? It means the socket doesn't have an obvious up side (or downside).  I know I'm guilty of blindly trying to plug a cable in, doesn't fit, flip it and try it again.  With the more common micro-b connector this isn't a problem.  The metal casing on the connector will only fit one way so if it doesn't fit, it just doesn't fit.  But the HP Chromebook 11 doesn't have a micro-b socket, it's got a micro-a socket.  This means that the metal casing will fit either way.  The only thing stopping it from going in upside down is the thin little plastic strip that holds the metal contacts.  Do you see the problem with this?

So enough about the Chromebook 11, how about the Chromebook 14?  It doesn't have the same problem as the 11.  It's got a more standard barrel connector.  It seems fairly robust.  I haven't spent much time with this one so I don't have a lot more to say about it.

Now let's get to the latest Chromebook that I've tried out.  The Dell Chromebook 11. I got it out of the box and was thrilled to see the standard Dell barrel connector.  The power adapter is a 65W adapter.  It's got rounded corners and doesn't look like the other Dell power bricks that I'm familiar with, but the business end is the same.  It even has the light up ring where the cord goes into the back side of the barrel connector.  I checked it out, it looked pretty cool.  But I didn't plug it up.  Right there on my desk was another Dell power adapter from another Dell laptop (not a Chromebook), I picked it up, plugged it in and.... It blew up.  Wait, no it didn't.  It just worked.

So there we go, the Dell Chromebook 11 has a nice big, fat, rugged power connector.  And it's not unique, it's a Dell connector.   There's a thriving market for Dell laptop chargers.  Try finding an after market HP Chromebook 11 charger (which isn't the same as a HP Chromebook 14).  Heck, try to find an OEM adapter for that matter.  The HP is always out of stock.  Good luck finding a replacement if your dog eats homework, er.... Chromebook charger.