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Quick Fix: Fixing Citrix XTE Server After Installing Citrix Secure Gateway

Published at: 12:05 pm - Thursday May 27 2010

In configuring a new XenApp 6 server on Windows 2008 R2, I found that users could no longer authenticate to the server, even with the Secure Gateway disabled.  I also discovered that I was unable to start the Citrix XTE Server service, which manages passwords for XenApp.

When I tried to manually start the service, I received the following error:

Windows could not start the Citrix XTE Server on Local Computer. For more information, review the System Event Log. If this is a non-Microsoft service, contact the service vendor, and refer to service-specific error code 1.

These sorts of nondescript errors pop up all the time when trying to troubleshoot Citrix services, which makes it tough to do any real troubleshooting.

I dug around in the registry and found a strange entry in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Citrix\XTEConfig key.  The ServerRootPath was set to C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Secure Gateway.  It struck me as odd that this problem popped up only after I had installed the Secure Gateway service, and that the path to the XTEServer was suddenly pointing to the directory where the Secure Gateway binaries were stored.

I did some reading online and found that when installing older versions of the Secure Gateway service, this registry misconfiguration took place, preventing the XTE service from starting.  One would think that Citrix would have fixed this problem already, but I guess not.

So, I simply changed the ServerRootPath registry entry to reflect the proper root directory of the XTEServer, which fixed the issue.  The proper entry for that registry value is C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\XTE.

All you should need to do to fix the problem is change that value and reboot the server.  After that, you are good to go.

 
Posted in: Quick Fix, Walk-throughs by DrNathan No Comments , , , ,




Quick Fix: When Citrix Secure Gateway 3.2 Does not Start Automatically

Published at: 01:05 pm - Tuesday May 25 2010

While configuring a new server with Citrix XenApp 6 on Windows Server 2008 R2, I came across an annoying issue. The Citrix Secure Gateway service refused to start automatically when the server was rebooted. Attempting to manually start the service would result in the following error:

Windows could not start the Citrix Secure Gateway on Local Computer. For more information, review the System Event Log. If this is a non-Microsoft service, contact the service vendor, and refer to service-specific error code 1.

Clearly this is not very descriptive, nor very helpful.

Digging around more in Windows Event Viewer, I came across Event ID 7024 in the Windows System log. This error contained the same detail message shown above. I was still going nowhere fast.

As I continued to look through the logs, I expanded the Applications and Services logs portion of the Event Viewer and found a set of log files solely dedicated to the Citrix Secure Gateway service. Here, I found two errors repeated over and over.

The first was Event ID 176:

Unable to bind to IP interface [[<ipv6 address here>]:443]

Followed by Event ID 144:

No listening sockets available, shutting down. (Hint: Port might be in use by another process)

After ensuring that no other process on the machine was tying up port 443, I tried disabling IPv6 on the server to see if that would remedy the issue. The Secure Gateway service still could not bind properly, as disabling IPv6 did not remove the IP address shown in Event ID 176.

I ran ipconfig to see what adapter was using that particular address and found that it was assigned to Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface, which is a Windows IPv6 component. I decided to re-run the Secure Gateway Configuration wizard to change the IP address that the Secure Gateway was monitoring.

You can see below that by default, the gateway service monitors all IPv4 and all IPv6 addresses.

Citrix Secure Gateway 3.2 Listening IP addresses Default

I unchecked both boxes and used the Add button to configure the listener on the single IPv4 address my server was actually using, as seen below:

Citrix Secure Gateway 3.2 Listening IP addresses Edited

Once I made that change, I was able to reboot the server and have the Secure Gateway service start without issue.

As a side note, some people have recommended editing the registry to force the Secure Gateway Service to rely on the IISAdmin service. I tried this during one of many attempts to rectify the problems I was having with the Secure Gateway, but found that it did not help. In fact, after changing the IP addresses to which the Secure Gateway attempts to bind, I removed that dependency and the Secure Gateway sill ran without issues.

 
Posted in: Quick Fix, Walk-throughs by DrNathan No Comments , , ,

Intel Enables SSD RAID TRIM with new RAID Controller Software

Published at: 08:03 am - Friday March 26 2010

Intel released an update to its Matrix Storage Manager software just the other day, which among other things, enables TRIM on SSD drives connected to a controller in RAID mode. In the past, you could not utilize TRIM on any SSD connected to a controller with RAID enabled, even though the drives were not part of an actual array. Now, if you are running Windows 7 (and Server 2008, IIRC), you can have RAID arrays alongside your SSDs and enjoy TRIM support.

Unfortunately, this does not mean that you can use TRIM on a RAID array of SSDs. That technology is still (hopefully) in the pipe.

Also, in this release, Intel has deprecated the “Matrix Storage Manager” moniker and replaced it with “Rapid Storage Technology” or RST.  Going forward, their RAID driver and software package will be named as such.

Updates to RAIDFix enabling support of this new version are forthcoming.

If you want to grab the new drivers, head this way.

 
Posted in: Follow-up, Technology by DrNathan 6 Comments , , , , , , , ,

Blur – Where Need for Speed Meets Mario Kart

Published at: 11:03 am - Friday March 19 2010

I recently had the privilege of playing the Blur Beta on Xbox 360 thanks to snorkle256 being generous enough to pass a beta invite my way. All I can say is wow, is this game fun!

After playing for a few hours, I feel that it is a really nice melding of two great games: Need for Speed and Mario Kart.

Need for Speed has always had fast & flashy cars, cool terrains, and good graphics. Not to mention the need for the player to suspend disbelief when it came to plowing full-throttle into a brick wall and walking away relatively unscathed.

Mario Kart on the other hand has always been more laid back and fun, somewhat rudimentary, but always entertaining. The use of power ups was always the biggest draw in this game – there is nothing more fun than zapping the player in 1st place with lightning, or flinging a red, exploding shell at a nearby opponent. The formula was simple and fun, which paid of well in terms of replay value.

Blur Game Logo

Blur has combined the best elements from these two games into one fantastic package. Filled to the brim with new, sporty cars such as a track version of the VW Scirocco, a Ford Focus RS, BMW M3, a Corvette ZR1, and many more, this game has something for everyone.

On top of the bevvy of cars, the game features six different power ups that the player can use to force other racers off track, to block attacks from other racers, or to repair the player’s car. These power ups range from homing bombs that flip over the opponent’s car to a “Barge” attack that pushes other nearby players off-course. This is where the game departs enough from Mario Kart to be unique – the power ups are always located in the same place on the track, and they regenerate quite quickly. Around each turn, you know if a power up is coming your way so you can use this predictability to help advance through the ranks.

Blur Screenshot BMW and CamaroBlur Screenshot - Shelby Mustang GT500

The graphics are sharp and colorful – not at the same level as a Forza 3 or Gran Turismo – but you don’t need that sort of polish and detail here. You are buzzing around the tracks at such a ridiculous speed, with a flurry of obstacles flying at your car, that you wouldn’t even notice the difference. That is not to say that the game is visually lacking in any way – on the contrary, it’s quite the visual treat!

All in all, I have had a ton of fun playing the beta. There are some great multi-player features, such as voting between two possible tracks for each and every race, that really take into consideration what players want, and what other games have been lacking.

If you get the opportunity, get in on the beta – if you miss it, be sure to pick up the game when it is released, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

 
Posted in: Games, Reviews, Things I Like, Xbox 360 by DrNathan No Comments , ,

WordPress for Blackberry v1.1

Published at: 12:03 pm - Thursday March 18 2010

WordPress for Blackberry v1.1 was released yesterday, and its awesome. No problems publishing posts, ninterface, easy to use. Now if they only had something built in to compensate for my fat thumbs!

 
Posted in: Things I Like by DrNathan No Comments ,

Configuring VyprVPN

Published at: 01:03 pm - Wednesday March 17 2010

Having been a customer of Giganews for several years, I recently received an email detailing their new service for Diamond Members, called VyprVPN. The service is exactly what it sounds like – a VPN tunnel through which you can direct your Internet traffic.

If you happen to be in a relatively insecure location, like an airport or hotel with free Wi-Fi, or if your ISP has been using traffic shaping to slow down your favorite apps, a VPN is the way to go.

If you are a Diamond Giganews member, the service is free. I do not believe it is open to the public as of yet, but I would guess that the service will run somewhere around $15/month once it is.

I decided to give VyprVpn a go the other day, and unfortunately could not connect to the service. The “Installation” instructions found on their site are pretty well detailed, but they seem to be missing a few configuration options that prevented me from connecting. Each time I tried to connect, the Windows VPN client would get stuck at the “Verifiying user name and password” dialog prompt. No matter how long I let the VPN client sit, it would not connect.

After poking around awhile and tweaking various settings, I found a solution to my issue. Follow the initial configuration instructions found on the VyprVPN site, then before you connect for the first time, do the following:


In Windows 7:

1) Open the Network and Sharing Center, click on Connect to a network

2) In the list that appears, select your VyprVPN network connection, right-click, and select Properties

3) In the Options tab, uncheck the Include Windows logon domain check box

4) In the Security tab, select Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) in the Type of VPN drop down menu.

5) Select Maximum Strength Encryption in the Data Encryption drop down menu

6) Uncheck all protocols in the Allowed Protocol section, aside from Microsoft CHAP Version 2 (MS-CHAP v2)

7) Click OK and then connect to VyprVPN using your Giganews user name and password

Windows 7 VPN Options Tab
Windows 7 VPN Security Tab Showing PPTP and Protocol settings



Connecting with Windows Vista is just as easy:

1) Open the Network and Sharing Center, and on the left side, click Connect to a network

2) In the list that appears, select your VyprVPN network connection, right-click, and select Properties

3) In the Options tab, uncheck the Include Windows logon domain check box

4) In the Networking tab, select Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) in the Type of VPN drop down menu.

5) Click OK and then connect to VyprVPN using your Giganews user name and password

Vista VPN Options Tab
Vista VPN Networking Tab showing PPTP Settings

For the sake of full disclosure, my Vista PC is part of a Windows domain, but my Windows 7 laptop is not.  I don’t know offhand if the fact that I am running Vista Business and Windows 7 Enterprise has anything to do with the issues I was experiencing, but maybe someone out there can try this on a “Home” version of Windows and let me know how it goes.

Overall, I like the VyprVPN service now that I have it working properly.  In my preliminary speed tests, I found that I could max out the download speed on my network connection at work, after taking encryption overhead into consideration.  The upload speed was sufficient, but somewhat lacking.  I have yet to try it out on my 20 Mb/s connection at home, but I assume I will have similar results.  While I really plan on using the service while away from home and stuck on shared, open Wi-Fi, it is nice to know that there is a healthy amount of bandwidth available if I need it.

VyprVPN gets an A+ in my book so far.  Stay tuned for a secondary review a few months down the road.

 
Posted in: Reviews, Technology, Things I Like, Tips, Walk-throughs by DrNathan 2 Comments , , , , ,

Seagate and I: Broken up for Good

Published at: 11:03 am - Tuesday March 09 2010

Dear Seagate,

What a love-hate relationship we have had. It has been 10 years, and while I have enjoyed much of it, I have suffered enough heartbreak. I think it is finally time to say goodbye.

Drive after drive has died on me (5 of them to be exact). Your firmware release to fix spontaneous data corruption had left me stranded in a sea of data with nothing but a brick to keep me afloat. Your RMA policy…well, it is highway robbery at best.

This last drive failure was the final straw.

There is no reason that a drive, a Barracuda hardly a year old, should fail in the way it did. If this is your flagship product, you have a lot of self improvement ahead of you. Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea to mess around with Maxtor on the side – you know, they never did have the best reputation for quality…

After your complete failure to maintain your fidelity my RAID1 relationship, I am tossing you aside.

Perhaps we will run into each other some time in the future. By that point, I will likely be wildly writing bits to a sleek Western Digital Black drive. Or, you may find me cavorting around with a shiny new SSD. If we meet again, let’s promise to keep it civil.

Anyways, I am rambling now. This is becoming a touch awkward.

Goodbye forever Seagate!

 
Posted in: Follow-up, Random, Rants by DrNathan 4 Comments , , ,

Cheap! – Xbox Live 12-month Card

Published at: 04:11 pm - Monday November 16 2009

As of tomorrow, Sears and KMart are both offering $35 12-month Xbox Live Gold cards on their respective web sites.

I’m not sure how much they are charging for shipping, or if the “cards” are being sold as electronic codes (a la Amazon), but it’s worth a look either way.

The special continues through the 21st, so get ‘em while they are hot!

 
Posted in: Cheap!, Games, Xbox 360 by DrNathan No Comments , , ,

Fix (most) Annoying Keyboard Problems in Windows

Published at: 11:11 am - Tuesday November 10 2009

I have been having issues with my keyboard for as long as I can remember. The Shift, Control, Windows, and Alt keys were not functioning properly at all and were becoming quite the annoyance. It seemed as if while held down, the keys were randomly toggling themselves on and off while I pressed other keys.

For instance, I would end up replacing whole lines of text with a “c” while trying to press Ctrl-C to copy the line. Similarly, the paste shortcut Ctrl-v would wipe out text in a single swoop as well. Trying to quickly save usually left random “s” characters in my documents, and many words were left lower case due to my malfunctioning Shift key.

I originally chalked it up to my keyboard itself. It was a cheap PS/2 keyboard that came with my computer, so I decided to swap it out for a new, USB keyboard. I figured the problem was with the hardware, so I would be good to go once I replaced it.

Not so.

My problems continued to persist until one day I had an idea. Perhaps it wasn’t the keyboard, perhaps it wasn’t some odd Windows issue. Perhaps it was the drivers loaded by Windows for my keyboard.

I did some digging in Windows’ Device Manager and decided that the best course of action would be to see if I could remove and re-add my keyboard from the system. I removed both keyboards listed there and then rebooted. Suddenly all my problems were gone, and your can be too if you do the following:

  1. Open the Device Manager – it’s under Control Panel -> System and Maintenance -> System in Vista
  2. Navigate to the Keyboards section as shown below
  3. Right-click on any entries there and select Uninstall
  4. Wait for Windows to remove the hardware and then reboot

Device Manager

Windows should now re-detect the keyboard and you should be all set. Now, this doesn’t work for all keyboard issues as some of them are indeed hardware-related, but it worked to fix the issue I have been struggling with for months!

 
Posted in: Quick Fix, Tips, Walk-throughs by DrNathan No Comments , , ,

Configure Anonymous Samba Sharing in Ubuntu

Published at: 09:10 am - Friday October 02 2009

I was setting up some Ubuntu virtual machines for folding when I decided that I wanted to monitor them all via a single interface in Windows using FahMon. I also wanted to be able to alter the folder where the folding client resides in case I ever have to do a little maintenance. The easiest way to accomplish this is by setting up shared folders on the Ubuntu VMs and pointing FahMon to those folders. For me, security is not a concern as the files are not sensitive and the virtual machines are pretty secure on my LAN, so I decided to set up Samba shares on the VMs with anonymous sharing enabled.

In Windows, setting up a file share is relatively easy, but it takes a few more steps in Linux. Follow the steps below, and you will be on your way in minutes:

First, you will need to install Samba if it does not already exist on your system. Do so by running the following command at the terminal:
sudo apt-get install samba

Next, open the Samba config file in your text editor of choice, whether it be graphical or something like vi. Make sure you are logged in as root or that you launch the editor using sudo, otherwise the file will be read-only!
The path to the file is:
/etc/samba/smb.conf

At the end of the document, we are going to add the following:

[folding]
path = /home/DrNathan/folding
available = yes
read only = no
browsable = yes
public = yes
writable = yes
guest ok = yes
only guest = yes
guest account = nobody

The first line, surrounded by square brackets, specifies the name of the share. The next option specifies the full path to the shared folder. The subsequent settings are pretty straightforward, but the guest ok = yes, the only guest = yes and guest account = nobody settings are important for our anonymous sharing goal. They basically tell Samba that we want to allow only the guest account to access this folder, and that the guest account includes all anonymous users.

Now, save the file and close your editor. We now need to restart the Samba daemon with the following command entered at the command line:
sudo /etc/init.d/samba restart

You should now be able to access the share from your Windows machine by typing the path to the share in an explorer window. My path is the following:
\\foldingpc\folding

Where foldingpc is my Ubuntu machine’s name and folding is the share name.

If you try to edit, create, or delete a file in the folder, you will realize that you are denied access to the files. You need to complete one more step before having full anonymous access to the folder.

In a terminal window, browse to the folder just above your shared folder. In my case, this path is:
/home/DrNathan

You now need to change the permissions on the folder to grant yourself write permissions on the share. I did so by typing in the following:
sudo chmod 757 folding

This basically tells the system that I want to grant the group “others” (essentially anyone not the owner or in the same Linux group as the file owner) the ability to write to the directory named folding. The previous permissions on the directory were 755, so if you want to revert your changes, simply enter sudo chmod 755 folding at the terminal.

That’s it, now you should have full anonymous sharing configured on your system. What happens if you decide you would rather secure the folder using a password instead. Follow the link below for more:

(more…)

 
Posted in: Quick Fix, Technology, Walk-throughs by DrNathan 1 Comment , , ,
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