Bits, Bytes, & Radio Waves

A Journey Through Discovery

  • VMware Blast Extreme Group Policy Settings

    The policy files required are vdm_blast.admx and vdm_blast.adml. They are downloaded as part of the VMware-Horizon-Extras-Bundle. In a typical environment, the admx policy files go into \\<domain name>\SYSVOL\<domain name>\Policies\PolicyDefinitions. The adml files go into the language folder, in my case, en-US. If the Group Policy Editor was already open, close and reopen for the changes…

  • How to Remove Hidden Devices in Windows Device Manager

    Quick Method: If running on a modern Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server, check that PNPUTIL supports the /enum-devices and /remove-device command. I found that Windows Server 2019 did not support the /enum-devices and therefore did not have a /remove-device command. If it does, however, the following one liner should work. foreach ($dev in…

  • Failover Clustering

    TLS Certificate Considerations When adding a certificate for Windows Server Failover Clustering on general purpose servers, ensure the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the cluster name, essentially the load-balanced name, is in the Subject Name of the certificate using the Common Name (CN) attribute. The FQDN of the cluster name and the FQDN of…

  • VMware vRealize Orchestrator Not Logging In

    VMware vRealize Orchestrator Not Logging In

    This occurred for me when upgrading to or installing a new vCenter 7 and replacing the self-signed certificate. I tested in a lab and was able to successfully install both vCenter 7 and Orchestrator 8.3. I was able to successfully configure both appliances and log in, as well. I did use vSphere Authentication as the…

  • Configuring VMware Horizon Connection Server – Windows Server

    ADSI Edit If you do not change the expiration period, Connection Server will stop accepting SAML assertions from the SAML authenticator, such as a Unified Access Gateway appliance or a third-party identity provider, after 24 hours, and the metadata exchange must be repeated. 1. Start the ADSI Edit utility on your Connection Server host. 2….

  • Windows Server Shutdown Event Tracker

    Every time I log in to my Windows Servers, I am greeted with the Shutdown Event Tracker. I know I cleanly shutdown, restarted, or only logged off, though. This has been an issue in my lab as well as on customer networks. I wanted to see if there was an easy and reliable fix, which…

This is how it all started…

I started this site with the intent to aggregate as much information as possible in one place. I use this to record lessons learned or frustrating configurations I have experienced on the job or just tinkering (learning) and just couldn’t find a better resource available. I have tried to be as thorough and accurate as possible, but technology is rapidly evolving and every environment is different. I may miss things along the way and my setup most likely differs compared to yours.

I hope you find this site has some value to you.

Welcome to Bits, Bytes, and Radio Waves! 

If you have any questions or comments (or just want to give me a shout-out), please feel free to contact me!

Aaron Rombaut

Writer & Technologist